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Although I don’t give tours in Moscow, I can recommend some licensed guides who will help you to explore the city.
Moscow has been an inseparable part of the life of Russia since early history. Moscow was founded in 1147, when Prince Yuri Dolgoruky established a small outpost on the banks of the Moskva River. The settlement grew into a large and prosperous town, which eventually became the capital of the principality of Moscovy. By the 15th century, Moscow was Russia’s political, cultural and trade center and became the capital of the Russian Empire. In the next century, Ivan the Terrible was crowned Czar of all Russia in the magnificent Uspensky Sobor (Assumption Cathedral) inside the Kremlin, marking the city’s ultimate ascent.
After Peter the Great transferred the capital to St Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained a symbol of national pride. Many eminent writers, scientists, artists, and musicians, such as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Lomonosov, Repin and Tchaikovsky lived and worked in Moscow.
In 1918, after more than two centuries, Moscow once again became Russia’s capital, this time governing the world’s first socialist state — the Soviet Union.
Today, the new Moscow of the 21st century is the capital of the Russian Federation, and the seat of much of the country’s industry, politics (the Kremlin remains the seat of government) and culture. Moscow has over 2, 500 monuments and historical sites, 50 theatres and concert halls, 4, 500 libraries and 70 museums. Moscow is also rich in history, art and architecture. One of the most memorable experiences of your trip to Russia will be to stand in Red Square and look out on the golden magnificence of the cathedrals and towers of the Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral.
Other attractions include the Novodevichy Convent, which dates from 1514, and the Andronikov Monastery, which houses the Andrei Rublyov Museum of Old Russian Art, including the famed iconographer’s masterpieces. Moscow’s galleries and museums, such as the Tretyakov Gallery and Pushkin Museum of Fine Art contain collections of Russian and foreign masters.
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