ex-KGB headquarters/Lubyanka, Moscow

Lubyanka KGB Headquarters.

Lubyanka Square in downtown Moscow is the site of the site of the Lubyanka head-quarters of the KGB. The Lubyanka actually consists of three buildings. The main yellow building predates the Revolution and was taken over by the Bolsheviks in 1918. Containing the Lubyanka prison, this building is now the headquarters of the Border Troops, and it also contains a single Federal Security Service (FSB) Directorate. The Federal Security Service headquarters building is the gray one to left side, No. 1/3. whose construction began under Andropov and was finished under Chebrikov.
Since 1984 tourists have been able to visit a KGB museum in a gray stone building behind the Lubyanka. The upper floors are KGB offices, but the ground floors are used for conferences and a clubroom for retired KGB offices. And since the Soviet collapse in 1991, Russia's intelligence agencies have tried to create an impression of openness, giving guided tours through the yellow Lubyanka. The new KGB Museum, which is open to the public, is housed in the Lubyanka building.

KGB Museum. Visit the old KGB building, a focus of Russians' dread for years. There are four rooms showing the history of one of the world's most famous and feared security organizations. There are displays of their methods, as uncovered by former KGB agents.

This building used to be the headquarters of KGB. It is now the headquarters of its sucessor, FSB (Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti - Federal Security Service)

The FSB does not operate foreign spies like the KGB. Behind the building is the entrance to a four-room KGB museum. The museum is not open to casual callers but Patriarshy Dom occassionally takes groups there.

Since 1917 this area was home to the state secret police, KGB. There were plans to move it to a new building after the war, but it remained on this site. If you are particularly interested, there is a way to arrange a guided tour, inquire at your hotel. In front of the building stood a large statue of Dzerzinsky, the founder of the organization. And on the other side of the square there is a modest memorial to innocent victims of secret police which arrested, jailed and executed scores of innocent people during the regime of Stalin.

Russia has waged wars in the XIX century to liberate the Balkan Orthodox nations, and one of the decisive battles was at Pleven. It cost the joint Russian and Romanian forces close to 40,000 dead, but led the way to freedom of Bulgaria.

In memory of the fallen and friendship between Russia and Bulgaria a striking monument was erected in Moscow. It is located behind the Polytechnical museum on Novaya square.

Metropol with its fin-de-cicle style is probably the most prestigious, beautiful and expensive hotel in Moscow. Try to visit its restaurant to savor its astonishing style.

Other similarly styled hotels of that period are Natzional and Savoy. They are also beautiful, but definitely not as grand.

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Every year on the first weekend in September, Moscow celebrates the city's birthday - these events date back to 1986 and were intiated by Boris Yelstin as family entertainment. Signs are the week before, you see every building getting a lick of paint and every shop gets a sign usually showing the father of the city, Yury Dolgoruk (Yury the Long Arm) astride his horse. You can see his statue half way along Tverskaya.

Red Square, Tversakaya, Theatre Square, Lubyanka, opposite Pushkin's Statue and elsewhere

Some British people told me that their most interesting expirience in Sankt-Peterburg was an excursion to a prison. So, I think that a visit to KGB museum in Moscow will be also unforgetable.
We have been there a few years ago, and it was quite interesting to see the Russian version of the Agent 007's equipment, and it was all original. So, it is entetaining for the kids and the whole family.