Moscow – old and beautiful city

Moscow is the capital of Russia and one of the ten largest cities in the world. In Russia and Europe, it is the largest city by population – more than 12 million people live here.
Moscow like Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Its history begins with the Kremlin, the historical centre of the capital, its heart and site of both living history and an ensemble of masterpieces of Russian architecture. There are twenty towers.
The Tainitsky (Secret) Tower is the oldest. Inside the Tower which was built in 1485, there was a secret well to get water from the Moskva River during long sieges.
The melodious chimes of the Spassky (Saviour’s) Tower has become the symbol of Moscow. It was built in 1491 by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari.

The tallest tower is the Troitskaya (Trinity) Tower which is 80 metres high. It was built by Italian engineers and architects at the end of the 15th century. Its name is connected with the Trinity Monastery which once stood inside the Kremlin. To get to it, it is necesary to pass through the Kutafya Tower.
The Tower of Sts Constantine and Helen is noted for being the gate through which Dimitry of the Don (Ivan Kalita’s grandson) led his army to the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.
The first stone churches and cathedrals were built between 1326 and 1340. Moscow became known to the outside world as a “white-walled” city.

Saint Basil’s Cathedral

Interesting facts
The highest TV tower in Europe is Ostankino Tower. Its height is 540 meters.
Russian State Library is one of the largest libraries with over 40 million books. According to Wikipedia the library is on the 5th place in the world after the National Library of Congress (Washington, USA), the British Library, New York Public Library and Library and Archives Canada.
Moscow Zoo is the largest zoo in Russia. It was founded in 1864. It is possible to see more than 550 species of animals from around the world.
One of the largest museums in the world is considered to be the Moscow Kremlin. The oldest part of the city occupies 27 hectares and here is the beauty of the towers, cathedrals and palaces.
There are 837 Orthodox churches and chapels in Moscow. The Cathedral of the Assumption is the oldest building in Moscow (1475-1479) preserved to our days.
The Kremlin chimes are the oldest clock in Moscow: its diameter is 9 m, length of the minute hand is over 4 meters, and it weighs about 50 kilograms.
The Moscow Metro is one of the deepest and most beautiful in the world. Every day, 10 thousand trains carry 9 million passengers.
The length of the Moskva River is about 502 km.
Moscow’s first museum was established in 1791. It was Moscow University Museum of Natural History, which was later renamed the Museum of Zoology.