Streets squares and districts to visit Moscow (Москва)

The Boulevard ring does not have parks as such, but rather wide landscaped green spaces that would definitely make the small Parisian parks pale in envy. The section at the Chistye Prudy metro station is particularly popular for Muscovite strolls, especially in spring and autumn when the trees are in bloom or undressing. The recommended route is to follow the "park" south towards the Moskva River until you reach the clean (or clear) pond that gives the district its name.

The Manege Square commands the entrance to the Red Square from Tversakaya Street. It overlooks the Manege building itself and a large Stalinist building in which a shopping mall was installed in the 1990s. The underside of the square also houses the galleries of an underground shopping mall, which explains the many small glass pyramids seen on the surface.

It is a favourite meeting place for Muscovites and was also the site of the 2010 anti-police uprising.

The Theatre Square is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and central places in Moscow. Muscovites are very demanding when it comes to shows, ballets and operas. It must be said that there are many good theatres here. There are no less than three theaters in this square. The architect Ossip Bové was the one who designed it. It is also him who drew the plans of the Bolshoi, the Maly and the children's theatre before it was rebuilt by B. Freidenberg (as well as the TSOUM). A picture with the fountains overlooking the Bolshoi is a must.

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.

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.