A night walk to the center of Moscow
Moscow by Night is full of magic. It is fascinating and enigmatic. Walking through Moscow's streets at night you would never believe that just a few hours before you wandered through the same ones, only in the light of day. It is amazing how the city can change in the glow of night illumination. The incredible beauty of the city at night never fails to fascinate.
Our starting point for this walk will be Vystavochnaya Metro Station (Filyovskaya Line, Light Blue Line-4).
As we exit the metro station, our attention will be captured by Moscow International Business Center. This district is also called Moscow City that everyone knows for its tall buildings. The idea behind this major project was to build the symbol of new Russia. The state government wanted to establish Moscow as one of the global financial centers and demonstrate it to the world. They planned to complete the construction in 2007, but the timeline shifted to 2018.
Having admired the skyscrapers of Moscow City, we start to walk along along Kutuzovsky Avenue, Kutuzovsky Prospekt (Russian: Кутузовский проспект). It is a major radial avenue in Moscow, named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, leader of Russian field army during the French invasion of Russia.
Soon, on our left, we will come close to Radisson Royal Hotel. It still maintains its historic name of Hotel Ukraina. Hotel Ukraina was commissioned by Joseph Stalin. It is the second tallest of the neoclassical Stalin-era "seven sisters".
On the other side of the river, we see The House of the Government of the Russian Federation. The building serves as the primary office of the government of Russia. It is the official workplace of the Russian Prime Minister. Originally, it was called The House of Soviets. The construction started in 1965 and ended in 1981. After the end of the Soviet Union, the White House continued to serve as the seat of the Russian Parliament.
Let’s walk along the bridge and go past The White House into New Arbat Avenue. The tall book-shaped building, greeting us first, is a former building for The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. It was built in в 1963 — 1970s. In the construction of the complex, along with the Soviet Union, was attended by the CMEA member countries: Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia.
We are entering New Arbat Avenue now. The modern six-lane avenue, along with two rows of high-rise buildings, was constructed between 1962 and 1968, and was literally cut through the old, narrow streets of the Arbat District.
Among modern book-alike buildings we can clearly distinguish a small old church. Having miraculously avoided being destroyed, this church was built in 1676—1679s.
In the end of New Arbat Avenue stands Russian State Library. It is the largest library in Russia, the second largest library in the world. It was founded in 1862.
Soon, the walls and towers of the Kremlin catch our eyes and we slowly head for The Moscow Kremlin and Red Square to enjoy it at night.
- A walk in the center of Moscow
