Moscow’s origins go all the way back to the year 1147. At that time, it was a small outpost inhabited mainly by the Merya, who spoke a Finnic language which has since fallen completely out of use. In 1156, Prince Yuriy Dolgorukiy had a wall and a moat constructed around the city, but these failed to protect it from the Mongols around the year 1237. They burned the city to the ground and murdered most of the population, but Moscow recovered and steadily expanded, due to its favorable position on the Volga river. Moscow eventually developed into a stable, prosperous capital of a principality, bringing a huge amount of refugees from many other parts of Russia.
In 1380, a Russian army led by Prince Dmitriy Donskoy of Moscow won the Battle of Kulikovo. Moscow thereafter became the main force in liberating Russia from the Mongols. By 1480, Ivan III had finally freed the Russians from the Tatars, and due to his efforts Moscow soon became the capital of an empire which one day would expand to include the entirety of Russia and Siberia, and whole swaths of other surrounding areas.
Moscow lost its status as Russia's capital in 1703, when Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg on the Baltic coast. Napoleon’s invasion in 1812 spurned the Moscovites into burning down the city and evacuating just as Napoleon's army was on its way, effectively cutting off their access to food and shelter and successfully repelling them. Finally, after the successful Russian Revolution in 1917, Lenin relocated the capital back to Moscow on March 5, 1918.
During World War II, Moscow was the base of operations for Russian forces. In 1941, more than 160,000 volunteer soldiers were recruited from the Moscovites, as well as twenty-five battalions amounting to over 18,500 people and four engineering regiments. In November 1941, part of the German Army was driven away from the city in the Battle of Moscow. Factories and government offices were evacuated, and the city was declared officially ‘under siege’. The remaining population manned antitank defenses while the city was subject to numerous air raids. For the 20th Anniversary of the victory in World War II, Moscow was awarded the title of ‘Hero City’ in 1965.
In 1991, Moscow witnessed an attempt at a coup d’etat by government officers opposed to the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev. When the USSR was dissolved that same year, Moscow was preserved as the capital of the Russian Federation. In the intervening years, Moscow’s newly-instituted market economy has produced an explosion of Western-style cultural change, including retail outlets, services and architecture. Moscovites now choose international brands over monolithic department stores, and the gorgeous churches which were either vandalized or abandoned are being carefully restored. However, the real flavor of Moscow is in its hidden back-street areas and distinct neighborhoods, each one unique in style and function.
Some of the highlights:
There are quite a few museums and galleries in Moscow whose collections rival those in the finest Western museums. The Muscovite art world has deep influences not only from Russian culture, but also Western and Oriental sources, both ancient and contemporary.
Two indispensable art museums in Moscow include the Tretyakov Gallery, featuring the private collection of Paul Tretyakov, a wealthy and generous patron of the arts, and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. The Pushkin Museum has a wide sampling of world civilizations, including a whole range of plaster casts from ancient sculptures, and also provides a home to many famous paintings from the West: Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and others are all on display.
Moscow is also the center of the Russian performing arts scene, especially ballet. There are many theatres and ballet studios, the most popular of which are the Bolshoi (Big) and Malyy (Small) Theatres. During a typical Moscow season, exhaustive and modern interpretations of classic works are commonly presented.
Of course, Moscow is simply teeming with historical landmarks, including the Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and the Kuskovo Estate, among others. Many walking tours are available, depending on the season, and the local Metro provides easy access to any area of the city.
Modern times in Moscow have brought a large boom in the restaurant industry, with accordingly booming prices. Eating in a medium-to-high-quality establishment will cost each diner $70 to $400, the main variable being how much vintage wine one chooses to order. Chain restaurants serve decent food for roughly fifty dollars a person. Most Moscovites rarely even dine in cheap restaurants, but all the same, many new "middle-class" restaurants have appeared which target families for special weekend meals.
Possibly the only cheap alternative are the fast-food restaurants located near most Metro stops. Besides McDonald's and other familiar chains, highlights from these include Rostiks for chicken and Kroshka Kartoshka for traditional baked potatos with a wide variety of toppings, along with Danish joint Stardogs! and others. Japanese, Chinese and Indian cuisine are becoming particularly popular in recent times. Finally, Georgian cuisine has been a traditional treat in Moscow since the Soviet era. There are many places serving Georgian specialties like khachapuri and shashlyk. Anoher type of food which is in demand here is shawarma, which is abundant in stalls near many Metro and train stations, and only costs the equivalent of about two dollars.
During the wintertime, local inhabitants respond to the cold by upping their level of hospitality. Nonetheless, winter temperatures often reach below -25 °C (-13 °F), so summer or even early autumn definitely offer a substantially more comfortable and lively time in Moscow. Russians are fun-loving Europeans like the rest, so during the short summers you’ll find people partying, wandering about or drinking on the street all through the night. The lush green scenery of Moscow will pleasantly surprise those visitors who have only heard the stereotypes about an ever-frozen Russian climate. The longer days enjoyed here also allow the casual visitor a bit more time to sample the immense wealth of things to see and do in Moscow.
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