The first reference to Moscow dates from 1147 when Yuri Dolgoruki called upon the prince of the Novgorod Republic to "come to me, brother, to Moscow." Nine years later, in 1156, Prince Yuriy Dolgorukiy of Kiev ordered the construction of a wooden wall, which had to be rebuilt multiple times, to surround the emerging Moscow. After the sacking of 1237-1238, when the Mongols burned the city to the ground and killed its inhabitants, Moscow recovered and became the capital of an independent principality in 1327. Its favorable position on the headwaters of the Volga river contributed to steady expansion. Moscow developed into a stable and prosperous principality for many years and attracted a large number of refugees from across Russia.
Under Ivan I the city replaced Tver as capital of Vladimir-Suzdal and became the sole collector of taxes for the Mongol rulers. By paying high tribute, Ivan won an important concession from the Khan. Unlike other principalities, Moscow was not divided among his sons but was passed intact to his eldest. In 1380, prince Dmitry Donskoy of Moscow led a united Russian army to an important victory over the Mongols in the Battle of Kulikovo. After that, Moscow took the leading role in liberating Russia from Mongol domination. In 1480, Ivan III had finally broken the Russians free from Tatar control, allowing Moscow to become the center of power in Russia. The Russian capital, which had wandered from Kiev to Vladimir, came to rest in this city by the end of his reign, and Moscow became the capital of an empire that would eventually encompass all of present-day Russia, Siberia, and parts of other lands.
The 17th century was rich in popular risings, such as the liberation of Moscow from the Polish invaders (1612), the Salt Riot (1648), the Copper Riot (1662), and the Moscow Uprising of 1682. The city ceased to be Russia's capital in 1712, after the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter the Great on the Baltic coast in 1703. When Napoleon invaded in 1812, the Muscovites burned the city and evacuated, as Napoleon's forces were approaching on September 14. Napoleon's army, plagued by hunger, cold, and poor supply lines, was forced to retreat. In January 1905, the institution of the City Governor, or Mayor, was officially introduced in Moscow, and Alexander Adrianov became Moscow's first official mayor. Following the success of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Lenin, fearing possible foreign invasion, moved the capital from Petrograd back to Moscow on March 5, 1918.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet State Committee of Defence and the General Staff of the Red Army was located in Moscow. In 1941, sixteen divisions of the national volunteers (more than 160,000 people), twenty-five battalions (18,500 people) and four engineering regiments were formed among the Muscovites. In November 1941, German Army Group Centre was stopped at the outskirts of the city and then driven off in the course of the Battle of Moscow. Many factories were evacuated, together with much of the government, and from October 20 the city was declared to be under siege. Its remaining inhabitants built and manned antitank defenses, while the city was bombarded from the air. It is of some note that Stalin refused to leave the city, meaning the general staff and the council of ministers remained in the city as well. Despite the siege and the bombings, the construction of Moscow's metro system, which began in the early 1930s, continued through the war and by the end of the war several new metro lines were opened. On May 1, 1944 a medal For the defence of Moscow and in 1947 another medal In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow were instituted. On May 8, 1965 in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the victory in World War II, Moscow was one of twelve Soviet cities awarded the title of the Hero City. In 1980, it hosted the summer Olympic Games. In 1991 Moscow was the scene of a coup attempt by the government members opposed to the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev. When the USSR was dissolved in the same year, Moscow continued to be the capital of the Russian Federation. Since then, the emergence of a market economy in Moscow has produced an explosion of Western-style retailing, services, architecture, and lifestyles.
Moscow is the seat of power for all of Russia. At the center of the city, in the Central Administrative Okrug, is the Moscow Kremlin, which houses the home of the President of Russia as well as many of the facilities for the national government. Moscow, like with any national capital, is also the host of all the foreign embassies and diplomats representing a multitude of nations in Russia. On a slightly smaller scale, Moscow is located within the Central Federal District, one of the ten federal districts of Russia. As result, it falls under the administration of a representative appointed by the President of Russia to head the district. Moscow is also designated as one of only two federal cities - Saint Petersburg being the other - within Russia. Since all Russian subjects - republics, provinces, cities, and territories - have two representatives within the Federation Council of Russia, the over 10 million Muscovites are represented by just two people - 1.1% of the Council - despite the fact that they account for 7.3% of the total population of Russia. Lastly, Moscow is located within the central economic region, one of twelve regions within Russia with similar economic goals.
The entire city of Moscow is headed by one mayor (currently Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov). It is divided into 10 administrative (okrugs) and 123 municipal districts. Administrative districts: Zelenogradskiy Administrative Okrug (City of Zelenograd in the federal classification), Northern Administrative Okrug, North-Eastern Administrative Okrug, North-Western Administrative Okrug, Central Administrative Okrug, Eastern Administrative Okrug, Southern Administrative Okrug, South-Eastern Administrative Okrug, South-Western Administrative Okrug, and Western Administrative Okrug. Nine of the ten administrative districts, except of Zelenogradskiy, are located within City of Moscow main boundaries.
Each administrative district consists of several municipal districts (raions). Each municipal and administrative district has its own coat of arms, flag, and elected head official. Additionally, most raions have their own cable television, computer network, and official newspaper. Along with municipal districts are Territorial Unities with Special Status or territories. These usually include areas with small or no permanent populations, such as the case with the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, the Botanical Garden, large parks, and industrial zones. In recent years, some territories have been merged with different raions. There are no ethnic-specific raions in Moscow in the manner Chinatowns exist in some North American and East Asian cities. And although raions are not designated by income, as with most cities, those areas that are closer to the city center, metro stations or green zones are considered more prestigious.
Moscow and St. Petersburg have for centuries been the sites of much of the country's internationally known history and culture, and the residences of most of its famous personalities.
For a long time the view of the city was dominated by numerous churches. The look of the city changed drastically during Soviet times, mostly due to Joseph Stalin, who oversaw a large-scale effort to modernize the city. He introduced broad avenues and roadways, some of them over ten lanes wide, but he also destroyed a great number of historically significant architectural works. The Sukharev Tower, as well as numerous mansions and stores lining the major streets, and various works of religious architecture, such as the Kazan Cathedral and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, were all destroyed during Stalin's rule.
Architect Vladimir Shukhov was responsible for building several of Moscow's landmarks during early Soviet Russia. The Shukhov Tower, just one of many hyperboloid towers designed by Shukhov, was built between 1919 and 1922 as a transmission tower for a Russian broadcasting company.[2] Shukhov also left a lasting legacy to the Constructivist architecture of early Soviet Russia. He designed spacious elongated shop galleries, most notably the Upper Trade Rows (GUM) on Red Square,[2] bridged with innovative metal-and-glass vaults.
Stalin, however, is also credited with building the The Seven Sisters, which are comprised of seven, cathedral-like structures. A defining feature of Moscow's skyline, their imposing form was allegedly inspired by the Municipal Building in New York, and their style - with intricate exteriors and a large central spire - has been described as Stalinist gothic architeture. All seven towers can be seen from most elevations in the city; they are among the tallest constructions in central Moscow apart from the Ostankino Tower which, when it was completed in 1967, was the tallest free-standing land structure in the world and today remains the world's second-tallest.[3]
The Soviet policy of providing mandatory housing for every citizen or their family, and the rapid growth of the Muscovite population in Soviet times, also led to the construction of large, monotonous housing blocks, which can often be differentiated by age, sturdiness of construction, or 'style' according to the neighborhood and the materials used. Most of these date from the post-Stalin era and the styles are often named after the leader then in power - Brezhnev, Krushchev, etc - and they are usually ill-maintained. The Stalinist-era constructions, usually in the central city, are massive and usually ornamented with Socialist realism motifs that imitate classical themes. However, small churches - almost always Eastern Orthodox - that hint on the city's past still dot various parts of the city. The Old Arbat, a popular tourist street that was once the heart of a bohemian area, preserves most of its buildings from prior to the twentieth century. Many buildings found off the main streets of the inner city (behind the Stalinist façades of Tverskaya Street, for example) are also examples of the bourgeois decadence in Tsarist times. Ostankino, Kuskovo, and other large estates just outside Moscow originally belong to nobles from the Tsarist era, and some convents and monasteries, both inside and outside the city, are open to Muscovites and tourists.
Attempts are being made to restore many of the city's best-kept examples of pre-Soviet architecture. These revamped structures are easily spotted by their bright new colours and spotless facades. There are a few examples of notable, early Soviet avant-garde work too, such as the house of the architect Konstantin Melnikov in the Arbat area. Later examples of interesting Soviet architecture are usually marked by their impressive size and the semi-Modernist styles employed, such as with the Novy Arbat project, designed by Mikhail Posokhin.
Like in London, but on a broader scale, plaques on the house exteriors will inform passers-by that a well-known personality once lived there. Frequently the plaques are dedicated to Soviet celebrities not well-known to the outside world. There are also many 'house-museums' of famous Russian writers, composers, and artists in the city.
There are many museums and galleries in Moscow with collections that can be compared to those of the best museums in the West. Frequent art exhibitions thrive on both the new and the classic, as they once did in pre-Revolutionary times, and from their diversity in every branch of the arts - painting, photography, sculpture and so on - it would appear that the Muscovite art world is steeped in many traditions: Russian, Western, Oriental, both old and new. Two of the most notable art museums in Moscow are the Tretyakov Gallery, founded by Paul Tretyakov, a wealthy and generous patron of the arts who accumulated a very large private collection before donating it to the city, and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, which was founded, among others, by Marina Tsvetaeva's father. Currently there are two Tretyakovs. The Old Tretyakov, the original gallery in the Tretyakovskaya area on the south bank of the Moskva, houses the works of the classic Russian tradition, with famous pre-revolutionary painters such as Ilya Repin, going all the way back to early Russian icon painting with exhibits of rare originals by Andrei Rublev. The New Tretyakov, created in Soviet times, mostly houses the work of Soviet and a few contemporary artists, but there is some overlap between the two for early 20th century art. The latter includes a small reconstruction of Vladimir Tatlin's famous Monument to the Third International and a mixture of other avant-garde works by artists like Kazimir Malevich or Wassily Kandinsky, and Soviet propaganda. The Pushkin Museum is like The British Museum in that its halls are a cross-section of world civilizations, with many plaster casts of ancient sculptures, but it also hosts famous paintings from every major Western era of art - the work of Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and so on can all be sampled there.
Moscow is also the heart of Russian performing arts, including ballet. Theatres and ballet studios are very common in Moscow. The most famous of these are the Bolshoi (Big) and Malyy (Small) theatres, a centerpiece of Moscow; the Bolshoi is usually closed during the summer, but in 2005 it closed semi-permanently for reconstruction work. Ticket prices were as low as $1 in the Soviet era, but have increased dramatically since. The repertories in a typical Moscow season are exhaustive and modern interpretations of classic works, whether operatic or theatrical, are quite common.
Soviet films are integral to film history, and the Mosfilm studio was at the heart of many classics, both artistic and more mainstream productions. However, despite the continued presence and reputation of internationally renowned Russian filmmakers, the once prolific native studios are much quieter, and there are fewer independent cinema theatres in Moscow than there were around the end of the Soviet Union, having given way to multiplexes and recent Hollywood productions. The overall maintenance and condition of theatres has improved, though ticket prices are much higher and increase every year.
There are numerous large universities in Moscow, including Moscow State University, which was founded in 1755.[4] Today, its campus is the largest university campus in the world.[5] The university is home to the 240-meter-tall Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills), which, when completed, was the tallest building outside the United States.[6] The university has over 30,000 undergraduate and 7,000 postgraduate students, who have a choice of twenty-nine faculties and 450 departments for study. Additionally, approximately 10,000 high school students take courses at the university, while over two thousand researchers work. The Moscow State University library contains over nine million books, making it one of the largest libraries in all of Russia. Its acclaim throughout the international academic community has meant that over 11,000 international students have graduated from the university, with many coming to Moscow to learn the Russian language.
Bauman Moscow State Technical University, founded in 1830, is located in the center of Moscow and provides more than 18,000 undergraduate and 1,000 postgraduate students with an education in science and engineering offering a wide range of technical degrees.[7] Since it opened enrollment to students from outside Russia in 1991, Bauman Moscow State Technical University has increased its international enrollment to up to two hundred.[8]
Moscow State Institute of International Relations, founded in 1944, remains Russia's best known school of international relations and diplomacy, with six different schools focused on international relations. Approximately 4,500 students make up the the university's student body and over 700,000 Russian and foreign-language books - of which 20,000 are considered rare - can be found the library the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. [9] Some Moscow institutions have divisions in other regions and countries, including, for example such as Mongolia.
Although Moscow has a number of famous Soviet-era higher educational institutions, most of which are more oriented towards engineering or the fundamental science, in recent years Moscow has seen a significant growth in the number of commercial and private institutions that offer classes in business and management. Many state institutions have expanded their education spectrum and increased their student enrollments. Institutions in Moscow, as well as the rest of post-Soviet Russia, have begun to offer new international certificates and postgraduate degrees, including the Master of Business Administration. Student exchange programs with different (especially, European) countries also have become widespread in Moscow's universities, while many schools within the Russian capital will also offer seminars, lectures, and courses for corporate employees and businessmen.
There are five airports serving Moscow: Sheremetyevo International Airport, Domodedovo International Airport, Bykovo Airport, Ostafievo International Airport and Vnukovo International Airport. Sheremetyevo International Airport is the most common entry point for foreign passengers (as it handles sixty percent of all international flights) although other airports also serve the city of Moscow, particularly with flights within Russia and to and from states from the former Soviet Union. Domodedovo International Airport is the leading airport in Russia in terms of passengers. Moscow's airports are at different distances from the city center; Bykovo Airport is the farthest of the five, located 35 kilometers (21 miles) from downtown Moscow.[10]
Likewise, Moscow employs several train stations to serve the city. All of Moscow's nine rail terminals (or vokzals) - Belorussky vokzal, Kazansky vokzal, Kievsky vokzal, Kursky vokzal, Leningradskiy vokzal, Paveletskiy vokzal, Rizhsky vokzal, Savyolovsky vokzal, and Yaroslavlsky vokzal - are located close to the city center, but they each handle trains from different parts of Europe and Asia. There are also many smaller railway stations in Moscow. As trains are relatively cheap, they are the mode of preference for travelling Russians, especially when departing to Saint Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city.
Moscow also has two passenger riverports (Yuzhniy port and Severniy port or Rechnoy vokzal) and regular motorship routes and cruises along Moskva and Volga rivers used mostly for entertainment. Besides this Moscow has a bus terminal for long-range and intercity passenger buses (Moscow Avtovokzal) with daily overturn of about 25 thousand passengers serving about 40% of long-range bus routes in Moscow [1].
Local transport includes the Moscow Metro, a metro system famous for its art, murals, mosaics, and ornate chandeliers. When it first opened in 1935, the system had just one line. But today, the Moscow Metro contains twelve subterranian lines and a monorail line with a total of 171 stations. The Moscow Metro is one of world's busiest metro system, serving seven million passengers daily.
As Metro stations outside the city centre are far apart in comparison to other cities, up to four km, an extensive bus network radiates from each station to the surrounding residential zones. Suburbs and satellite cities also connected by commuter electric rail network. The buses are very frequent, often more than one a minute. Every large street in the city is served by at least one bus route. There are also tram and trolleybus networks as well as monorail system.
There are over 2.6 million cars in the city on a daily basis.[11] Recent years have seen explosive growth in the number of cars, which have caused traffic jams and the lack of parking space to become major problems.
The MKAD, along with Third Transport Ring and future Fourth Transport Ring, is one of only three freeways that run within Moscow city limits. However, as one can easily observe from a map of metropolitan Moscow, there are several other freeway systems that form concentric circles around the city.
Although the population of the Russian Federation has been declining by about 700,000 (143.8 million * 0.5% decline) persons a year due to low birth rates, Moscow appears to be immune to these problems in recent years. Moscow has a very high population growth rate, largely due to migration (despite an internal passport system that makes it illegal for non-city residents to stay in the capital for more than 90 days without registration). These new Muscovites are attracted by the local economic growth rate of up to 20%, versus stagnation or even decline in most of Russia, the result of sharp polarization of the country in recent years. The city is home to small numbers of people of every racial and cultural group, from African students to Irish business people (there is an annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on the Noviy Arbat avenue).
Ethnical Demographics in Moscow (1994) Russians-90.5% Ukrainians-2.4% Tatars-1.9% Jewish-1.5% Belarusians-0.7% Armenians-0.7% Polish-0.1% Others-2.2%
Moscow has always been a popular destination for more adventurous tourists. The better known attractions include the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Kremlin, Red Square and the Church of the Ascension at Kolomenskoye, all dating from between the 14th and 17th centuries. Other popular attractions include the Zoo, expanded in the 1990s. Moscow is also the western end of the 9 300 km Trans-Siberian railway to Vladivostok.Russians like to have fun as much as anyone else, and the very short summers mean that one can find people involved in social events, or roving about, or drinking outside at very late hours. The abundant greenery of Moscow gives the city a semi-tropical feel that pleasantly surprises the visitor accustomed to stereotypes about the Russian cold. The long days will also afford one more time to cover the immense wealth of historical, cultural or simply popular sites in Moscow. Scenic vantage points include the Sparrow Hills, on the Moscow river to the south-west of the city.
Moscow presents many obstacles to the independent foreign tourist without local contacts. While it is not hard to get a visa and enter the country, it is quite common to resort to somewhat expensive, semi-legal procedures to 'register' oneself. The registration process is deliberately bureaucratic, complicated and immensely time-consuming, if one is not staying at a hotel. New medical and work permit requirements have also been introduced by the government, which increases the stress and expenses involved for long-term visitors, who are already required to leave the country every six months and re-register upon entry. While excellent hotels are found all over Moscow, they are usually not for the budget traveller, and not for long-term visitors.
Everyone is also required to carry their passport for identification and so that the registration can be checked by local militia, who also pose a problem. They are found all over the city but especially in and around Metro stations. Being underpaid, they frequently attempt to supplement their income by stopping people arbitrarily, checking their passports, and demanding bribes to prevent arrest over trivial reasons. Also, with the recent terrorist actions being associated with the darker-skinned Caucasian population, official police racism against all dark-skinned people is rife and the latter are likely to be stopped much more often, sometimes as much as thrice a week. Violent crime, especially but not only directed against foreigners, is also a frequent occurrence in Moscow.
However, the average tourist making a brief visit on a package tour is not likely to encounter any of these problems. The educated section of the populace are open-minded and can be very helpful; and expatriates who like making Russian friends find their curiosity and enthusiasm reciprocated and usually have fond memories of their stay, once they understand the system. While customer service is still something new to many Russian vendors, burgeoning Westernization means that high-profile and tourist stores all over Moscow may give you special attention if you are a foreigner.
See: List of Moscow tourist attractions
Moscow is home to more Olympic champions than any other city in the world. Unsurprisingly, it was the host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics, although the yachting events were held at Tallinn. Huge new stadium and other athletic facilities were built especially for the occasion. The main international airport, Sheremetyevo Terminal 2, was also built at this time. Moscow has also made a bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, when final voting commenced on July 6, 2005, Moscow was the first city to be eliminated from further rounds. The Games were finally awarded to London.
Football (soccer) is probably the most popular spectator sport among the young, followed by ice hockey. Clubs such as Dynamo, CSKA, Lokomotiv and Spartak are prominent on the European stage. Supporter violence has become a serious problem when international teams play in Moscow. In 2002, a dozen Irish fans in Moscow for a Russia-Ireland game were attacked by neo-Nazi groups. One later died of his injuries. That same year, when a Russia-Japan World Cup match, played in Japan but broadcast live to the crowds in Pushkin Square, went badly for the Russians, the crowd turned violent and wrought havoc in the centre of the city, breaking windows, smashing and burning cars and looting several shops. A Chinese restaurant was incidentally attacked and five Japanese tourists were beaten. One teenager was killed and about one hundred people were injured.
Winter sports have a large following. Most Russians own cross-country skis and ice skates and there are many large parks with marked trails for skiers and frozen ponds and canals for skaters. Often parks will have small local businesses offering ski and skate rental. Prices range from $1 to $5 an hour for rental.
In 2006, Mercer Management Consulting named Moscow the world's most expensive city, ahead of perennial winner Tokyo, due to the stable Russian ruble as well as increasing housing prices within the city.[12] Some prices are considerably higher for the foreign visitor than for locals. For locals, small apartments bought or given by the state in the Soviet era, coupled with extremely low utility costs and easily avoidable income tax[13] serve to lower the cost of living greatly. A look at transport prices offers a good illustration. A taxi from Sheremetyevo International Airport will cost the non-Russian speaking traveller upwards of $150; the Russian speaking foreigner will be charged US$30-US$40. The native Moscow dweller will negotiate the price to $15-20 or will avoid the taxi rank altogether and take a marshrutka (shuttle, shared taxi) to the nearest metro station for about a dollar.[citation needed]
A significant portion of Russia's profits and development is concentrated in Moscow as many multi-national corporations have branches and offices in the city. The plush offices and the lifestyles of the typical corporate employee in Moscow are often indistinguishable from any other Western European city, although the average salary for the Muscovite is lower.[14] After the financial crisis in the late 1990s, various business sectors in Moscow have shown exponential rates of growth. Many new business centers and office buildings were built recent years, but Moscow still experiences shortages in office space. As a result, many former industrial and research facilities are being reconstructed to become suitable for office use.
However, while the overall stability has improved in the recent years, crime and corruption continue to remain a problem hindering business development. A recent study showed that far from decreasing, corruption in the Putin era has been on the rise, and large businesses can expect to pay an average of over a hundred thousand dollars a year in bribes to officials. The Mafia also runs extortion rackets in most parts of the city, though there are no reliable data to understand how large their influence is.
The Cherkizovskiy marketplace, controlled by the Azeri diaspora is the largest marketplace in Europe with daily overturn of about 30 million dollars and about 10 thousand sellers[15] from different countries (including China, Turkey, Azerbaijan and India). It is administratively devided into 12 parts and covers a wide sector of the city.
Moscow is one of the top cities in the world for billionaires; in 2006, Forbes ranked Moscow second in highest number of billionaires, surpassed only by New York City.[16] In 2004, it was estimated that twenty-five precent of Russia's wealth was concentrated in the hands of just 100 people. The nouveau-riche, also called the "New Russians", often pejoratively, have a reputation for flaunting their wealth; the avenues for doing so, and subtly, have also increased in recent times - a sense of fashion and self-consciousness has instilled itself through the many haute couture and haute-cuisine spots in Moscow.
Moscow is a home for various industries including chemical, metallurgy, food, textile, furniture and machinery. Among others notable automobile plants ZiL and AZLK, Voitovich Moscow rail vehicles plant, Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Poljot Moscow watch factory as well as famous vodka plant Cristall. One of several Moscow vine plants Moscow Interrepublican vinery [17] produces wide range of wines. The Moscow Jewelry factory[18] is one of biggest producers of jewelry in Russia. The Jewellerprom [19] atelier used to produce the famous Order of Victory.
There are also many microelectronic industries located in Zelenograd. Many other industries located in the Moscow area around the city.
Several foreign companies, such as OTIS and British American Tobacco have their production plants in Moscow.
Many industries have been experiencing various crises in recent years. Some of them has been sold to foreign investors, other were closed and their buildings were reconstructed to become business centers. Some industry is now being transferred out of the city to improve the ecological state of Moscow, according to city government's program. Nevertheless, Moscow remains one of major industrial centers in Russia.
During the Soviet times apartments were lend to people by the government according to the square meters-per-person norm (bureaucracy and priviliged intelligentsia had bonuses according to their status). Private ownership of apartments was not allowed until 1990, when people were permited to secure property rights to the places they inhabited. Since Soviet times the service charge is a fixed amount based on persons per living area. If a person from a family/group dies or move, the service costs increases for extra meters.
With the current economic situation the prices per square meter keep rising. Today it is around $3000 per square meter. An average apartment is about 30m²-45m²-70m² (1-2-3 rooms accordingly). Many people cannot move out of their apartments, especially if a family has a 2 room apartment given to them from Soviet times.
Some people have an apartment and a dacha (country house). They could give out their apartment for rent. Since the prices are increasing, so are the rent costs. Renting is very common. Many students rent apartments while they are studying if they prefer it over a dormitory.
Although less than a quarter of Russians live in the countryside, many Muscovites, like other urban dwellers, are still attached to the country. Many live in country homes (called dachas) over the weekend and over holidays, and retire to the country when they are old. Moscow contains many parks and gardens; see Sport. Huge shopping malls, both urban and suburban, with their multiplex theatres, department stores, grocery chains, food courts, and other common features are now very common in Moscow and they are very popular with the city's adolescents most of whom, like their Western counterparts, like to project themselves as trendy.
According to the latest world-wide quality of life survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Moscow's ranking slipped down to 170th position among 215 world cities. This globally recognized analysis was based on an evaluation of 39 quality of life criteria and helps governments and major companies to place employees on international assignments. Moscow scored very low because of safety issues and poor waste removal and sewage systems.
Moscow has a large and growing selection of restaurants with a wide range of prices. In a middle-to-high class restaurant one can expect to spend $70 to $400 per person, including a notable premium on vintage wines.
Traditionally, Muscovites do not eat in cheaper restaurants very often. Lately, however, many new middle-class restaurants have opened which target families for weekend dining. Middle-class restaurants, often franchises, offer meals from $20-$40. Foreign cuisines, notably the Asian ones, are growing in popularity. Examples of these restaurants include Moo-Moo (Russian), Korchma (Ukrainian), Il Patio (Italian), East Buffet (Chinese, Japanese and Thai), Sushi Planet (Japanese) and T.G.I. Fridays (American). Most of these chain restaurants offer menus in English.
Fast food like McDonald's and Sbarro is also available for quick and inexpensive dining, with meals which cost $5-7.
Street food is in a dining category all to itself. Omnipresent dining carts include Rostiks, which specializes in chicken, Kroshka Kartoshka, serving traditional baked potato with numerous toppings, Stardogs with Danish-style hotdogs, and many others. Caucasus foods such as shawarma are popular and available from various street vendors. Usually these street food items cost 50 roubles each (about $1.70). There are also a large number of vendors selling pierogi and khachipuri.
Recently, a large number of coffee shops have sprouted up around the city with costs similar to Starbucks. Two of the best known ones are Coffee House and Coffee Mania, and are knockoffs of the Starbucks model.
Due to the city's high northern latitude, its daylight period varies drastically through the year. At its shortest, at the Winter Solstice, the day lasts less than seven hours[20], whereas at its longest, at the Summer solstice, Moscow's daylight period extends beyond eighteen hours.[21] As a result, Moscow is exposed to cold winters, warm and mild summers, and very brief spring and autumn seasons. Typical high temperatures in the warm months of July and August are around 20°C (~ 70°F); in the winter, temperatures normally drop to approximately -12°C (10°F) in January and February.[22] Monthly rainfall totals vary minimally throughout the year, although the precipitation levels tend to be higher during summer than during winter. Due to the significant variation in temperature between the winter and summer months as well as the limited fluctuation in precipitation levels during the summer, Moscow is considered to be within the continental climate zone.
Moscow's road system is centered roughly around seat of the Russian government, the Moscow Kremlin. From there, the roads in general radiate out to intersect with a sequence of circular roads or "rings" focused at the Kremlin.
The first and innermost major ring, Bulvarnoye Koltso (Boulevard Ring), was built at the former location of the sixteenth century city wall around what used to be called Bely Gorod (White Town). The Bulvarnoye Koltso is technically not a ring; it does not form a complete circle, but instead a horseshoe-like arc that goes from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to the Yauza River. In addition, the Boulevard Ring changes street names numerous times throughout its journey across the city.
The second primary ring, located outside the Boulevard Ring is the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring). Like the Boulevard Ring, it follows the path of another sixthteenth century wall - the Earth Wall - the used to encompass the Earth Town. After Napolean's invasion of the Russian Empire during the Patriotic War of 1812, the Earth Wall was demolished and replaced by streets and gardens. During city reconstruction efforts during the 1930s, the Garden Ring took on its current form as the streets were widened and the gardens removed. The third ring, the Third Transport Ring, was completed in 2003 as a high-speed freeway. Like the Boulevard Ring, however, the Third Transport Ring does not actually form one complete circle but is instead split into two sections - one fifty-seven kilometers long and the other twenty kilometers long. The Fourth Transport Ring, another freeway, is currently under construction to further reduce traffic congestion. The outermost ring within Moscow is the Moscow Automobile Ring Road (often called the MKAD from the Russian Московская Кольцевая Автомобильная Дорога). The MKAD is significant is it forms the approximate boundary of the city.
Moscow has a very high air pollution level. One obvious source of this pollution is heavy traffic with virtually no automobile emissions control. Although most areas are quite heavily polluted, areas where there is most pollution include South-Eastern Moscow, Eastern Moscow and Central Moscow. Areas with the least pollution include Western Moscow, South-Western Moscow and Zelenograd.
| City
of Moscow Crime rates (2005) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime type | Rate (per 100,000 people)[23] | ||||
| Murder and murder attempt | 9.8 | ||||
| Grave crime | 13.85 | ||||
| Robbery | 178.9 | ||||
| Armed robbery | 42.3 | ||||
| Burglary and larceny-theft | 671.7 | ||||
| Motor vehicle theft | 104.3 | ||||
As with many cities in the world, international terrorism is a threat in
Moscow. On February
6, 2004 a bomb
explosion in a subway car near the Avtozavodskaya
metro
station killed at least 40 and injured many. Other prominent acts of terror
include the destruction of two apartment buildings in September 1999
(see Russian
Apartment Bombings), an explosion in the pedestrian subway under the
Pushkinskaya square in August 2000,
and the capture
of the theatre at Dubrovka in October 2002.
Moscow is the headquarters of many Russian television networks, radio stations, newspapers and magazines.
English-language media include The Moscow Times and The Moscow News which are, respectively, the largest[24] and oldest English-language weekly newspapers in all of Russia. The eXile is another popular newspaper in Moscow, known for its satirical nature and pranks on Russian politicians.[25] Expert, Kommersant, and Gazeta are two popular Russian-language media whose headquarters are in Moscow. Expert and Kommersant are, respectively, some of the country's leading and oldest Russian-language business newspapers while Gazeta is a popular web magazine.
Other notable media within the City of Moscow include the "Echo of Moscow", the first Soviet and Russian private news radio and information agency, and NTV, one of the first privately-owned Russian television stations.
A gallery of pictures of Moscow is available at Wikipedia Commons.
