Moscow's
Red Square  |
Exploring Moscow |
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Moscow's Kremlin |
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Moscow's Red Square |
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Fine Arts & Museums |
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Theatres of Moscow |
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Old Moscow |
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Mementos of the Soviet |
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Moscow Accommodations |
Original Official Site of the Russian National Tourist Office
For most visitors, Red Square
is indelibly associated with images of stonefaced Soviet leaders
standing in the bitter cold as a panoply of military might rumbles
past their review stand atop Lenin's Mausoleum. Although the Square
is no longer witness to the imposing parades of May Day, it remains
a profoundly impressive space. Delimited by the stark severity of
the mausoleum, the expansive facade of the world-famous GUM department
store, and the exuberant colors of St. Basil's Cathedral, Red Square
is, and deserves to be, the requisite first stop for any visitor
to Moscow.
Lenin's Mausoleum
Lenin's
mausoleum was designed by Alexei Shchusev in 1924, during a period
in which the strength of the Russian Avant-Garde had not yet been
decimated by Stalin's enforced return to heroic realism and conservative
classicism. As a result, the founder of the Soviet state is blessed
with a resting place that is a rare masterpiece of modern architectural
simplicity. Faced with red granite (for Communism) and black labradorite
(for mourning), the mausoleum is essentially a pyramid composed
of cubes. Although the mausoleum has been stripped of the honor
guard that once flanked its entrance, announced plans to remove
Lenin's body seem to have lost their impetus in the last couple
of years. The once lengthy line for admission has dropped off considerably,
and a visit today is accompanied by a rather bizarre sense of having
entered a place that has been forgotten by time. Lenin (or at the
least the alleged wax copy of his body) lies still in his crystal
casket, seemingly unaffected by the vast changes that have swept
over Russia.
St. Basil's Cathedral
St. Basil's rises from Red Square in an irresistible profusion of colors and
shapes. Its montage of domes, cupolas, arches, towers, and spires, each bearing
a distinctive pattern and hue, have fascinated the eyes of visitors since
its construction in the 1550s. Although St. Basil's was built to commemorate
Ivan the Terrible's capture of the Mongol stronghold of Kazan and is properly
named Cathedral of the Intercession, its popular name has long associated
it with a ragged prophet who foretold the Mscow fire of 1547. The appeal
of St. Basil's is best appreciated by a leisurely stroll around its perimeter,
as its wondrous exterior decoration belies a remarkably plain and cramped
interior. .
