Moscow is situated in western Russia,
close to the country’s border with the Ukraine,
Belarus and Estonia.
Lying on the Moskva River, it is the country’s capital and its largest and richest city.
Moscow holds a special place in the world’s imagination.
Opulent, spectacular and grandiose,
Moscow has been at the epicentre of some of history’s most pivotal moments.
It echoes with stories of triumph, tragedy and innovation.
Stories of legendary tsars and literary greats…..
political revolutions and the international space race
that changed the world forever.
Today Moscow continues to fascinate.
Thoroughly modern and with a European air,
it has a population of more than 11 million people,
the world’s highest concentration of billionaires
and an attitude befitting one of the world’s great cities.
There is no better place to hear the whispered tales of Moscow’s past,
than in Red Square - Moscow’s very heart.
Admire St Basil’s Cathedral, a building so magnificent,
that according to legend,
Ivan the Terrible had the architect’s eyes removed
so he could never again build anything so beautiful.
The Kremlin is another Moscow icon.
and has been home to the city’s ruling elite for a thousand years.
Visit the Cathedral of the Archangel,
the Cathedral of the Annunciation and Ivan the Great’s Bell Tower,
all within these red walls.
Many of Moscow’s most famous stories have been forged in the fires of war.
Pass through gates into Alexander Garden.
The park pays tribute to Moscow’s unbreakable spirit
and is home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Nearby Victory Park is another powerful tribute to those who fell defending the city,
including the millions of soviet soldiers who died in the second world war.
As the cold war between the US and Russia intensified
a different battle began
the race for supremacy of the heavens.
Again, Moscow was right at the epicentre.
Visit the Monument to the Conquerors of space,
a towering memorial that celebrates the aerospace triumphs of the soviet people.
Learn more about the space race and the epic contest between the world’s super powers
at the Memorial Museum of Cosmonauts.
Immerse yourself in one of Moscow’s proudest stories
that of Yuri Gagarin, who shocked the rest of the world and became a national hero
when he became the first ever man in space.
In Moscow, artists and literary greats are honoured as heroes just as much as adventurers.
Visit the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
to see to some classic works by Russian and European masters.
Watch a performance at the Bolshoi,
one of the oldest and most renowned theatres in the world.
Walk the same streets as some of the world’s greatest writers including Tolstoy,
Dostoevsky and Chekhov.
There is such a proud literary tradition in this city
that many of its beautiful parks are named after influential poets and authors.
Relax beside the fountain in Pushkin square
or stroll along the boulevards in Gorky Park, Moscow’s famous central park.
Take a haunting tour through the Fallen Monument Park.
When the Soviet Union collapsed,
many of the city’s most evocative monuments were pulled from their pedestals
and dumped in this statue graveyard.
More recently, modern sculptures and public artworks have been added,
making it a fascinating place to explore.
But perhaps the best way to understand
how the old and new coexist in Moscow is with a trip underground.
Take a ride on the Moscow Metro
more like an art and history museum than one of the most
efficient public transport systems in Europe.
With opulent marble walls,
grandiose chandeliers and heroic artworks
each of the early stations has its own story to tell of Russia’s culture,
heroism and technology.
Moscow has long had a proud cafe culture
and the city’s coffee houses and restaurants remain a place where Muscovites
come together to share their own stories over rich traditional foods.
As your time in this city draws to a close you’ll come to realise
Moscow is one of the worlds great stories. From epic,
sweeping sagas that changed the world to smaller tales of loss,
luck and happiness.
But there is always room for more.
So come, and create your own Moscow story.