Introduction
Photograph:Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed in Moscow, 1554–60.
* Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed in Moscow, 1554–60.
Set in the center of the vast plain of European Russia, Moscow was the capital of Russia for most of the 20th century. For nearly 70 years the city was also the capital of the Soviet Union. It is a major industrial, scientific, and cultural center.
Moscow lies in the broad, shallow valley of the Moskva River. The river wanders through the city, forming a large loop when it is southwest of the city center. It then flows northward again to pass the walls of the Kremlin. The Kremlin, located on a high bank of the river, forms the core of the city.
East of the Kremlin, the Yauza River joins the Moskva. A number of bridges cross both rivers. The high south bank of the southwestern loop of the Moskva forms the Lenin Hills, which are 400 feet (120 meters) high.
Places of interest
Moscow has many historical landmarks, such as the Kremlin, Red Square, the 16th-century Cathedral of St. Basil, and the Lenin Mausoleum. On the Lenin Hills are the embassies of many foreign embassies and the huge Moscow State University building. Other notable buildings are the Council of Ministers, the Central Telegraph Office, and the Intourist, Minsk, and Peking hotels.
Moscow also has several parks. The Gorky Central Park of Culture, which sits on the bank of the Moskva River, is the largest. The Exhibition of Economic Achievements and the large Sokolniki Park, a botanical garden, are in the city's northern suburbs. Nearby are an obelisk (a tall, needle-like monument), which is dedicated to space exploration, and the Television Tower, the tallest structure in Russia.
The city contains many cultural attractions as well. It has more than 30 major theaters and concert halls, including the Bolshoi Theater of Opera and Ballet and the Stanislavsky, Variety, and Children's Musical theaters. Musicians perform at the Tchaikovsky Hall, the Conservatory of Music, and the hall of the House of Trade Unions.
Moscow also has a large number of art galleries and museums. The most famous are the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, the Museum of Oriental Arts, the Museum of Folk Art, the Literature Museum, and the History Museum. The Moscow Zoo, one of the best in the world, is a popular attraction west of the city center.
Economy
Moscow is the largest industrial center in Russia. About half of its industrial workers are employed in engineering and metalworking. Many products are manufactured in the city, including machine tools, automobiles, ball bearings, and electrical equipment. The city also produces chemicals and cloth.
History
By the middle of the 12th century, on the banks of the Moskva River there was a small settlement close to a kremlin, or fort. The settlement grew into a town. Over time, the town survived many attacks by invading groups.
By the 16th century, Moscow was a major city and was the capital of Russia. Protected by brick walls, the city was home for about 100,000 people. By 1700 that number had doubled. Workshops and factories appeared, and handicraft industries developed in the industrial suburbs.
In 1703, however, St. Petersburg was founded. When St. Petersburg became Russia's capital city in 1712 most nobles and merchants left Moscow and moved to the new capital. In 1812, while French troops of Napoleon occupied Moscow, there was a great fire. These events slowed Moscow's growth. By 1914, Moscow's population was 1.8 million. Its rival St. Petersburg had 2.1 million.
Moscow did not recover its role as capital city until after the Russian Revolution. In 1918 Lenin, the leader of the revolution, ordered the government to return to Moscow. By 1926, it had become the largest city in the country, with 2 million inhabitants.
During the 1930s, Joseph Stalin drew up a grand plan for the city, but the plan was never completely fulfilled. Moscow suffered little damage in World War II, even though German invaders were stopped only a few miles from the city. In the second half of the 20th century the city grew a great deal. In 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved. Moscow remained the capital of the newly independent Russia. Population (1997 estimate), 8,405,000.
