27/09: Moscow's Lesser-Known Treasures
Moscow is often unfairly overlooked by tourists. Time and time again I see itineraries that are heavily weighted in favour of St Petersburg, allowing only a couple of days for Moscow. After all, what is there to see besides Red Square and the Kremlin? The answer is that there's a hell of a lot. In fact, I doubt I'll ever have the chance to see everything I want to in this city. The problem is that Moscow's treasures aren't located in one area that is easily traversed by foot and aren't as well publicised. Here are some examples of what I mean.
Surely Moscow doesn't have anything to compare with St Petersburg's famous estates, right? Well, no, probably not. But it does have a number of very charming estates that are worth visiting, namely Kuskovo, Izmailovo, Kolomenskoye and Tsaritsyno. In fact, Tsaritsyno is currently under large-scale renovation which Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov hopes will bring it up to the level of its counterparts in St Petersburg. The trouble is that three of these four places are good 40 minute metro rides from the centre in three different directions. The most accessible one is Kolomenskoye, which is only 15 minutes from the centre and is a real treat to visit. It boasts one of the most striking churches you will ever see in the 1532 Church of the Ascension, as well as the beautiful 16th Century Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist and the 17th Century Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan. Kolomenskoye also features some lovely old gates and towers, the oldest of which is the 15th Century Bell Tower of St George. The greater grounds are covered in largely untended forest, criss-crossed with streams and there are also apple trees from which you can pick and eat the fruit. And all of this is located on a bend in the Moscow River. It might not have the breath-taking splendour of Peterhof but the somewhat disorganised and rambling nature of Kolomenskoe is very endearing.
Another example is Sculpture Park, a must-see for anyone with an interest in Soviet history. After the fall of Communism, many of the unwanted relics of the Soviet era were laid here to rest. And the park almost has the eerie feeling of a graveyard. One of the first sights you will see is the statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the KGB’s predecessor the Vecheka, which stood for many years on Lubyanka square outside the KGB headquarters but was toppled in 1991. In the park you’ll also find an array of Lenins, a few Marxs, a couple of Brezhnevs and Stalins, quite a few authors and an assortment of other Soviet-era monuments. The equivalent park in Budapest is smaller and less interesting but attracts more tourists because it is so heavily advertised.
I could list many more places here, but the last example I'll give is Moscow's monasteries since there is such an abundance of them. Novodevichy often features on many tourist itineraries and rightly so since it is the nicest Russian monastery I have seen apart from the Trinity Monastery in Sergiev Posad. However, often ignored are the equally inspiring 15th Century Novospassky Monastery, the 16th Century Donskoy Monastery and the 13th Century Danilov Monastery - the oldest in Moscow and the headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church. All of these places are picturesque and imbued with atmosphere and history.
So why isn't Moscow given credit for all its beautiful features? Moscow is a large and intimdating city. It's treasures aren't readily apparent - you have to dig a bit further and look a bit harder to find them. And there is no organised drive for tourists to make this task any easier. But as daunting, filthy, over-crowded and inhospitable as Moscow might seem, it remains perhaps the most amazing city I have ever seen. Any tourist who takes the time to experience the city properly will truly be rewarded for it.
Surely Moscow doesn't have anything to compare with St Petersburg's famous estates, right? Well, no, probably not. But it does have a number of very charming estates that are worth visiting, namely Kuskovo, Izmailovo, Kolomenskoye and Tsaritsyno. In fact, Tsaritsyno is currently under large-scale renovation which Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov hopes will bring it up to the level of its counterparts in St Petersburg. The trouble is that three of these four places are good 40 minute metro rides from the centre in three different directions. The most accessible one is Kolomenskoye, which is only 15 minutes from the centre and is a real treat to visit. It boasts one of the most striking churches you will ever see in the 1532 Church of the Ascension, as well as the beautiful 16th Century Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist and the 17th Century Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan. Kolomenskoye also features some lovely old gates and towers, the oldest of which is the 15th Century Bell Tower of St George. The greater grounds are covered in largely untended forest, criss-crossed with streams and there are also apple trees from which you can pick and eat the fruit. And all of this is located on a bend in the Moscow River. It might not have the breath-taking splendour of Peterhof but the somewhat disorganised and rambling nature of Kolomenskoe is very endearing.
Another example is Sculpture Park, a must-see for anyone with an interest in Soviet history. After the fall of Communism, many of the unwanted relics of the Soviet era were laid here to rest. And the park almost has the eerie feeling of a graveyard. One of the first sights you will see is the statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the KGB’s predecessor the Vecheka, which stood for many years on Lubyanka square outside the KGB headquarters but was toppled in 1991. In the park you’ll also find an array of Lenins, a few Marxs, a couple of Brezhnevs and Stalins, quite a few authors and an assortment of other Soviet-era monuments. The equivalent park in Budapest is smaller and less interesting but attracts more tourists because it is so heavily advertised.
I could list many more places here, but the last example I'll give is Moscow's monasteries since there is such an abundance of them. Novodevichy often features on many tourist itineraries and rightly so since it is the nicest Russian monastery I have seen apart from the Trinity Monastery in Sergiev Posad. However, often ignored are the equally inspiring 15th Century Novospassky Monastery, the 16th Century Donskoy Monastery and the 13th Century Danilov Monastery - the oldest in Moscow and the headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church. All of these places are picturesque and imbued with atmosphere and history.
So why isn't Moscow given credit for all its beautiful features? Moscow is a large and intimdating city. It's treasures aren't readily apparent - you have to dig a bit further and look a bit harder to find them. And there is no organised drive for tourists to make this task any easier. But as daunting, filthy, over-crowded and inhospitable as Moscow might seem, it remains perhaps the most amazing city I have ever seen. Any tourist who takes the time to experience the city properly will truly be rewarded for it.
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Dmitri wrote:
As for the hidden gems, Izmailovo is a great park I think also because it's easily accessible -- Izmailovskaya station is right inside the park.