MOSCOW

M OSCOW M ETRO Elegant and impressive, full of passion and style Many of Moscow's metro stations are architectural masterpieces, heavily themed-up with sculptures and mosaics

M OSCOW M ETRO The Moscow Metro not only looks good - it really works efficiently too. Prices are very reasonable and the trains run very frequently and very fast.

T HE R ED S QUARE The square was originally used as Moscow’s main market place. The name doesn’t originate from either the red bricks or the time of the Soviet Union, but rather from the Russian word ‘красная’, meaning ‘beautiful’. The Red Square has been a place of importance in Russia since the 1500s. Nowadays it is used for military parades, festivals and concerts.

S AINT B ASIL ’ S C ATHEDRAL Saint Basil’s Church is a Russian Orthodox Church located in the Red Square, Moscow. Legend has it, that after the the cathedral was finished, the Russian Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, had the architect blinded so he could not make a building more beautiful than the cathedral.

T HE K REMLIN The Kremlin serves as the official residence of the Russian President. The name Kremlin means ‘fortress’, and it is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow. The Kremlin was originally the residence of the Tsars.

T SAR B ELL AND T SAR C ANNON are as impressive as they are useless. The 40-tonne cannon never fired shot, and the 202- tonne bell never rang on account of an 11-tonne chunk falling off during the cooling period of its construction.

T HE S EVEN S ISTERS Built on the orders of Stalin, the towers were constructed for the glorification of the Soviet State after WWII, and were intended to rival the USA's skyscrapers that had gone up in the 30- ies counterparts.

T HE C ATHEDRAL OF C HRIST THE S AVIOUR Russia's largest church Originally commissioned to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon Torn down by communists in 1933 Reconstructed to its former splendour in 2000

'P ALACE OF THE S OVIETS ' Stalin's idea was to build a mighty 'Palace of the Soviets' was dismissed, owing to architectural difficulties A giant outdoor swimming pool was constructed instead.

A RBAT A pedestrian street in the heart of the city, about a kilometre long A host of mime artists, poets, souvenir shops and art stalls