Moscow(1) Москва

   I would like to tell you about Moscow.

   Moscow is the capital of Russia. The city was founded in 1147 on the Moskva River by Prince Yuri Dolgoruki. In the 16-th century Tsar Ivan the Terrible made Moscow the capital of the country.

   Today Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world. It is a big political, economic and cultural centre of Russia. The total area of Moscow is about nine hundred square kilometres and the population is about eleven million people.

   The centre of Moscow is Red Square, which is the most popular sight for tourists. It is a place for parades, demonstrations and meetings. In Red Square there is St. Basil's Cathedral, a masterpiece of Russian architecture, erected in memory of Russia's victory over the Kazan Kingdom in the 16-th century. Tourists can see the monument to Minin and Pozharsky in front of the Cathedral. It is the oldest monument in Moscow built in memory of the victory over the Polish invaders. The State History Museum is situated opposite St. Basil's Cathedral. It is one of the biggest museums in Moscow.

   On the territory of the Kremlin, which is the heart of Moscow, there are old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Congress, the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. The tallest tower, the Spasskaya lower, is the symbol of the Kremlin. Alexandrovsky Garden with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a memorial to the soldiers died in World War II.

   Moscow is a big cultural centre of Russia. There are a lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, numerous drama and musical theatres, including world famous ones like the Bolshoi Theatre and the Maly Theatre.

   The city is proud of its museums and art galleries, too. The biggest museum is the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, which has one of the world's largest collections of ancient, oriental and classical art. The Tretyakov Gallery is famous all over the world. It has a great collection of works by Russian artists. The Gallery is 150 years old.

   Moscow is a large educational centre with a lot of schools, institutes, colleges and universities. The biggest university is Moscow State University named after Lomonosov which is on the Vorobyovy Hills. Students from all over the world come to Moscow to study at this University.

   Muscovites are fond of going in for sport, that is why there are a lot of stadiums, swimming pools and sport grounds in the city.

   Moscow has large green parks where people walk and spend weekends. The biggest among them are: Gorky Park, Izmailovski Park and Sokolniki Park.

   Moscow changes every day. This is a city of contrasts and one should definitely come and visit Moscow.

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Moscow(2)

   Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow's history. Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the centre of the struggle by Russian lands for the liberation from the Tartar Yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack. Three quarters of the city was destroyed by fire during Napoleon's occupation, but by the mid 19th century Moscow had been completely restored. After the October revolution Moscow became the Capital again.

   Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is about 9 million.

   The heart of Moscow is Red Square, the central and the most beautiful square in Moscow. Here one can see the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, or St. Basil's cathedral, erected by architects Postnik and Barma to commemorate Russia's conquest of the Kingdom of Kazan in 1552. It is a masterpiece of Russian architecture. Tourists can see the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. In was designed by Ivan Martos in 1818 in memory of the Russian victory over the Polish invaders in 1612. The History Museum in Red Square is a magnificent building. Besides, it is one of the major scientific and educational institutions where we can follow the life of the Russian people since ancient times.

   But first of all everybody knows Red Square because the Kremlin is situated there. The Kremlin is the oldest historical and architectural centre of Moscow. Its three magnificent cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the palaces and Spassky Tower with the clock attract the tourists' attention The Czar-cannon and the Czar-bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world, are also in the Kremlin.

   There are other beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow.

   Moscow is also famous for its museums. At the Tretyakov Gallery paintings by Great Russian artists are collected, and at the Museum of Fine Arts there are masterpieces by European painters.

   There are a lot of theatres in Moscow. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House, but drama theatres and studios are popular too.

   Moscow was the host to the XXII Summer Olympic Games in 1980. It has a number of sportsgrounds and stadiums built or reconstructed for that event.

   Moscow has the oldest Russian university, founded in 1755 by Lomonosov. Its new building was opened in 1953. It is 32 storeys high.

   The Metro, opened in 1935, is being constantly extended. Now it has 200 stations and is almost 340 kilometres long. It is one of the tourist attractions of the Russian capital.

   The number of new streets increases every month. The longest of them is Leningradsky Prospect. It runs for 15 kilometres.

   Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of the political life of the country.