One of the largest cities in Europe, a home for 10 million people, Moscow managed to preserve great number of historical monuments as well as its old urban structure. Russians say that the history of Moscow is the history of the whole Russian country

Moscow is the center of European Russia, but it is also the country’s historical, political, economical and spiritual center. Although officially founded in 1147, there is evidence of settlement since Neolithic times. The city has withstood numerous invasions, civil war, revolution, and even demotion as the country’s capital, yet it survived and remains the heart and soul of Russia. A city of contrasts, contemporary and Soviet-era architecture stands side by side with ancient monasteries, 19th century palaces and elegant buildings. Moscow has a rich collection of museums ranging in all topics of interest—from art to literary. The city’s repertoire of evening entertainment varies from theater and circus to concerts and ballet with programs changing almost nightly.

The Red Square - site of countless coronations, conflicts and celebrations. Today, this symbolic space serves as a cultural epicenter of one of the world’s great cities and invites visitors to share in its many wonders. The focal point of the city, the square lies on the east wall of the Kremlin surrounded by a thick red fortress wall containing 20 towers, all at various intervals. Originally allotted for a market, the square itself appeared around the end of the 15th century when Ivan III ordered all wooden buildings in the vicinity of the Kremlin to be demolished to protect the Kremlin from fires. Walk through the square to St. Basil’s Cathedral, a colorful multi-domed complex built between 1555 and 1560. The cathedral’s architects were supposedly blinded by Ivan the Terrible so that they could never recreate such splendor again. While the exterior towers of the cathedral are quite fantastic, the interior churches are relatively simple in design. Continue on to the Novodevichy Convent, located near the Sportivnaya metro station. One of the finest examples of 16th and 17th century architecture in the city, it houses a museum of rare and ancient Russian art as well as Moscow’s most prestigious cemetery. Here rest such eminent notables as Chekov, Prokofiev, Stanislavsky and Kruschev, to name a few. The convent was originally popular with the privileged; its novices were generally representatives from wealthy and prominent families.

For centuries, the Kremlin has been witness to many famous and tragic events in Russia’s past and it is a treasure trove of Russian history. There are three major cathedrals in the Kremlin: Archangel, the royal burial church, the Assumption, the burial church of religious leaders and the Annunciation which has a stunning iconostasis by Andrey Roublev.
Another highlight of Kremlin is the State Armory, the oldest museum in Russia, home to a collection of ceremonial carriages and thrones of Russian Czars, armory and diplomatic gifts, masterpieces of 18th and 19th century jewelry, as well as priceless artifacts dating as far back as the 14th century.

Next to the Armory is the State Diamond Fund which has a dazzling exhibition, containing the “pride and glory” of Russia, starting from platinum and gold nuggets and ending with the crown jewels, used for centuries in coronations right up to that of Nicholas II in 1896.

Visit the Tretyakov Gallery, which contains the best collections of Russian art in the world. Reopened in 1995 after a nine-year renovation, it houses an outstanding display of pre-revolutionary Russian art as well as an extensive collection of icons.

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts has one of Russia’s most representative collections of foreign art dated from ancient times to modern days. Exhibits include a vast collection ancient, medieval and Renaissance sculptures and original works by foreign artists, sculptors and graphics together with objects of decorative arts. Works of art on display include Ancient Egyptian antiquities, European paintings of the VII-XVIII centuries; sculptures of Ancient Greece, Rome, Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Attend morning service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior which has the most dramatic history reflecting the history of the whole country. Built in the course of 40 years and completed in 1883 the Cathedral commemorated the victory over Napoleon in 1812. Closed in 1917 after the Revolution it was blown up by the order of Stalin in 1931. A giant open-air swimming pool was built on its place in the 60-ies. A decision to rebuild the cathedral was taken in 1990. Restored to its full splendor in 2000, the Christ Cathedral has again become a dominating landmark of the Russian capital.

Kuskovo Estate is the only wooden mansion that has preserved from the 18th century. The estate is located in the Perovsky district of Moscow and used to be the summer residence of the Sheremetyev Counts. There are various architecturally interesting buildings on the grounds as well as a very well preserved French park with ponds, pavilions and marble sculptures. The estate was given museum status in 1938 and has one of the richest collections of glass and ceramics from antiquity until modern times. It contains over 30,000 items of Russian and foreign art, including Italian Majolica ceramics, Venetian, English and Russian glass, as well as Chinese porcelain and a unique collection of Russian porcelain from the 18th-20th centuries.