|
Moscow
Moscow is the capital
of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was
founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the
year of 1147 as the start of Moscow’s history. Gradually the city became more
and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was a centre of the
struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the tartar yoke. In the 16th
century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united
state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg in 1712,
Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of
Napoleon’s attack. Three-quarters of the city was destroyed by fire during
Napoleon’s occupation, but by the mid-19th century Moscow had been
completely restored. After the October revolution Moscow became the capital
again.
Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine
hundred square kilometers (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the
present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is over 9 million.
Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is
Red Square. It has more historic associations than any other place in Moscow.
The Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of
ancient Russian architecture. The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has
become the symbol of the country. On the territory of Kremlin you can see old
cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-Cannon and the
Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. St Basil’s Cathedral was
built in the mid-16th century in memory of victory over Kazan.
There’s a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects Barma and
Postnik, because he didn’t want them to create another masterpiece.
There are a lot of
beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow.
Now Moscow is being reconstructed and we all hope in a few years the city will
become even more beautiful.
Three are more than 100 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin
Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Other unique museums in
Moscow include the All-Russia Museum of Folk Arts, the Andrei Rublev Museum of
Early Russian art, Alexei Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, Mikhail Glinka Museum of
Musical Culture and many others.
Moscow is famous for its theatres. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera
House. Drama theatres and studious are also very popular.
| 