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From museums to theatres and from bustling squares to beautiful parks, Moscow is a city of culture. The Russian capital on the Moskva River, from which the city takes its name, has a colourful past and boasts magnificent architecture. To organise your Russian retreat and enhance your travel experience contact your personal travel manager for a professional and insightful planning experience.
Moscow was established prior to the 12th century and many of the city’s original walls, towers and buildings remain intact. The most popular is the Kremlin, a fortress built in 1156 to protect early Moscow. The existing walls, 2,205 metres long and 19 metres high, were erected between 1485 and 1495. Tours still use these walls as vantage points for breath-taking views of St Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square and Moskva River to the South.
Red Square, the location of Lenin’s Mausoleum, colloquially known as the heart of Moscow, was the sight of a shantytown right up until the 1400s when the area was cleared for public executions. It wasn’t until the military parades of the 20th and 21st century that the square became synonymous with Moscow and the Soviet Union. In more recent times, the Red Square has been used for mass protests and large concerts.
Bordering Red Square is one of the most famous and colourful churches in the world. St Basil’s Cathedral, officially known as “The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat”, was completed in 1560 under Ivan the Terrible and sits at the geometric centre of Moscow. The cathedral takes its name from a prominent Russian priest who took sermon, and spent most of his time, naked to demonstrate freedom from a material existence.
Today the structure is one of the finest living examples of Byzantine architecture, complete with majestic onion domes and lavish decoration. The cathedral consists of nine chapels, each capped by a unique dome.
The cathedral has a uniquely vibrant exterior, in sharp contrast to the conservative facades of other Christian temples. The magnificent cathedral contains a museum of narrow maze-like corridors, showcasing the bright and mosaicked interior.
The city of a Moscow is an architectural masterpiece, its monuments stand as some of the most awe-inspiring in Eastern Europe, to visit this exquisite land, contact your local, personal travel manager.
TravelManagers respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands where we work and gather, and those we visit.
