Moscow

I

Introduction

Moscow (Russian, Moskva), capital, inland port, and largest city of Russia, capital of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) until 1991. It is also the capital of Moscow Oblast, and is located on the Moskva River. Moscow is the traditional Holy Mother of the Russians and the economic, political, and cultural centre of Russia. Railways and numerous airlines converge on the city from all parts of Russia and the other successor states of the USSR. Navigable waterways, including the Moscow Canal, Moskva River, and Volga-Don Canal, make the port areas of the city directly accessible to shipping from the Baltic, White, Black, and Caspian seas and the Sea of Azov. Population 10,101,500 (2002).

II

Economy

Besides being a Port of Five Seas, and hence one of the world's foremost commercial centres, Moscow is a leading manufacturing city, with factories producing nearly one-sixth of the entire volume of industrial production of the former USSR. Ample supplies of electric power are available, and industry is highly diversified. Among the products are aircraft, high-quality steel, ball bearings, cars and other motor vehicles, machine tools, electrical equipment, precision instruments, radios, chemicals, textiles, shoes, paper, furniture, and munitions. Food processing, printing, and the repair of rail equipment are important industries. Several of the surrounding suburbs, eventually to be incorporated into a “Greater Moscow”, are large industrial towns.

III

Places of Interest

Moscow covers an area of about 880 sq km (340 sq mi). Concentric boulevards, built on the sites of former ramparts, divide the city into several sections, the outermost of which is the residential quarter. At the centre of the concentric circles (and semicircles) are the Kremlin, the former governmental seat of Russia, and adjacent Red Square, which form the hub of a radial street pattern. In 1990, the Kremlin and the Red Square, together with St Basil's Cathedral, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A second site in the city—the Novodevichy Convent, built in the 16th and 17th centuries—was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004. Moscow has a modern underground system renowned for its marble-walled stations.

Situated on a low prominence on the north bank of the Moscow River, the Kremlin is the dominant landmark of Moscow. A stone wall, up to 21 m (70 ft) in height and surmounted by 19 towers, surrounds this triangular complex of former palaces, ecclesiastical buildings, and other monuments of tsarist times, some of them dating from the Middle Ages. The Great Kremlin Palace, completed in 1849, is the most imposing structure within the Kremlin. Other notable Kremlin palaces are the Granovitaya Palace (1491) and the Terem (1636).

Among the many ecclesiastical buildings, now used chiefly as museums, are the Cathedral of the Assumption and the Archangel Cathedral, each with five gilded domes, and the Cathedral of the Annunciation (13th-14th century), with nine gilded domes. Another landmark of the Kremlin is the Tower of Ivan the Great, a bell tower 98 m (320 ft) high. On a nearby pedestal is the Tsar's Bell (nearly 200 tonnes), one of the largest in the world. A recent addition to the Kremlin is the Palace of Congresses, completed in 1961. In this huge modern building were held meetings of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and congresses of the Communist party of the Soviet Union; theatrical and other artistic performances have been held here as well.

St Basil's Cathedral, famous for its unique architecture and coloured domes, stands at one end of Red Square. Under the Kremlin wall, and facing the square, is the V. I. Lenin Mausoleum, containing the remains of the former leader.

One of the best-known sections of Moscow is the Kitaigorod (Chinese City), the ancient commercial quarter lying to the east of the Kremlin. This section is now the site of many government office buildings. Other points of interest in Moscow include the Central Lenin Stadium, comprising about 130 buildings for various sports; and the tall Ostankino TV tower, which contains a revolving restaurant and an observation platform.

Of more than 75 institutions of higher education, the most important is Moscow State University, the largest in the former USSR. About 700 scientific institutions have headquarters in Moscow. Outstanding among its museums are the Tretyakov Art Gallery, the A. S. Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, the State Historical Museum, the V. I. Lenin Central Museum, and the Museum of Oriental Culture. The Exhibition of Economic Achievements comprises 72 pavilions dealing with advances in industry, agriculture, science, and culture. Adjoining its landscaped grounds are the Botanical Gardens of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

IV

History

In 1147, when Moscow began to feature in Russian history, it formed part of the principality of Suzdal; however, the date of its settlement is unknown. The development of the little village into a sprawling city dates from 1295, when it became the capital of the newly established principality of Moscow. Growth was especially rapid during the first half of the 14th century, a period marked by sharp expansion of the power and wealth of the principality. In 1325 the Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church transferred his seat to Moscow, making the city the national religious capital. It became the national political capital during the reign (1462-1505) of Grand Duke Ivan III Vasilyevich, who unified the Russian principalities. The seat of the Russian government was removed from Moscow to St Petersburg in 1712.

Moscow has survived many disasters, including fires, plagues, riots, revolts, sieges, and foreign occupation. In September 1812, during the Napoleonic Wars, the city was occupied by the armies of Napoleon. Russian patriots set fire to the city soon after his entry, and the resultant French withdrawal from Russia contributed greatly to Napoleon's downfall. The Moscow populace figured significantly in the Revolution of 1905 and the October Revolution of 1917. In the latter year Moscow was made the Soviet capital. Large sections of the city were rebuilt and modernized after the Bolshevik victory. In December 1941, during World War II, powerful German armies were decisively repulsed at the approaches to Moscow. In 1991 the city was the hub of the discussions that led to the dissolution of the USSR. By the end of the 20th century Moscow became the leading city of the “new Russia”, reflecting sharp economic and social contrasts in the rapidly evolving state. In 1998 Moscow celebrated its 850th anniversary. Several terrorist attacks in the late 1990 and in 2000 demonstrated ethnic and political tensions that existed both internally and internationally.