 | At the very centre of Moscow, beneath the walls of the Kremlin, lies Red Square. Its history dates back to the distant past. Over the centuries, the square has changed its name many times. It was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1434 as the Trade Square, then, after the devastating fire of 1493, it was renamed Fire. In the 16th century they called it Trinity (after the church which formerly stood on the site of St Basil’s Cathedral) and in the 1660s it was given the name “Krasnaya”, which at the time meant “beautiful”, “best” or “main”.
Among the sights visitors will see are the statue of Minin and Pozharsky (the leaders of the People’s Volunteer Corps in 1612), the Mausoleum of Lenin, the Upper Trading Rows (including the State Department Store (GUM)), the clock at the Savior (Spasskaya) Tower – showing the most correct Moscow time, the History Museum, the beautiful Cathedral of the Intercession (the Church of St Basil the Blessed), Kazansky Cathedral and many other outstanding pieces of Russian architecture. |