Russia’s ancient capital

The capital of Russia is Moscow. The city is located in western Russia and lies in the broad, shallow valley of the Moskva River, a tributary of the Oka and thus of the Volga, in the centre of the vast plain of European Russia.

Its political status is Federal city. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, and transportation centre of Russia and the world. A global city, Moscow is the most populous city on the continent of Europe. Its population, as of 1 January 2010, is 10,563,038. Members of more than 100 nationalities and ethnic groups live there.

The city is named after the Moskva River. The first Russian reference to Moscow dates from 1147 when Yuri Dolgoruky called upon the prince of the Novgorod-Severski to come to Moscow. Nine years later, in 1156, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky of Rostov ordered the construction of a wooden wall, which had to be rebuilt multiple times, to surround the emerging city.

Moscow has survived many disasters, including conflagrations, plagues, riots, revolts, sieges, and foreign occupation. In 1237–1238 the Mongols burned the city to the ground and killed its inhabitants. But Moscow recovered and became the capital of the independent Vladimir-Suzdal principality in 1327. In the past century Napoleon's army launched an invasion that forced all Muscovites to leave their city. Moscow was burned down but was never conquered. 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 and confrontations that led to the dissolution of the USSR.

I know many facts about Moscow from my history teachers. For example, I remember that the Grand Duchy of Moscow, as the state is known in Russian records. It was the successor to the Principality of Moscow and the predecessor of the Tsardom (Tsarstvo Russkoye) of Russia.

The 18^th century is the time of great reforms. Peter the Great Westernized the country’s lifestyle. In 1721 Peter the Great assumed the title of emperor. Thus, the Russian Empire was founded. St. Petersburg (founded in 1703 by Peter I) was the capital of the Russian Empire for two centuries. In 1918 Moscow became the capital.

The centre of the city is the historical heart of Moscow. The city is visited by tourists from all over the world. They admire the Kremlin and 20 towers (19 with spires). The Moscow Kremlin is an ancient fortress. It is today the residence of the Russian President and of the executive branch of the Government of Russia. The Kremlin is also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city. Both Chambers of the Russian parliament (the State Duma and the Federation Council) also sit in Moscow.

Moscow's architecture is world-renowned. Moscow is also well known as the site of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, as well as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Seven Sisters (the English name given to a group of Moscow skyscrapers). Muscovites call them Vysotki.

There are many museums and galleries in Moscow. One of the most notable art museums in Moscow is the Tretyakov Gallery, founded by Pavel Tretyakov, a wealthy patron of the arts who donated a large private collection to the city. I’ve been there 3 times. My favorite painter is Andrei Rublev. I like Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. Works by Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Pablo Picasso are sampled there. The State Historical Museum of Russia is a museum of Russian history located between Red Square and Manege Square. It is a very important fact, that for more than 600 years Moscow has been the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The pattern of rings and radials that marked the historical stages of Moscow's growth remains evident in its modern layout. Successive epochs of development are traced by the Boulevard Ring and the Garden Ring (both following the line of former fortifications), the Moscow Little Ring Railway, and the Moscow Ring Road.

Moscow is an educational centre of Russia. Lomonosov Moscow State University (founded in 1755) is the leading educational institution. The university includes a number of faculty buildings located near Manege Square in the centre of Moscow and a number of campuses abroad in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev (founded in 1865) is to be mentioned. It is one of the oldest agrarian educational institutions in Russia. The universities have well-established contacts with the most distinguished universities in the world, exchanging students and lecturers with the leading universities overseas. Scientific research is conducted by the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In 2009 the current president Dmitry Medvedyev signed a decree to form a “Working group for creation of a detached territorial complex for research and development and further commercialization of the results”. I mean Skolkovo (Russian «Silicon Valley»). It is a planned high technology business area to be built at Skolkovo near Moscow. The announcement for Skolkovo was made on November 12th, 2009. The Center of Research and Commercializing of New Technologies in Skolkovo was officially registered in Moscow.

Moscow is the centre of the country's airline network. There are some international airports such as Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo. Sheremetyevo International Airport is located 29 km north-west of central Moscow. It is a hub for the passenger operations of the Russian international airline. Moscow Domodedovo Airport is the largest airport in Russia in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. Vnukovo International Airport handled 9.46 million passengers in 2010.

The city has thousands of schools, nurseries, hundreds of clubs and cinemas, dozens of higher educational establishments, theatres, and stadiums. The Bolshoi Theatre is the pride of Russia, I am sure. Moscow is the headquarters of nearly all Russian nationwide television networks, radio stations, newspapers and magazines. I regularly read English-language media e.g. «The Moscow Times» and «Moscow News».

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