History And Geography

History

According to archeological findings, the first tribes arrived in the region in the Neolithic epoch and the oldest settlements can be dated back to three thousand years. In the second half of the first millennia, the Slavic tribes occupied areas near the current city and are regarded as the main ancestors of the present indigenous population of Moscow.

The fact that Moscow was a bustling town since the start of the second millennia can be proved based on the old manuscript of 1147, which has references about the region's culture and lifestyle that existed at that time. According to other references given in the manuscript, prince Yury Dolgoruky built timber walls around Moscow with a moat in 1156. The prince is regarded as the key founder of Moscow and his monument is amongst the most honored in the city.

During the 1237 invasion of the Tatar-Mongolian tribes, most parts of the city were destroyed. However, the city recovered quickly and in the second half of the thirteenth century, became the capital of the independent Moscow principality. In the next one and a half centuries, the city progressed even more rapidly and became a large city with a big industrial/trade population. In the end of the 15th century, Ivan III was crowned as the prince and Moscow was officially declared as the capital of Russia. The famous building of Kremlin was built during this period, which is considered as an architectural benchmark of that era. A number of cloisters were also built during this period including the Novodevichy in southwest, Donskoy and Danilovsky in south, Simonov and Novospassky in southeast and Andronnikov in the east.

Apart from commercial progress, the city also made rapid advances in science, art, and literature. In between, the city was conquered by the Polish-Lithuanian army in the 17th century but was recaptured by the private army of prince Pozharsky in 1612. In 1703, the first newspaper, ‘Vedomosti' was printed during the reign of Peter the First, and in 1755, Moscow University was opened. The second half of the eighteenth century was witness to advancements in the field of architecture, which is reflected in building constructed during that time including Pashkov's house designed by V.I. Bazhenov and the Senate building designed by M.F. Kazakov.

In 1812, the French invaded the city but were forced to withdraw as the Muscovites had burned most the city's infrastructure before the arrival of French troops. After officially recognizing the city's liberation, a commission was set up for the reconstruction of the city, which included some talented architects as its members such as Beauve and Grigoriev. The current appearance of the city was designed during this time with the construction of Theatre Square, Bolshoi, and Maly theaters as well as other buildings such as the Manezh and the First Gradskaya Hospital. The constructions changed the outlook of the city and made it more bourgeois, replacing the old feudal town system. At the end of the 19th century, it became the second most industrialized city, mainly due to the growth of railways and communication system. It was during this period that the first telegraph line was laid between two Russian capitals.

The 19th century is known as the ‘golden age' for arts and science as many famous artists, writers, scientists and painters were born in the city during this period. Some of the well-known names include Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Checkov, Herzen Pirogov, Sklifosofsky, Vasnetsov, Serov and Levitan.

In the early 20th century, the communistic ideas of Karl Marx became popular in Moscow. His ideas were studied by revolutionary groups in secret meetings, which lead to many rebellions of which the most successful was the Krasnaya Presnya rebellion of 1905. The rebellion in July 1914 proved to be the turning point of the revolutionary process. A new government, headed by V.Lenin was formed in 1917 after the success of the ‘Great October' revolution. The All-Russia Communist Party of Bolsheviks (VKPB) announced the formation of the Soviet Union in December 30, 1922 and Moscow was declared as the official capital of the union.

Geography

Moscow is located 55o 45' N and 37o 37' E due east of Copenhagen and Glasgow, Scotland. It is located on the foothills of surrounding mountains such as the Kremlevskiy, Tverskoy, Taganskiy, Lefortovskiy and Vorobevy near the confluence of the Moskva and the Yauza Rivers. These hills are covered with coniferous and deciduous forests and agricultural farmlands.

The city of Moscow has an area of 994 sq.km, which does not include Zelenograd and other towns under the administrative jurisdiction of the Mayor of Moscow. The longest day in Moscow falls on June 21 when the sun rises at 4:43 AM and sets at 10:20 PM whereas the shortest day is 22nd December when the sunrises at 9 AM and sets at 3:57 PM. The land height in Moscow ranges between 135 to 160 meters above sea level and the highest point is 254 meters above sea level located in the southwest at Teplyy Stan.

The Moskva River that flows through Moscow has many tributaries such as the Skhodnya and the Yauza in the north and Setun in the southwest. The river is 473 km long and ends at Nizhny Novgorod after joining the Oka River, which in turn flows into Volga and then on to the Caspian Sea. The north side of Moscow has many large reservoirs such as the Uchinskoe, Khimkinskoe, Pestovskoe, Klyazminskoe and Paylovskoe, which are very popular tourist destinations.