"Vitalia's new Moscow page" Moscow by Vitalia

Moscow Travel Guide: 4,944 reviews and 8,877 photos

Church on Bolshay Polyanka st.

The Kremlin from Big Moskvoretsky bridge.

The Moscow Kremlin is Russia's mythic refuge, a self contained city with a multitude of palaces, armories, and churches, a medieval fortress that links the modern nation to its legendary past in the ancient state of Kievan Rus'. As the dominance of Kiev faded and its empire fragmented under the weight of foreign invasion and internecine strife in the 11th and 12th centuries, regional princes gained power. In 1147, as Kievan Rus was experiencing its final death throes, a chronicler recorded that a feast was held at the hunting lodge of Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy, ruling prince of Rostov and Suzdal. The lodge was perfectly situated atop a hill overlooking the Moskva and Neglina rivers, prompting its development (in such troubled times) as a fortified town, or Moscow Kremlin.

Within a century, the town had risen to become an independent principality within the Mongol empire. By the middle of the 14th century, its princes had gained such pre-eminence that Moscow was made the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church. With Ivan the Great (1462-1505) at its helm, Muscovite rule extended over all of Russia, and the Moscow Kremlin became more magnificent, befitting its role as the seat of Russian power. By 1480 the once modest hunting lodge had become an imposing fortress city. Its stone walls were graced by the magnificent Cathedral of the Assumption, where Ivan defiantly tore up the charter binding Moscow to Mongol rule. Over the next two centuries, until Peter the Great transferred the capital of Russia to St. Petersburg, the Moscow Kremlin served as the central stage for the magnificent and occasionally horrific history of the Tsars.

With the shift of power to St. Petersburg, the city and the Moscow Kremlin declined. However, the Bolsheviks' choice of Moscow as their capital in March 1918 returned it to preeminence, and during Soviet rule the Kremlin experienced its second life as a great center of power. Although the Soviet state certainly left its mark on the Kremlin, the centuries-old citadel very much retains the aura of early Tsarist Russia. Especially in Cathedral Square, where the spirits of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, and the early Romanovs loom much larger than those of Stalin or even Lenin himself.

Monument of Peter the Great

Last visit to Moscow: Aug 1999
Intro Updated Aug 29, 2004
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AZTECA 11 Novoslobodskaya, Moscow, Russia Phone: 095/956-8467 or 095/972-0511 One of the most popular Moscow... more travel advice

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Written Aug 21, 2004

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Comments (87)

take_it_eazie Sep 20, 2004 at 8:57 AM Report Abuse

Moscow 's soooo beautiful !!! ..l'm wordering are there lots of people who can speak english ???
globetrott Aug 24, 2004 at 2:02 PM Report Abuse

a lovely travelogue bringing back great memories !
MrBill Jun 11, 2003 at 1:31 AM Report Abuse

Excellent photography on Moscow Vitalia. Your pictures show movement and vibrance very well. Speak to you soon. Poka padruga, Bill.
montxito Jul 11, 2002 at 9:03 AM Report Abuse

Excellent pictures, good job
walter_101 Jun 20, 2002 at 11:33 AM Report Abuse

Pozdrawljaju !!!
Raxon Jun 16, 2002 at 9:14 AM Report Abuse

I love the pictures of this place!!
frankcanfly May 12, 2002 at 1:07 PM Report Abuse

Beautiful and complete!! Great insight!
OrlandoBR Apr 3, 2002 at 1:01 AM Report Abuse

Your page is great!
MProcher Mar 22, 2002 at 12:19 AM Report Abuse

great page!
Tom1971 Feb 22, 2002 at 1:37 AM Report Abuse

great, big pictures