Things to see and do Moscow Oblast

Both are fully restored. The church is dedicated to the holy fathers of a monastery, in the islands of Solovki, with which the Laure maintained relations. This is the only one of the monastery of pyramid form.

Tsnetrosoyuz is absolutely massive and immediately imposes its presence in its street. It is difficult to describe this building which combines roundness and large straight facades, concrete, paint, an impression of great modernity and at the same time unfinished. It is the only building in Moscow (and in Russia) by the famous Le Corbusier. Commissioned at the end of the 1920s to be an office building, it now houses part of the Federal Finance Service and Rosstat, the statistical agency. Visits are not organized there.

Built in the 18th century, this building reflecting the neo-classical spirit is the heart of the Kremlin complex. Its triangular architecture with a central rotunda is quite surprising. During the whole Soviet period it housed the government. Lenin's office and his apartment were located on the top floor. The Supreme Command of the Red Army under Stalin was based there during the Second World War. Since 1991 it is the official seat of the President, visible during televised speeches.

Deliciously creepy, this museum will delight aficionados of old-fashioned dolls, from the time when plastic was not omnipresent in the hands of our toddlers. Here you will certainly see some very beautiful pieces, but the museography also highlights the role of the environment of the young players and restores dresses, furniture, household utensils in a vast mess. The result is a little dizzying and may confuse the inexperienced observer, while those who know about it will be totally at home here.

The old Arbat is a place where past and present meet. Tsoi's Wall" has been almost a permanent contemporary art event since its appearance in 1990 following the death of the musician and founder of the Soviet rock band Viktor Tsoï in a car accident.

The famous protest band Viktor Tsoï has left behind a rich rock heritage for its many fans who come today to remember its music and poetry, look at the graffiti on the wall (and sometimes contribute to it) and meet their fellow sufferers.

Moscow's Tsoi Wall itself has an unusual history. In the tense and uncertain atmosphere of the last year of the Soviet Union's life, on the day of the fatal road accident, a sober "Tsoï is dead" appeared on the façade of one of the posh houses on Arbat Street in the city centre. Someone objected that "Tsoï is alive", since it still exists, at least on this wall. Since then, the discussion has not stopped, with a great deal of technically illegal but tolerated graffiti. The place has gradually become a wall of homage to the artist, and candles and photos of him can be found in the vicinity. In 2006, the object was sabotaged by members of the Art Destroy45 movement, but the activity of his fans simply picked up again. Today, this Rock'n'Roll place is not only Victor Tsoi's mausoleum but also the mausoleum of the Russian punk movement that used to meet there.

This small museum is located on the territory of the Collège de la Communication and brings together unique artifacts: collective radio stations, home-made transceivers, amateur radio designs, equipment kits for sports direction finders. The exhibition includes pennants, cups, insignia and medal of amateur radio, QSL card forms issued by the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. A must for every amateur...

Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful exhibition venues in Moscow, this private contemporary art centre compares itself to the Tate Modern or the Centre Pompidou in its ambition to place Russia in the global contemporary art network. Located in the former bus terminal (Bakhmetevsky), this vast space includes several exhibition rooms, a bookshop, a cinema and a good restaurant. The garage is a masterpiece of architecture by the architect K. Melnikov and the engineer V. Shukhov.

The Shchusev Museum of Architecture is the largest museum of architecture and urban planning in Russia. It would need more space than what is proposed, given the long history of leaders in the country's urban planning vision: from Catherine II to Peter I and the great Soviet plans. Inside, we will be able to see many scale models, well contextualized and sometimes quite surprising (including some rather crazy projects for a total overhaul of the Kremlin).

The Water Museum is located on the territory of a former wastewater treatment plant built in 1898. Moving from one room to another, you can trace the history of the first sewers of the Kremlin, learn about the formation periods of the centralized water supply and sewage systems in Moscow - from the Rostokinsky aqueduct to modern facilities - membrane plants for filtering water from the Soviet system. In short, a plunge into this essential and often forgotten aspect of urban history.

You won't miss seeing this monumental statue if you walk along the banks of the Moskva River. 98 meters high (it is currently the 7th tallest statue in the world), rivaling the skyscrapers, it represents a sovereign (theoretically a Tsar) in armour, document in hand and at the helm of a ship with its sails folded. Officially, the statue is that of Tsar Peter the Great, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet. Unofficially, it is just a huge recycling of a work of the Georgian artist close to the power Zurab Tsereteli.

The statue was originally designed to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas in 1492 and represented Christopher Columbus. It was later to be hosted by a city on the New Continent, but following repeated refusals from the United States, Spain and Latin America, the head of Peter the Great replaced that of Columbus and the statue was moved to Moscow. Needless to say, this gigantic monument is little appreciated by the inhabitants who call it the "Monster of Moscow" and make it a symbol of the corruption, lack of taste and impunity of the economic and political elites of the post-Soviet years. To wash away the affront, an extremist group even tried to blow up the monument - without success! Ironically, Peter the Great hated Moscow and would probably not have liked this tribute either.

43 meters underground, connected to the Moscow Metro, is this recently declassified bunker. It was part of a complex built just before the Cuban missile crisis and remained in operation from the Stalinist era until the end of the USSR and the first 15 post-Soviet years of the Russian Federation when agents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs classified secret information there until 2005. The visit, which has been open to the public since 2018, allows visitors to see the facilities and to be imbued with the spirit of the Cold War.

The Theatrical Museum was founded in 1894 by Alexei Bakhrushin (1865-1929), a famous industrialist and patron of Moscow. The collection includes more than 1.5 million items: sketches of costumes and sets, photographs and portraits, stage costumes, programmes and posters of shows, rare editions on theatrical art, art objects, etc.

The museum also organizes recitals and evenings of well-known artists. You will find stage drawings by Bakst and Vasnetsov, among others.

It is one of the most luxurious beaches and has a large number of bars and restaurants. The price for renting sun loungers and other services is high, but the view is nice. It is also one of the most popular beaches for wedding photos. On the beach you will find the Royal Yacht Club, where you can enjoy various water sports. The main attraction of the beach: its sand has been imported from the Maldives. Why pas ?

Next to the new building of the Russian Academy of Sciences there is a small observation deck located at a comfortable height of 60 meters above the ground. It offers a magnificent view of the banks of the Moskva River, the skyscrapers of the Moscow City Business Center and the spire of Moscow State University. On the left you will see the domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, on the right - the towers of the Kremlin surrounded by its cathedrals. Besides there are few visitors.