The world's most famous and politically-charged square - Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow 545
What and Why
The very heart of Russia (Russian: Россия, Rossiya), the Red Square (Красная Площадь, Krasnaya Ploshchad) is symbolic of the politics of Russia and the former Soviet Union (Сове́тский Сою́з, Sovetskiy Soyuz). This is where the annual Moscow (Москва, Moskva) Victory Day Parade (Парад Победы, Parad Pobedy) is held annually, and I remember vividly the image the square with all the missiles, tanks and military units as a show of the Russian military might, and formerly the world epicentre of communism. Even today when I visited it a few years ago, it still gave me this shiver of power, austerity, hard-core authority and of course massiveness, not even to mention of the fear of being arrested by Russian police. However the square is honestly not that big: It measures 330 m ⨉ 70 m of a rectangle, much smaller than many communist countries' public squares, and it seemed to be much larger especially when viewed from the television.
The history of the square dates back to late 15th century CE when a fortress, currently the Kremlin (Кремль, Kreml) was built and became the centre of the Moscow. The eastern side of Kremlin was used as a shooting ground and later a major international trade market for the city. Merchants from all over the world came to trade here and the square also turned into the congregation of different walks of life when public criers would announce the Tsar's (Царь) decrees or the latest news of the city.
The Red Square, in spite of all its signature of austerity, is actually a very joyful place to visit, especially during Christmas and the New Year, when the Christmas lights and market are on in the square. The Christmas market inside the square is undoubtedly amongst the most beautiful and colourful ones in the world, against a snowy backdrop. Moreover the square contains a kaleidoscope of monuments and each of the various iconic landmarks would easily make the cover page of any Russia guidebook.
Toponymy
The most linguistically accepted etymology of Moscow is from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root '*mŭzg-', which is in turn derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*meu-' meaning 'wet' so the name Moscow possibly means 'wetland'.
While the Red Square is predominantly reddish in hue and hence the name is self-explanatory, there is an interesting etymological derivation that comes with the name. Many of the main squares in Russia are called 'красная площадь (krasnaya ploshchad')' meaning 'beautiful square'. Previously the Russian word 'красная' meant 'beautiful', but now it means 'red', while the current word for 'beautiful' is replaced by and derived to 'красивая (krasivaya)'.
See
We shall go through the entrance and follow a anti-clockwise circumambulatory path of the square and explore all the landmarks, starting from Point 6 of the plan below.
Resurrection Gate (Воскресенские Ворота)
The Resurrection Gate (Воскресенские Ворота, Voskresenskiye Vorota), built in the late 17th century CE was originally one of the entrances to the Kitay-gorod (Китай-город), the main cultural areas of old Moscow. This is now the only remaining entrance gate and is merged into the Red Square as the main entrance through a reconstruction during the 1990s CE. It is so-named because it was connected to the Revolution Square (Площадь Революции, Ploshchad Revolyutsii), formerly named the Resurrection Square (Воскресенская Площадь, Voskresenskaya Ploshchad) just outside the Red Square.
Just in front of the entrance is the kilometre zero plaque of the Russian highway system.
Just inside the gate, one finds a tiny blue-domed chapel called the Iveron Chapel (Иверская Цасовня, Iverskaya Tsasovnya), so named because it houses a replica of the icon of Panaghia Portaitissa (Greek: Παναγία Πορταΐτισσα) from the Monastery of Iviron (Greek: Μονή Ιβήρων, Monḗ Ivirōn) from Greece (Greek: Ελλάδα, Elláda). According to the guide, everyone heading into Red Square or the Kremlin has to visit the chapel to pay homage at the shrine, before entering through the gate, even the Tsar. As one can see the chapel is heavily over-crowded as a result due to its tiny size.
State Historical Museum (Государственный Исторический Музей)
The red-hue State Historical Museum (Государственный Исторический Музей (ГИМ), Gosudarstvennyy Istoricheskiy Muzey (GIM)) is a museum of Russian history located inside the Red Square. In spite of the relative small size of the museum, its million of exhibits are extremely important and organised, storing and curating artefacts from prehistory to the most recent.
Kremlin Wall Necropolis (Некрополь у Кремлёвской Cтены)
The Kremlin Wall Necropolis (Некрополь у Кремлёвской Стены, Nekropolu Kremlovskoy Steny) is the former national cemetery of the Soviet Union, located inside the square, forming the wall against the Kremlin.
The burial site started in 1917 CE when 240 pro-Bolsheviks (Большевики́, Bol'shevikí) were buried in the site when they died during the Moscow Bolshevik Uprising (Октябрьское вооружённое Восстание в Москве, Oktyabrskoye Vooruzhonnoye Vosstaniye v Moskve).
The site was gradually transformed into the place of honour for military campaigns during the Second World War. State ceremonial funerals were later reserved for the highly venerated politicians, military leaders, cosmonauts, scientist, or national icons. However, the practice of burying honourables at Red Square ended with the funeral of General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko (Константин Черненко) in 1985 CE.
Lenin Mausoleum (Мавзолей Ленина)
The Lenin's Mausoleum (Мавзолей Ленина, Mavzoley Lenina) clearly serves as the final resting place of the father of Soviet Union Vladimir Lenin (Владимир Ленин, né Владимир Улья́нов, Vladimir Ulyanov). Lenin's embalmed body is on public display ever since his death, as below.
The very stern-looking building incorporates the Soviet architectural style with some other elements of the ziggurat (Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪) or the step-pyramid to show Lenin's monarchal status. By the way, Lenin is a pseudonym he adopted in 1901 CE for his underground political endeavours and publications. Apparently this derives from the River Lena (Ле́на).
Monument to Minin and Pozharsky (Па́мятник Ми́нину и Пожа́рскому)
The Monument to Minin and Pozharsky (Па́мятник Ми́нину и Пожа́рскому, Pamyatnik Mininu i Pozharskomu) is a tribute statue to commemorates Prince Dmitry Pozharsky (Дми́трий Пожа́рский) and Kuzma Minin (Кузьма́ Ми́нин, né Кузьма́ Ми́нич Заха́рьев Сухору́кий, Kuzma Minich Zakhariev-Sukhoruky), who gathered an all-Russian volunteer army and expelled the forces of the Poland-Lithuania (Polish: Polska-Litwa) from Moscow to effectively end the Polish-Russian War (Русско-польская Война) in 1612 CE.
Originally the statue stood in the centre of Red Square, with Minin extending his hand towards the Kremlin. However after the Russian Revolution (Революция Года в России), the monument was found to be an obstruction to the parades and the government wanted to demolish it or move it to a museum. The statue was moved in 1936 CE to the current position where it remains to the present day .
Lobnoye Mesto (Лобное Место)
The Lobnoye Mesto (Лобное Место) is actually the oldest monument in the square, dating back to the early or mid-16th century CE. The platform was primarily built and used for announcing the various tsar's announcements or decrees, called ukaz (указ) and for religious ceremonies. We were told that the platform was used for public executions by the guide, but in fact this is never used for this purpose, at least not on this platform. Public execution usually took place behind the cathedral nearby.
During the Russian Empire (Россійская Имперія, Rossiyskaya Imperiya), the platform was used to stage the Palm Sunday procession called 'donkey walk (хождение на осляти, khozhdeniye na oslyati)', which is a depiction of Jesus's (Hebrew: ישוע, Yehoshua) entry into Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, Yerushaláyim).
Its name is derived from the Russian words for 'forehead' (лоб, lob) and 'place' (место, mesto). In Old Russian 'лоб' also meant 'a steep river bank', so effectively the name simply means 'a place near a steep river bank'.
Saint Basil's Cathedral (Храм Василия Блаженного)
Possibly the most famous of all Russian architectural pieces, the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed (Собо́р Васи́лия Блаже́нного, Sobór Vasíliya Blazhénnogo), the church's official name is actually the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat (Собор Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы, Цто на Рву, Sobor Pokrova Presvyatoy Bogoroditsy, Chto na Rvu) and it stands almost synonymous as the Red Square or even Moscow.
The cathedral is named after Saint Basil the Blessed (Василий Блаженный, Vasily Blazhenny) and really encompasses what everyone perceives as a Russian architectural showcase with all its iconic colourful onion domes. It is however ironic that in actual fact it is unlike most Russian buildings. I personally believe this was also partly made famous by being the cover image of the popular computer game Tetris (Тетрис).
Since Soviet communism embraced state atheism, the church was confiscated from the Russian Orthodox Church (Русская Православная Церковь, Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov) as part of Soviet's anti-religion campaign and was converted to a museum since 1928 CE until now, although church services have resumed since 1997 CE.
The church was commissioned for construction by Ivan IV Rurikovich (Иван IV Рюриковичи, Ivan IV Rurikovichi), or commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, during his reign. He made a vow to have a church built if his military campaign against Kazan (Казань) Khan was successful. In fact this is reflected by the cathedral architecture: The cathedral is actually a cluster of eight different churches in the original form, each of the eight small churches is devoted to the small victories of the Kazan campaign surrounding the main one, a memorial of the final victory over Kazan.
The church was built by Postnik Yakovlev (Постник Яковлев) and legend held that Vasileyvich blinded the Yakovlev upon completion so that he could not re-create the masterpiece elsewhere. Most historians disputed that as Yakovlev later built a number of important buildings in Russia, including the Kazan Kremlin (Казанский Кремль, Kazanskiy Kreml).
While the cathedral was named after Saint Basil, it was not intended, and the name came way after his death. Saint Basil was well-respected as he was known to make prophecies but he was also known for his eccentricity: he did not even wear clothes during the Russian winters. He was respected to an extent that Ivan the Terrible listened to his advices. People flocked to the church to pay respect to his remains where it was buried and eventually the name got stuck to the cathedral.
Since the church main entrance is Kremlin-facing, and is slightly oriented at an angle against the square's main axis, so it does view a bit clustered and chaotic from the square, albeit the building has an almost perfect octagonal layout around the central church core, with all eight church domes at one of the eight cardinal points, with two annexes added later, as above. The colourful domes also acquired their spectacular colours in several stages over a period of almost 200 years, when Russians became more innovative with the use of colours in architecture. The original colour scheme of the church was way more boring, although it was designed to follow the the depiction of the Heavenly City in the Book of Revelation. The nine domes were all built to look like a flame with each dome an individual 'sub-church' of the main building.
The interior of the cathedral is of equal match to the outside, with all walls extremely ornated. The eight churches are connected with a complicated labyrinth of beautifully painted narrow vaulted corridors and galleries, as above. The church is a museum itself on Saint Basil, the Red Square and the cathedral itself.
Main Universal Store (Главный Универсальный Магазин)
The Main Universal Store (Главный Универсальный Магазин (ГУМ), Glavnyy Universalnyy Magazin (GUM)), affectionately called ГУМ or GUM by its acronym, is the most famous shopping mall of Moscow. Technically speaking any main department store in Russian cities is called GUM, and there are in fact a number of other GUMs, unrelated to that of Moscow, in other Russian cities or former Soviet states. As a matter of fact, before the Soviet breakup GUM was called the State Department Store (Государственный Универсальный Магазин, Gosudarstvennyy Universalnyy Magazin) and it is only renamed in 2005 CE to retain the same acronym that everyone is accustomed with.
The original GUM was actually commissioned by Catherine II (Екатерина II, Ekaterina II, née Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg), although it was burnt down in 1812 CE and the current neo-classical building was erected in late 19th century CE after multiple reconstructions. Obviously the current shopping mall houses all the luxurious international brands and things do not come cheap inside the mall.
Kazan Cathedral (Казанский Собор)
The dimunitive Barbie-coloured Kazan Cathedral (Казанский Собор, Kazanskiy Sobor) has an equally colourful history to match its hue. The cathedral was commissioned to be built by Pozharsky, using his own money, after the Polish-Russian War. He believed his success was down to the
many prayers he made to Our Lady of Kazan (Казанская Богоматерь, Kazanskaya Bogomater), a holy icon representing the Virgin Mary (Aramiac: מרים, Maryam) as the patroness of Kazan. The small church was considered one of the most important in Moscow and held important processions throughout history.
However the church was demolished by order of Joseph Stalin (Иосиф Сталин, né იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი (Georgian), Ioseb Jughashvili) in 1936 CE as it blocked his military parades, in spite of all the efforts to save it. The church was later replaced by a small cafe and the church was finally restored and rebuilt in the 1990s CE after the Soviet Union dissolution.
Former Government Administration (Бывшая Администрация Правительства)
The inconspicuous Former Government Administration (Бывшая Администрация Правительства, Byvshaya Administratsiya Pravitelstva) building stands between the Resurrection Gate and the Kazan Cathedral is now absorbed to be part of the State Historical Museum. The former mint, built in the late 17th century CE is not as eye-catching as the other buildings in the square.
Buy and Do
Moscow circus (Московский цирк)
The world-renowned Moscow circus (Московский цирк, Moskovskiy tsirk), or commonly the Nikulin circus (цирк Никулина, tsirk Nikulina) happens to be just across the river from the Red Square and naturally we went and watched. The idea of circus entertainment started during the Soviet era and went for world-wide show-tours and was considered an international spectacle. In one sense Moscow circus literally set the standard for circus performances around the world as a result of these tours.
Interestingly there are only two Moscow circuses even until today, this particular one that I watched and a newer version called the Bolshoy (Большой) circus, which focusses more on acrobatics. All of them are state-owned and managed. By the way, Nikulin circus is named after Yuri Nikulin (Юрий Никулин), possibly Russian most famous clown and comedian, when he took over the directorship of the circus after serving the circus for his whole life.
One important style that the Moscow circus presents is that it narrates a proper story based on Russian culture, rather than just a bunch of action-packed performances, as in typical American or Chinese circuses. Moscow circus is hence sometimes considered the original of contemporary themed circuses like Cirque du Soleil.
When I watched this particular show back then, there were still substantial amount of animal acts and performances and recently this had almost vanished due to animal right advocacy, and more importantly these acts are no longer acceptable outside Russia. The performances were still spectacular but my friends did mention that in terms of magnitude, length and actions, it was probably surpassed by the Chinese version.
Eat and Drink
Caviar (Чёрная икра)
The luxury produce to buy in Russia is definitely caviar (Persian: خاویار, khâvyâr). Caviar from the Black Sea became part of the luxurious cuisine in the region when trading began between the Byzantine Empire (Ancient Greek: Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων, Basileía Rhōmaíōn) and Kyivan Rus (Old East Slavic: Роусь, Rusĭ). It is of course a delicacy and the Russian version of black caviar is one of the most sought after. These high-end black caviars come from beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea. Beluga comes from the Russian word 'белый (belyj)' meaning 'white', referring to the white belly of the fish. At one point in 2000s CE, Russia banned caviar totally for over-fishing in the Russian waters.
Caviar is sold under the brand Russian Caviar House (Русский Икорный Дом, Russkiy Ikornyy Dom). We dug deep into our pocket to take one small tub home, although it is well worth the price. The word caviar in Persian simply means 'egg-bearing'.
Plombir (Пломбір)
One of the best kept secrets is that Russian ice-cream is insanely delicious, possibly one of the best I have ever had. Ice-cream was only brought to the former Soviet Union during the 1930s CE through a western diplomatic mission when it was perceived as a type of French ice-cream dessert called plombières. As a result the Russian word of ice-cream was derived to 'Пломбір (plombir)' and now Russian ice-cream is now referred to as 'plombir' in English.
The ingredients of plombir was subject to national Soviet and is still under Russian standards, which requires the use of natural ingredients, especially fresh milk. The result is a supremely fresh, buttery and rich ice-cream. When it was served to the then American First Lady Pat Nixon (née Pat Ryan), it was rumoured that she was immediately hooked onto it, to an extent that the United States Secret Service expressed concern.
Plombir was first served in GUM to the public and it is still handmade in the store.
Stay
We were put in the Alfa Hotel (Гостиница Альфа) and the hotel itself is nothing to shout about. One must note that most Russian hotels are not air-conditioned, as it is generally quite cold already. Unfortunately we went there during the peak of summer when we were also in the middle of the 2010 CE Russian Wildfires (Природные пожары в России в 2010 году). We literally had to sleep on wet towels while one of my friends slept in the water-filled bath tub to keep ourselves cool! As a matter of fact, our whole journey was shrouded in smoke!
The other interesting thing about Russian hotel is that each floor is managed by floor-manager, in line with traditional communist practice. He or she is the only one who keeps the key, not the tenant of the room. One has to ask the floor-manager to gain access to the room only.
Getting There and Around
The Moscow metro system, officially called V.I. Lenin Metro (Метрополитен им В.И. Ленина, Metropoliten im. V.I. Lenina) is easily the most beautiful in the world, hands down and no arguments. The metro is famous for its architecture, and the stations are considered the ‘underground palaces’ of the city. Many stations are lit by chandeliers instead of boring fluorescent tubes.
In fact the metro system is usually considered as a tourist attraction itself and each station platform can easily become a museum! Above is the Park Kultury (Парк Культу́ры) Station and below is the Komsomolskaya (Комсомо́льская) Station. See for yourselves.
Each individual station, inside and outside, is artistically constructed and many carriages inside the train carry artworks like a moving gallery for public viewing, as below.
The Red Square is easily accessed from the Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Площадь Революции) Station. As an advice, the Red Square deserves at least two days of visit, and that itself can only be cursory.
UNESCO Inscription
Inextricably linked to all the most important historical and political events in Russia since the 13th century, the Kremlin (built between the 14th and 17th centuries by outstanding Russian and foreign architects) was the residence of the Great Prince and also a religious centre. At the foot of its ramparts, on Red Square, St Basil's Basilica is one of the most beautiful Russian Orthodox monuments.
References
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