HISTORY
The city is named after the river (old Russian: гра́д Моско́в, which means "the city next to the Moskva River").
Under Ivan I Moscow replaced Tver as a political center of Vladimir-Suzdal and by 1328 it had become the only collector of taxes for the Mongol-Tatar rulers.
In 1480, Ivan III broke the Russians free from Tatar control. Moscow became the capital of an empire that would eventually encompass all of Russia and Siberia, and parts of many other lands.
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| Ivan III |
The Moscow Kremlin dates back to 1156. Originally constructed of wood, it was rebuilt in brick in the 14th century but lost its importance as a fortress in the 1620s.
The Moscow Kremlin served as the center of Russian government until 1712 and again after 1918.
The Great Fire of Moscow in 1547 began on June 24, destroying sections of Moscow which had been built almost entirely of wood. It swept into the Kremlin and blew up the powder stores in several of the Kremlin's towers.
St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), for Saint Basil the Blessed and built in Moscow's Red Square, the city's geographic center, between 1555-1560. The cathedral was consecrated on July 12 1561.
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| St Bail's Cathedral By David Crawshaw - Wikipedia Commons |
In 1571, the Crimean Tatars raided Moscow, burning everything but the Kremlin.
The newly built St Petersburg replaced Moscow as the Russian capital in 1712. Peter The Great ordered every Moscow family with fewer than 30 families of serfs to pack up their belongings and move to the newly created city.
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| View of 17th-century Moscow (1922 drawing by Apollinary Vasnetsov) |
Peter The Great hated the Kremlin where as a child he had witnessed the brutal torture and murder of his mother's family. When he built his capital at St Petersburg he forbade even the slightest repair on stone buildings in Moscow asserting that every mason was needed in the new city.
A devastating fire broke out in Moscow on June 6, 1752, and destroyed one-third of the city, including 18,000 homes. The fire started in a bakery near the Kremlin and quickly spread to nearby wooden buildings. The fire raged for three days and nights, and it was not until June 9 that it was finally extinguished.
The 1752 fire caused widespread damage and left thousands of people homeless. The Russian government was quick to rebuild the city, and by 1755, most of the damage had been repaired. However, the fire had a lasting impact on Moscow, and it is still remembered today as one of the most devastating fires in the city's history.
Moscow University was established on January 25, 1755. January 25th is celebrated as St. Tatiana's Day, the end of the first term of the traditional academic year for Russian students. It is followed by a two-week winter holiday.
During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, the Muscovites burned their city on September 14, 1812 and fled, as Napoleon’s army was on their doorstep. The Fire of Moscow died down four days later after destroying more than three quarters of the city. Napoleon returned from the Petrovsky Palace to the Moscow Kremlin, spared from the fire.
One month after Napoleon Bonaparte’s huge invading force entered a burning and deserted Moscow, the starving French army was forced to begin a hasty retreat out of Russia on October 19, 1812.. The French emperor and his hungry and cold army were nearly destroyed during their journey home by the freezing Russian winter.
Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Moscow became the capital of the Soviet Union on March 12, 1918.
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the earliest recorded use of the name Moscow in English was by Bertrand Russell in 1920.
The Moscow Circus School was established in 1927. Performers were trained using methods developed from the Soviet gymnastics program.
Moscow University was established on January 25, 1755. January 25th is celebrated as St. Tatiana's Day, the end of the first term of the traditional academic year for Russian students. It is followed by a two-week winter holiday.
During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, the Muscovites burned their city on September 14, 1812 and fled, as Napoleon’s army was on their doorstep. The Fire of Moscow died down four days later after destroying more than three quarters of the city. Napoleon returned from the Petrovsky Palace to the Moscow Kremlin, spared from the fire.
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| French invasion of Russia in 1812, Fire of Moscow, painting of Smirnov A.F, 1813 |
One month after Napoleon Bonaparte’s huge invading force entered a burning and deserted Moscow, the starving French army was forced to begin a hasty retreat out of Russia on October 19, 1812.. The French emperor and his hungry and cold army were nearly destroyed during their journey home by the freezing Russian winter.
Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Moscow became the capital of the Soviet Union on March 12, 1918.
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the earliest recorded use of the name Moscow in English was by Bertrand Russell in 1920.
The Moscow Circus School was established in 1927. Performers were trained using methods developed from the Soviet gymnastics program.
Gorky Park, a park in central Mosco, was inaugurated in 1928 following the use of the site in 1923 for the First All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Industries Exhibition. The park was named after the writer and political activist Maxim Gorky.
Hitler's plan after occupying Moscow was to kill all its Residents and replace it with an artificial lake.
The 1980 Summer Olympics were held in Moscow. A number of nations including the USA boycotted the games to protest against the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
McDonalds opened its first restaurant in Moscow in 1990. The massive eatery was one of the largest McDonald's in the world with 900 seats and more than 20 cash registers. It closed after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
When the USSR ended in 1991, Moscow continued to be the capital of Russia.
On July 1, 2012, the territory of Moscow was expanded by 1,420 square kilometers (549 sq mi) southwest into Moscow Oblast. This expansion more than doubled the area of Moscow, from 1,091 square kilometers (421 sq mi) to 2,511 square kilometers (970 sq mi).
Hitler's plan after occupying Moscow was to kill all its Residents and replace it with an artificial lake.
The 1980 Summer Olympics were held in Moscow. A number of nations including the USA boycotted the games to protest against the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
McDonalds opened its first restaurant in Moscow in 1990. The massive eatery was one of the largest McDonald's in the world with 900 seats and more than 20 cash registers. It closed after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
When the USSR ended in 1991, Moscow continued to be the capital of Russia.
On July 1, 2012, the territory of Moscow was expanded by 1,420 square kilometers (549 sq mi) southwest into Moscow Oblast. This expansion more than doubled the area of Moscow, from 1,091 square kilometers (421 sq mi) to 2,511 square kilometers (970 sq mi).
The expansion of Moscow was part of a government plan to improve the management of Moscow's urban growth. Some people argue that it has led to the loss of agricultural land and the destruction of natural habitats. Others argue that it is necessary to accommodate Moscow's growing population and to provide space for economic development.
FUN FACTS
Moscow is Europe's biggest city and the seventh largest city in the world.
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| View from Imperia Tower to Ostankino Tower |
Moscow traffic is horrendous. As a consequence, some wealthy Muscovites have bought ambulances so that they can drive around freely during rush hour.
The Trans-Siberian train from Moscow to Vladivostok takes a week to complete its journey.
Moscow weathermen can be fined for inaccurate weather forecasting.
Moscow was named the world's most expensive city for non-Russian workers for three years in a row between 2006-2008. In 2009, however, Moscow went down to third after Tokyo and Osaka came in first and second.
The Ostankino Tower is a television and radio tower in Moscow, owned by the Moscow branch of unitary enterprise Russian TV and Radio Broadcasting Network. Standing 540.1 metres (1,772 ft) tall, Ostankino is currently the tallest freestanding structure in Europe.
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| Ostankino Tower, the tallest freestanding structure in Europe and 8th tallest in the world |
The biggest bell in the world is the Tsar Bell cast in the Kremlin in 1733. It weighs 216 tons, but is cracked and has never been rung.
The Russian State Library in Moscow is the largest library in Europe and the second largest in the world, behind the Library of Congress.
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