Moscow

Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation. It is a business, scientific, cultural, and tourist centre of the country. Moscow's unique complex of attractions, the opportunity to get acquainted with traditions of Russian people is appealing to guests coming here from all over the world.
Population: More than 9 million people, every day from 1 to 1,5 million visitors.
Area: Approximately 40*60 km, the city has a compact oval configuration a little bit stretched from north to south.
Territorial division: 10 administrative districts, 128 municipalities in their structure.
Tourist attraction objects: Greatly valuable architectural ensembles of various epochs, more than 300 museums, about 80 galleries and exhibition halls, 14 musical theatres, 75 drama theatres, 16 concert halls.
Transport: There are nine railway stations and five airports in Moscow. For your service is the extensive network of bus and car communications. Well developed public transport system (carrying more than 40 million passengers every year).

According to a legend mentioned in the old Russian chronicle, Moscow was founded by the Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgorukiy in 1147. In the fourteenth century Moscow becomes the centre of Great Moscow Principality. Later, it becomes a centre of the whole Russian State.
Moscow is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This city combines the best pieces of old and modern architecture. Russian capital was especially renovated and changed over the last years. Most of historical buildings, architectural ensembles, churches and monasteries were restored.

Architectural sights: The absolute symbol of Russia and Moscow is the Kremlin, a majestic centre of a huge country's capital. Very significant monuments of history, art and architecture are concentrated here. The subjects of tourists` special attention are the murals, frescos, and icon stands of the Kremlin cathedrals that have no analogies in the world, masterpieces of the old Russian painting of 12-17th centuries. The integral part of the Kremlin Ensemble is the Red Square with St. Basil's Cathedral (16th century), which is the embodiment of the best achievements of the epoch architectural ideas.
The ensembles of Moscow monasteries, in particular the Novodevichiy Convent, rank among the most famous monuments of Moscow.
Kolomenskoye - a unique historical, architectural, and nature-landscape park - is now one of the leaders among Moscow objects for sightseeing. This is a former summer residence of the Russian tsars, there too one can see a great architectural monument - the Ascension Cathedral (built in 1532) which was listed by UNESCO together with the Kremlin among the best cultural and historical monuments of the world. Kolomenskoye attracts tourists not only by its abundance of historical and art values but also by the excellent cultural and entertaining programs.
The objects of special interest for tourists are the following: Moscow palace and the estate complexes built in the 18-19th centuries: museum-estate Kuskovo, Ostankino and Tsaritsyno ensembles and others. Besides the monuments of the last centuries, such objects as the high-rise buildings of forties and fifties, the buildings by constructivists of twenties and thirties that are famous abroad and characterize the Soviet epoch architectural style are also something for the tourists to see.

The Moscow historical centre is a territory in the bounds of Sadovoye Ring which is a chain of streets at the place of the old fortifications surrounding the central park of the city. Here we may mark the areas of Boulevard (Inner) Ring, Zamoskvorechje, Arbat, River Moskva embankments. Moscow has never had a style unity which is a characteristic for "cities - museums". (St. Petersburg, Venice, Athens), so that its specific beauty is in the various merchants` mansions and old yards; western part of the centre (from Ostozhenka to Tverskaya) with glamorous Empire - style buildings which received that name in the 19th century. "Moscow Saint- Germans", and others. They are the part of the itinerary called "the Golden Ring of Moscow": the Kremlin , the Red Square, the Okhotniy Rjad shopping complex , Manezh Exhibition Hall, Manezhnaya Square, Borovitskaya Square, the Pushkin Fine Arts State Museum, the revived majestic Christ the Saviour Cathedral, the pedestrian bridge over the River Moskva to the Strelka, the complex of the Tretiakov Gallery, the Bolshoy Kamenniy Bridge, the Vasiljevskiy Slope, the old Gostiniy Dvor, GUM ( the city shopping centre ).

Museums: There are a lot of museums in Moscow: Historical, fine arts, architectural, of military history, literary, scientific, technical and industrial, museums-estates, museums-reserves. Traditionally the most popular with tourists are the following museums: the State Tretiakov Gallery, Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, and Historical State Museum; their exhibitions are the richest with masterpieces of world cultural and history. In Moscow galleries and exhibition halls many works by modern painters, graphic artists and sculptors are exhibited.

Theatres and concerts: Besides the world known Bolshoy Theater, there are 103 stages in Moscow: musical, drama, variety theatres and halls, etc. There are also 55 night clubs with music shows and jazz concerts.

Leisure and entertainment. During the last ten years many new high class restaurants, shops and supermarkets appeared in Moscow. The number of a-la-Carte restaurants offering to their clients various dishes of Russian and European cuisine has significantly grown. Apart from restaurants, bars, and night clubs on the hotels territory there are many other worthy enterprises with unique interiors and style of service, offering dishes of national, European, and Oriental cuisine.