Monuments & Landmarks, Moscow

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Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery was founded in 1380 in the village of Vysokoye by Prince Dmitry Donskoi after his return from the Battle of Kulikovo.

This site was once occupied by the ancient Bogolubskaya Church of Ivan Kalita. It is said that when the Muscovite Prince Ivan Kalita passed this place, he suddenly saw a high mountain covered with snow which all of a sudden melted away, and then the mountain also disappeared. He described this vision to Metropolitan Pyotr a few days before his death.
The Metropolitan explained that the high mountain was the Prince, and the snow was the humble Metropolitan who should take leave of this world before Kalita.

To make a memorial to this miraculous vision Kalita built the Church of the Bogolyubskaya Icon to the Mother of God, which later became the main church of Visoko-Petrovsky Monastery.

The monastery came under the patronage of a boyar family, the Naryshkins, and in particular Natalia Naryshkina Peter's the Great mother.

In 1812 the convent was ransacked by the French, and in Bogolubskaya Church Marshal Mortie sentenced some local people to death for setting fires.

Do you know where in Moscow metro you can find integliated words from Soviet (so called Stalin’s) Hymn :

“Through Days dark and stormy where Great Lenin Lead us
Our Eyes saw the Bright Sun of Freedom above
and Stalin our Leader with Faith in the People,
Inspired us to Build up the Land that we Love.” ?

The Answer is simple – Kurskaya (Ring line), Sun of the Victory Hall .

After XXII meeting of Communist party of Soviet Union in 1961, where Stalin’s personal cult was blamed, the last 2 lines of Hymn were removed from the wall, where they were since station openings on 1 January 1950/

During recent restoration in 2008-2009 the lines were reconstructed and Ground pavilion has received its genuine historical view … except Stalins’ monument, which took away irreversibly.

Renewed Ground pavilion of the Kurskaya station looks very lovely and definitely must to be seen during you visit to Moscow.

Our industrious Mayor Luzhkov swept the city’s streets for an extra rouble when he was a student – or so he says.

The statue will welcome you to The Museum of Modern Art at 25 Petrovka, and you don’t even have to pay the entrance fee.

Image courtesy
http://vasi.net/community/kartinki/2009/06/03/neobychnye_pamjatniki_moskvy.html

P.S.
No he is former mayor, and chances are the statue is no longer there.

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The last Lenin Statue which was erected in Moscow in 1985 can be found on Oktyabrskaya ploshchad (October Square).

The statue was built by the sculptor Lev Kerbel and symbolizes the multinational nature of the 1917 October Revolution.

Directions:
The square Oktyabrskaya ploshchad, where the last Lenin Statue stands, is dominated by urban grey apartment blocks from Soviet times. Moscow's longest street, Leninskiy prospect, begins at Oktyabrskaya ploshchad. The nearest Metro stop is Oktyabrskaya.

Just came across a gallery of landmark photos – 19th – 20th century compared with how it looks today (if there is anything left to look at, which is not always the case)

Hotel Moscow in Brezhnev's time, 1976 - in the middle,
How the place looked in 1899 - above,
The same hotel suffering the market economy reconstruction - 2008

Courtesy http://www.rian.ru/moscow_mm/20081010/152857191_5.html

In Russian only – so far

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Up to last decade Moscow State University was the tallest building in Moscow - 240 m. But...

A couple of years ago construction of one more vysotka was completed near metro Sokol. This is block of elite flats called "Triumph-Palace". The 57-story building, containing about 1,000 luxury apartments, was topped out on December 20, 2003, making it Europe's tallest building at 264.1 metres (866 ft) until the inauguration in 2007 of Moscow's 268 metre Naberezhnaya Tower block C. Both with MSU are in top 15 tallest buildings of the world.

Sorry, I have not jet taken a photo of it. This is a photo and the scale model from internet.

This building will last, I hope.
It was turned to the French in 1942 and still houses their defence attache's office. A lovely little piece the 'fairy-tale' style of the turn of the century, architect Lev Kekushev, designer Viktor Vasnetsov. You can google both names, they popular far and wide. Maybe you will not see the white memorial plate at the entrance with the 42 names, but it is there. There is a florist's shop on the cathedral square.

The directions are simple: head to the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, stand at the river and turn back.

Gostiniy Dvor is a sort of old-time bazaar, although it should not be thought of as a flea market. Foreign merchants would come to Moscow and set up their own national markets, hawking wares from their home countries to Russian buyers. As one of the functions of government, the Tsarist régime set up Gostiniy Dvor as a large indoor marketplace at which all these foreign merchants, as well as Russian ones, could sell their goods. Today, Gostiniy Dvor still has some shops, as well as restaurants, but it has quite obviously lost its importance as a central commercial hub. We didn't go inside, as it appears that most shops are pretty expensive, but it is a building of historical interest that you will likely notice if you come along Varvarska from Kitay Gorod towards Red Square.

Aleksandr Sergeevich Griboyedov was an early 19th century poet, dramatist and diplomat who was born in Moscow but died in Tehran, presumably on mission for the Russian Crown. A monument commemorating his works and his service to his country can be found just opposite the Chistye Prudy metro station. In truth, it is not a spectacular piece of masonry or art, but it is a mighty handy landmark and something to inspect if you arrange meet someone at Chistye Prudy subway stop and they arrive late.

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The Likhud Brothers (Ioannikos and Sofronios ?) were two Greek monks who took up residence in Moscow in the late 17th century and greatly added to the collection of theological and philosophical works that make up the Orthodox canon. In 2007, a monument to them was erected in Bogoyavlensky alley (south-east of Ploshchad Revolutsii), which descriptions of their accomplishments in both Russian and Greek. Interestingly enough, the monument is located in this out of the way spot because it stands in front of the Bogoyavlensky Monastery, a now-abandoned 13th century monastery that once housed the Vicary of the Metropolitan of Moscow. It was returned to the Church in 1991 for religious services, and it seemed that I believe that it may be open to the public. Even if you don't get a chance to go inside, the now restored Monastery has some exquisite icons on its exterior, visible from the other side of the alley.