Sightseeing in Russia

by | December 7, 2021

Above all, this country awaits you with cultural sights. Experience centuries-old art and culture in the “Venice of the North”, St. Petersburg, and don’t miss the luxury metropolis Moscow. On a city tour through St. Petersburg you will discover the majestic palaces along the canals and the famous Hermitage Museum. A little outside the city you will find the Catherine Palace with the legendary Amber Room or the Pavlovsk Summer Palace. In this city you can admire the Peter and Paul Fortress, the monument to Peter the Great, the Lenin statue or the Griboyedov Canal. In the capital of Russia, Moscow, you will find the Red Square with the St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin with the armory, the huge bell, the Tsar cannon, the Bolshoi Theater, the State History Museum or the Novodevichy Convent. Don’t forget the other cities like Yekaterinburg with the governor’s house Zotov Tarasov, the TV tower and the Holy Trinity Cathedral; the city of Voronezh with the Nikolaikirche and the governor’s palace in the center or the city of Volgograd with the Volga and the memorial of the Schalcht of Stalingrad. Take an educational tour through Russia!

The Red Square in Moscow

The Red Square, which is over 500 meters long and 150 meters wide, is considered the heart of Moscow and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.

History

Up until the end of the 15th century there was a kind of market and trading place where goods and services were offered. Subsequently, the Red Square served, among other things, as a festival area and place for public announcements. Parades are still held here today, but festivals and events are also celebrated here.

Attractions

The Red Square is surrounded by numerous sights, most notably the Kremlin. The tsars and later the Russian presidents have resided here since the 14th century. Part of the Kremlin is open to visitors, such as the churches with their magnificent icons and the armory.

The Russian Orthodox St. Basil’s Cathedral at the southern end of Red Square with its colorful domed towers is world-famous and one of Moscow’s landmarks. The cathedral, commissioned by Tsar Ivan the Terrible and completed in 1560, has nine domes of different colors, eight of which surround the central, golden main dome in a circle.

The Lenin Mausoleum, built in 1930 and made of dark red granite and black labradorite, is another attraction in Red Square. Other buildings are the historical museum and the GUM department store, in front of which an ice rink attracts numerous tourists in winter.

Moscow Metro

For many, the Moscow Metro is the most beautiful and opulent subway in the world. The first train drove through the tunnels deep underground in the Russian capital on the morning of May 15, 1935. Since then, the network has been continuously expanded.

Showcase project of communism

In the early 30s, when communism began its triumphal march in what was then the Soviet Union, this should also be symbolized by correspondingly splendid buildings. That is why nothing should be lacking in the new subway – especially not luxury. Magnificent mosaics, marble columns, white stucco, works of art and gigantic chandeliers adorn the wide corridors and make the visitor forget for a moment that he is in a subway and not in a castle. Many of the stations have been designed on the basis of specific topics. The Mayakovskaya station is z. B. is dedicated to aviation and is decorated with mighty mosaics that illustrate airplanes, zeppelins and balloons. Painted skies adorned with gold stars also adorn the ceilings of other stations. The Moscow Metro is not only beautiful to look at, but also a kind of museum that vividly depicts the time of communism and its megalomania. A trip in this gigantic structure with a total of 12 lines and 198 stations, which extend over a network of 329 kilometers, is like a little journey into the past, not only from Moscow, but from all of Russia.

Consciously choose visiting times

A visit to the Moscow Metro should be chosen wisely, as it is used by almost 7 million people every day. At peak times, it is usually so overcrowded that you can barely get a foot on the ground, let alone enjoy the beauty of the corridors and stations. That is why it is best to postpone an exploration tour to a Sunday or to the late evening hours.

Moscow Metro