At the "core" of the "heart" of the "center" is the Kremlin, a 64-acre fortress built on a low lying hill at the confluence of the Moskva and Neglinnaya Rivers in 1147, although a settlement existed on the site as early as 500 B.C. The Kremlin contains historically significant cathedrals, palaces, and government buildings. The photograph below is taken from the southwest looking northeast. The significant features in this photo are the Borovitskaya Tower on the left (one of the entrance gates to the Kremlin, the name going back to the pine-grove covered hill where the Kremlin was first founded), the Armory Palace adjacent to it (built in 1844 to contain gold and siver workshops and ultimately the vast treasures of the Tsars), and the Great Kremlin Palace to the right (built in 1838 as the Imperial residence).
Outside of the Kremlin wall, on the west side, is located the beautiful Alexander Garden. The garden is a pleasant place to walk as well as observe two important Russian monuments, the Obelisk to Revolutionary Thinkers and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Pictured below is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is frequently the site at which Russians lay flowers and it is also a tradition for newly married couples, dressed in their tuxedos and wedding dresses, to come here and lay flowers as a tribute to their war dead.
Moscow and Russia are also Red Square. It is, perhaps, the most visible symbol of Russia. Red Square, originally known as Beautiful Square, is contiguous to the Kremlin's northeast wall and contains some of the most famous icons in Russia: Lenin's Mausoleum, St. Basil's Cathedral, GUM, and the State Historical Museum. The following photograph is taken from the inside of St. Basil's Cathedral looking to the northwest across the length of Red Square. On the far left is the Kremlin wall with the Senate Tower dominating. Behind the tower is the Senate building itself. The monument with two figures to the left of center is of Minin and Pozharsky (two heros of the Time of Troubles--a period in Russian history just prior to the time when the Romonov family began to rule Russia.) Immediately left of the Minin and Pozharsky monument (a low, dark structure) is Lenin's Mausoleum. Directly above the Minin and Pozharsky monument is the large Nikol'skaya Tower (another entrance to the Kremlin). To the right of Minin and Pozharsky monument is the State Historical Museum.
If a person tours Lenin's Mausoleum, it not possible to go directly back into Red Square. Before that can happen, one must first pass through a small plot of ground behind the mausoleum where a small number of Communist leaders are buried. The next photograph, taken with a telephoto lens, is Stalin's grave and monument.
The most famous structure in all of Russia is found at the southeast end of Red Square--St. Basil's Cathedral also known as the Cathedral of the Virgin of the Intercession. Ivan the Terrible commissioned the construction of the cathedral to commemorate his army's seizure of the Tatar stronghold of Kazan on October 1, 1552. According to legend, Ivan had the architect blinded so that he might never again create a church of such splendor. St. Basil's Cathedral is illustrated in the next photograph.
On the east side of Red Square, opposite Lenin's Mausoleum, is the long facade of GUM, the State Department Store--Russia's largest. The original structure contained over 1000 individual shops, but over the years, shops have become larger and fewer in number. Today, the average Russian generally cannot afford to shop in GUM as it has become filled with shops catering more and more to wealthy western tourists. Below is a photograph of GUM.
On the northwest end of Red Square, opposite St. Basil's Cathedral, is the beautiful State Historical Museum (see photograph below). It has only recently become accessible to tourists after several years of renovation. Just to the right of and behind the museum is the Hotel Moskva. One can also see construction (1994) of the Resurrection Gate. This gate, demolished during the Soviet period, has now been rebuilt at the northwest end of Red Square adjacent to the State Historical Museum.
A short distance from the Kremlin and Red Square, but yet generally located in the "center," are four other significant structures. The first (shown below) is the world-famous Bolshoi Theater. The theater is located north of Red Square in what is known as Theater Square. Originally built in 1776, the theater has burned down twice, once in 1805 and again in 1853. The existing massive eight-columned portico surmounted by the chariot of Apollo was part of the original design. The interior of the existing building is magnificent. Watching an opera or ballet in the Bolshoi is, perhaps, secondary to the splendid setting in which it occurs.
While there are many places in Russia, Moscow, and St. Petersburg that I really enjoy, my favorite place of all is the The State Tret'ykov Gallery. This gallery contains the finest collection of Russian icons in the world as well as Russian art work from the 11th through the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The museum building was initially the Moscow Municipal Art Gallery which had been donated to the City of Moscow in 1892 by Pavel Tret'ykov. The gallery collection now exceeds 100,000 works. All visitors of Moscow must visit the Tret'ykov Gallery. It is superb. The front entrance is shown in the photograph below.
Just to the west of the Kremlin a relatively short distance is Arbat, a pedestrian street. This is a fun street to stroll along if one likes crowds, music, artists, and street vendors. On the west end one can find a McDonald's Restaurant (a bit out of character for this street) and near the east end is Dom Knigi, a very large bookstore. The Arbatskaya Metro station, at the east end of Arbat Street, is also an interesting place to watch Russians. The photograph shown below is rather representative of this famous street.
The final photograph (see below) in this series is the Russian White House or the capitol building of the Russian Federation. It was here, in October 1993, where communist hardliners attempted to take control of the government. Boris Yeltsin brought in soldiers and tanks, fired on the building, drove the hardliners out, and took control of the building and maintained power as President of the Russian Federation.
