An Excursion around MOSCOW

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to our Moscow sightseeing tour. There are a lot of places to see and to visit here: Red Square - the heart of our city: beautiful monuments to outstanding people who are dear to the citizens of our country: the magnificent Bolshoi Theatre; Moscow University on the Vorobyevy Hills, etc.

Moscow is the capital of Russia. It dates back to the year 1147. At that time it was a small frontier post. In 1237 Moscow fell under the yoke of the Tatars. And it was Moscovite Prince Dmitry Donskoy who led the Russian troops to a decisive victory over the invaders in the battle of Kulikovo field in 1380.

By the 15th century Moscow had turned into a wealthy city. It was under Ivan III that Moscow became the capital of the state of Moscow. At that time the Kremlin was rebuilt, and the largest Kremlin Cathedrals were erected.

During the troubled times Moscow was occupied by the Polish invaders, but they were driven away by the volunteer troops headed by Minin and Pozharsky.

In 1812 the Napoleonic army entered Moscow. The city was burned down. The army had to retreat. That was a poor substitute for the military triumph in Russia, so much desired by Napoleon.

Nowadays Moscow is the largest city of Russia. It is a political, administrative, economic, educational and cultural centre of the country.

There are many places of interest in Moscow. The city is noted for the historical and architectural relics you can marvel at: museums, art galleries which are a great attraction of the city, and theatres where you can enjoy watching a great variety of plays and ballets.

The Kremlin is the heart of Moscow. It is the oldest historical and architectural centre of Moscow, where you can admire a great diversity of magnificent temples, churches and cathedrals that were erected to commemorate the outstanding events connected with the history of Moscow. At first, the Kremlin was a wooden fort. Under Dmitry Donskoy the Kremlin was built of white stone. During the reign of Ivan III the walls of white stone were replaced by new red brick walls and the towers were erected. The Tzar invited Italian architects to construct the cathedrals. The Assumption Cathedral was built in 1475-1479. The Russian Tzars and Emperors were crowned here. The Archangel Cathedral was the burial place of the Russian Princes and Tzars. The Annunciation Cathedral was erected in 1484. It is famous for the icons painted by Andrey Rublev and his apprentices.

Ivan the Great's Bell Tower, one of the most remarkable structures of the 16th century, rises in the centre of the Kremlin. It unites all the Kremlin Cathedrals into a majestic ensemble.

On the stone pedestal at the foot of the Bell Tower stands the Tzar-Bell – the largest bell in the world. Not far from it one can see the Tzar-Cannon.

One of the splendid Kremlin museums is the Armoury Chamber. It was built in 1851. Despite its name, it contains more than just weapons. Its highpoint is the collection of miniature Faberge eggs, clothes, gold, silver, diamonds, and other imperial treasures. The famous golden cap of Monomach, the first Russian imperial crown of Catherine II, made of gold and silver, and many other precious historical items, are on display.

Another attraction of Moscow is the Church of the Intercession. It is situated in the picturesque place which is called Fili. Fili is a remote part of our city, but many tourists who come to Moscow are eager to visit it. The Church of the Intercession of the Virgin at Fili is noted for its remarkable architecture. It is called "Naryshkin Baroque" – named such after the Russian nobleman Naryshkin, who ordered a lot of churches in that style. The architecture of "Naryshkin Baroque" was the result of ancient Russian architects' age-long quest. Its architectural style can be referred to as a classical Naryshkin Baroque.

The Church is a magnificent building, characterized by a diversity of colours. The church has an association with one more famous name of the past – Peter the Great.

The ancient village of Fili used to be the centre of the Kuntsevo patrimonial estate which was granted in 1689 to the Tzar's favourite – Lev Naryshkin, Peter the Great's uncle. Naryshkin built a new mansion there, and set up a large garden with ponds. On the site of the wooden church (1619) he had a magnificent stone one erected. The exact date when the church was built is not known, but the icon-lamps made specially for the church still carry the date 1694. The bright Church of the Intercession of the Virgin is just like a fairy-tale vision on the bank of the Moskva-River. Our city takes care of this marvelous place of interest, as it is important to preserve buildings of great historic and architectural interest.

One more place of interest in Moscow is the State Tretyakov Picture Gallery, which has a rich variety of works. The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the most famous and well-known picture galleries in our country and all over the world.

The gallery is named after its founder Peter Tretyakov. He began to collect Russian paintings in 1856 and wanted these paintings to be seen by his fellow citizens. The Tretyakov Gallery possesses a magnificent collection of arts which can make a great impression on you. Each hall of the gallery has a great variety of paintings and sculptures. Many tourists who come to Moscow and visit the Tretyakov Gallery keep looking at them for a long time. The collection on display includes great masterpieces of Russian art: "Trinity" by Audrey Rublev, "Ivan Grozny and his Son Ivan" by Ilya Repin, "Morning in the Pine Wood" by Ivan Shishkin and many others.

Rublev's "Trinity" is a genuine piece of art. Being rich in colours, it vividly reveals the life and the soul of Russian people in a new way. It is a painting that appeals to our nature.

Still another attraction of our city is Moscow State Lomonosov University, the largest university of Russia. When it was founded in 1755, it was the University of Moscow, with three departments. Today, with its 21 departments, Moscow Lomonosov University ranks among the top universities of the world. The foundation of Moscow University was inspired by Michael Lomonosov who had radical philosophical and political views (1711-1756). The University was established on the order of Elizabeth I, the Russian Empress. In the late 18th century Moscow University became the centre of advanced Russian science and social thought.

Nowadays Moscow Lomonosov University is known world-wide for its academic excellence. Moscow Lomonosov University, the largest educational institution in Russia, teaches almost in all subject areas: Arts, Sciences, Law, Engineering, etc. Moscow Lomonosov University's reputation stays with its graduates, and their achievements, in turn, add to its reputation. And this is a part of the story of Moscow.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-26