Red Sq. - Kremlin area/Manezhnaya Sq., Moscow

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Just in front of the Iberian Chapel is a bronze plaque marking Kilometer Zero of the Russian highway system. It is also considered to be the center of Moscow. When you visit this area you will often see people standing on the Zero Kilometer medallion and throwing coins over their shoulder and making a wish. Many brides and grooms do this on Saturdays wishing for happy, harmonious and productive marriages.

This is a tradition that is easy for you to become part of as well. Just take your turn and throw some of your small change over your shoulder as you make a wish. Synonymous with making a wish while blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. Old women and children usually line the area outside of the Kilometer Zero marker and pick up the coins after you toss them. It is a happy time for everyone.

Also known as the Resurrection Gate, it connects the north-western end of Red Square with Manege Square. The gate adjoins the ornate building of the Moscow City Hall to the east (left) and the State Historical Museum to the west (right).

Since 1669, a chapel has stood in front of the Iberian Gate. It houses a replica of the holy icon of Theotokos, whose original is preserved in the Georgian Iveron monastery on Mount Athos. Hence, the name Iversky (that is, "Iberian") that stuck both to the chapel and the gate. In 1781, the Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery constructed a new brick chapel on the spot. The star-splattered cupola of the structure was topped with a statue of an angel bearing a cross.

Both the gate and the chapel were demolished in 1931 in order to make room for heavy military vehicles driving through Red Square during military parades. Fortunately, both structures were completely rebuilt in 1994-1996.

According to a popular custom, everyone heading for Red Square or the Kremlin visited the chapel to pay homage to the shrine. The ever-overcrowded chapel, with candles burning day and night, figures in works by Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Bunin, Marina Tsvetayeva, and H.G. Wells, to name only a few.

The twin steeples of the Resurrection Gate leading in to Red Square are once again topped with the golden double- headed eagles that were the symbol of Imperial Russia. The gate you see now is another of the replicas that have been built to replace the buildings destroyed by Stalin - this one because it was in the way of the great parades he loved to stage on the square.
The tiny chapel of the Iverian Virgin (named for the icon it was built to house) in front of the gate is usually open and is much loved by Muscovites visiting the square.

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From the east party the Red Square is limited with a building of GUM (named Upper trade stores in the early XXth). It was constructed in 1893 under the project of the architect Pomerantsev.

GUM is the department store familiar to each Russian. The centenary history of the trade enterprise on the Red Square has got to it popularity in Russia and abroad.

The best people of Russia creating GUM, indeed have created to it great glory, because and today department store is a magnificent monument of the architecture, is harmonic entered in a unified ensemble of the Red Square.

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The nearest environs of the Red Square - including Manezhnaya square, belong to most man tended by Muscovites places during about four centuries. The first mentions about the area have appeared 500 years back.

In 1485-1495 the Kremlin wall was constructed.
In the 90 years of the XIX-th century the modern architectural ensemble of buildings shaping appearance of the area and today was folded: in 1883 the historical museum has appeared, in 1892 have built up a building of city Council (in the Soviets times - Lenin's Museum, nowadays - branch of a Historical museum).

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Voskresenskie capstan was constructed in 1534-53 and demolished in 1934 as interfering to entry of military engineering. It was repaired in 1995 after the last large parade devoted to the anniversary of Victory above Germany.

The first time it was named Neglininkskie, and a title Voskresenskie have received in 1680, on a name of Voskresenskiy monastery facing on Tverskaya street. Then it have been completed with two tents, whence Russian tsars with the set secretly looked at entries of the foreign ambassadors on the Red Square. In 1666 capstans was attached by Iverskaya Church with a wonder-working icon of Iverskaya Virgin.

Now the most impressious entrance into the Red Square leads through Voskresenskie Capstan.

One of the most important monument in the red square is lenin mausoleum.
Expect a huge queu before entering as it's always full of people wishing to go.
After the queu you will find the metal detector check point.You are not supposed to not take with you in the mausoleum any camera, mobile phone with camera and so on.
You can leave he things you are not allowed to take, in a deposit at the left side of the check point.After visited the mausoleum you can visit the rest of the cimiter where Stalin Gagarin and some more important russian personalities' tombs are.Then you can only exit at the opposite side of the square, you are not allowed to go back directly to the deposit.So you have to go around the square and then back to the queu point and after you show the deposit ticket, they let you go and take your stuffs back(a nonsense for me).
Remember o go back at the deposit ebfore 2 pm as the office closes at that time.
The mausoleum entry is free and it's opened every day but friday since 10 to 13.
All in all if you want my personal opinion, you can just avoid this mausoleum and its terrible ques, I'd save time for other places I missed if I could.

On the north of the Alexander gardens there is the tomb of the unknown solder, this became a sort of natiolìnal peligrimage place, infact even new wedding couples come here to leave flowers and take some photos as a wish of luck. In the tomb there is a solder dead in 1941 at kilometre 41 of Leningradskoe, the poit closer to Moscow reached by nazists.
There is also a neverending fire near the tomb and the change of the guard here happens to be any hour.If you really want to take a photo of the change of the guard, prepare to be there at least 20 minuts before as it’s always full of curios and, as I said, there are often also wedding couples too.