In this walk, we will mainly concentrate on the Manezhnaya Square, located at the heart of Moscow, just outside the Kremlin. The pictures were taken in September 2005.

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/mapa_manezhnaya_web.jpg

We start our walk at the Lenin State Library. The famous writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky is sitting in front of it:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050927_moskwa_5407.jpg

On the opposite side of the street we see the Manèze Exhibition Hall. It was destroyed by a fire 2 years ago, but is now rebuilt:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050927_moskwa_5409.jpg

We are approaching the walls of Kremlin:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4953.jpg

The green area along the walls is called Alexander Gardens. It is a very popular strolling place among Muscovites:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4962.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4961.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4958.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4959.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4955.jpg

A circle-shaped square in the gardens where you can sit and enjoy life :):

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4964.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4967.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4968.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4969.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4974.jpg

Middle Arsenal Tower and the Arsenal building beyond the wall:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4970.jpg

We are approaching the Manezhnaya Square. This fountain is part of the new small architecture of the square, that was reconstructed some years ago, when a big underground Shopping Mall - Okhotniy Ryad - was built under it:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4978.jpg

Tourists at the fountain :)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4979.jpg

Other sights :)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4980.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4982.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4988.jpg

We are now leaving the Alexander Gardens and going up to the Manezhnaya Square. The fountain seen from above:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4993.jpg

The Russian Parliament (Duma). This building was erected for Gosplan, the agency that produced the Five Year Plans and oversaw the Soviet economy:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_4995.jpg

But look here!!! There is a big party going on in front of the Manèze Exhibition Hall :D

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5008.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5006.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5005.jpg

:D

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5011.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5016.jpg

In the background you can see the old buildings of Moscow University (partly covered by a cute dog :)). The rotunda on the left side is a chapel dedicated to St Tatyana, the patron saint of students:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5012.jpg

A closer look at the Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street, where the old university buildings stand:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5001.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5000.jpg

People at the square:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5002.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5027.jpg

Better not disturb :)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5020.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5032.jpg

Let's party :)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5030.jpg

Young and pink ;)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5031.jpg

Manezhnaya Square takes its name from the Manège building. Here is a view of the Manèze building and the part of the Manezhnaya Square that is located above the underground shopping mall Okhotniy Ryad:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5040.jpg

The Okhotniy Ryad area is quite kitschy but serves well as a meeting place for people:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5039.jpg

Cheers! :cheers:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5036.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5047.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5050.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5054.jpg

In the background you can see the building of the Historical Museum:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5053.jpg

We love you too ;)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5051.jpg

Moscow Cow Parade :)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5057.jpg

Tverskaya Street, the main street of Moscow begins here at Manezhnaya Square:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5058.jpg

The National Hotel in the background:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5059.jpg

Marshal Zhukov, a World War II hero, overlooks the square:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5066.jpg

Let us now jump back in time for a while to September 2004 and look at some pix I took then :) Marshal Zhukov stood at the same place back then too :)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0234.jpg

If we move our head slightly to the right, we can see the site where Hotel Moskva once stood. It was demolished about 2 years ago and the building is now being reconstructed as a shopping mall, I think.

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0235.jpg

The cupolas of Okhotniy Ryad shopping mall:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0264.jpg

In the background you can see that the Manège wasn't yet rebuilt after the fire:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0248.jpg

Manezhnaya Square is a popular meeting place:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0238.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0240.jpg

Monday, 1.30 AM, perfect time for a beer ;)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0244.jpg

I'm continuing my studies of toy-toy babushkas :)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0252.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0265.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0262.jpg

Entrance to the metro station:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0263.jpg

Police control. It was just 2 weeks after Beslan and a terrorist attack in the metro...

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0266.jpg

The man in blue didn't like me ;) He asked me if I was taking photos of him. I said yes. He asked me to show the photo. I showed him the photo. He asked me to remove it. I said that I don't understand Russian... and made a suggestion to continue our conversation in English... he didn't want to... and our conversation ended there :D

The thing in his hand is a metal detector:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2004_sept/moskwa_040920_0269.jpg

OK, that was it from 2004. Let's jump back to September 2005 :)

Building of the former Central Lenin Museum:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5061.jpg

Iberian Gate (or Resurrection Gate) leading to the Red Square. Demolished in the mid-1930s by Stalin to make Red Square more accessible for tanks and marches. Rebuilt in the 1990s:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5065.jpg

In front of the gate people were making a cross-sign and throwing a penny over their shoulders. Probably that brings you luck or fulfills your wishes:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5070.jpg

You can see a row of elderly women collecting the thrown pennies:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5072.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5074.jpg

We are now leaving the Manezhnaya Square and entering the Red Square:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5076.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5077.jpg

"Greetings from Russia" photo :D

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5080.jpg

Iberian Gate seen from the Red Square:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5084.jpg

Kazan Cathedral. It was built to commemorate the end of the occupation of Moscow by a very big and powerful neighbour of Russia ;) Like the Iberian gate it was demolished in the 30s and rebuilt in the 90s:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5083.jpg

The famous St Basil's Cathedral. On the right side, the new-built Swissotel. I wonder what heritage protectors think of it...

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5086.jpg

Kremlin walls at Red Square. Between the two towers you can see Comrade Lenin's place of rest:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5085.jpg

We now take a quick walk through Kitay Gorod (the old part of Moscow next to Kremlin)...

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5090.jpg

...and leave it through an ornamental gateway at Tretyakov's passage, which was knocked through the wall of Kitay Gorod in 1871:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5093.jpg

I think this place is popular among somewhat richer people than me ;)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5094.jpg

We are now on the first road ring, between Teatralnaya Square and Lubyanskaya Square:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050926_moskwa_5305.jpg

One of Moscow's more characteristic buildings - Metropol Hotel:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050926_moskwa_5307.jpg

A famous department store - TsUM (CUM):

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050926_moskwa_5308.jpg

And finally we've reached the Teatralnaya Square. We can end this walk by saying "hello" to uncle Marx :)

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5097.jpg

I hope you enjoyed this thread :cheers:

Those are some wonderful pictures you got there. :okay:

Dear Michau,

Thank you so much for the photos. You are doing an unbelivable work, and let me tell you that those photos are marvelous work of art. It was great to see these photographs. Your series are the most complete Moscow photo series. Thanks again for your magnificent work, and keep those picturse coming.

Where did you get the map of Moscow?

Awsome photos, thanks for taking the time and sharing them with us.

Dear Michau,

Thank you so much for the photos. You are doing an unbelivable work, and let me tell you that those photos are marvelous work of art. It was great to see these photographs. Your series are the most complete Moscow photo series. Thanks again for your magnificent work, and keep those picturse coming.


X2

I wonder why no one russian there can post something like that...

Michaus Moscow-Series should be sticky. :)

Thank you all for your comments :cheers:

Dear Michau,

Thank you so much for the photos. You are doing an unbelivable work, and let me tell you that those photos are marvelous work of art. It was great to see these photographs. Your series are the most complete Moscow photo series. Thanks again for your magnificent work, and keep those picturse coming.Thank you for those words :) I am trying to do my best and Moscow is such a great place to photograph :)

Where did you get the map of Moscow?I bought it here in Stockholm in a specialized map and travel-guide shop.

Oh, Ive been looking on the internet and have had no luck. Very nice photos, if I hadnt already wanted to go to Moscow, I would now.

Really nice shots.

Oh, Ive been looking on the internet and have had no luck.My map is "real" :) but I have two scans of the central parts of Moscow. If you find them useful, save them to your disk, cause I will remove them from my server any day:

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/temp/moscow_map_1.jpg

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/temp/moscow_map_2.jpg

Thank you very much. These are the images I have been looking for.

http://www.michau.se/pics/my_pics/moskwa/2005_sept/050925_moskwa_5074.jpg

I always drop all the coins I have in my pocket there, as soon as the coins drop then there are like 5 people waiting to pick them up.

Great pictures, I love Moscow

Michau


:master:

OOoh! Lovely report! ^_^
Thanks another time, Michau. ;)

I greatly enjoyed seeing your series Michau. I can almost hear the noises and smell the fragrances.

I've seen each thread of this series about 4 or 5 times and I can't get enough of them.

The city and the pics are simply magic...

AWSOME MAN!!!!

AWSOME MAN!!!!

wow, we have another "not banderavets" on this forum! :okay:

come to visit our new Urban Ukraine forum btw ;)

Welcome Vladko