Moscow

Moscow (in Russian, Mосква., AFI:[m]хskva]( listen), transliterated as Moskvá) is the capital and the most populous federal entity in Russia. The city is an important political, economic, cultural and scientific centre in Russia and the continent. Moscow is the northernmost megacity of the Earth and the most populous city in Europe. Its population is 12 108,257. By virtue of its territorial expansion to the southwest of the Moscow Oblate, on 1 July 2012, the capital increased its area by 2.5 times, from about 1000 km2 to 2500 km2, and won an additional population of 230,000.

Moscow is located on the banks of the Moskva River, in the Central Federal District of European Russia. In the course of its history, the city has been the capital of a succession of states, from the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the Middle Ages, the Russian Tsarate, and the Soviet Union, excluding the period of the Russian Empire. In Moscow is the Moscow Kremlin, an old fortress where the workplace of the President of Russia is today. The Kremlin is also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city. Both houses of the Russian Parliament (the State Duma and the Federation Council) are also based in Moscow.

The city has an extensive transportation network that includes three international airports, nine railway stations, and one of the deepest metro systems in the world, the Moscow metro, second only to Tokyo in number of passengers. Its suburban is recognized as one of the richest and most architecturally varied in its 215 stations, spread throughout the city. According to the Forbes 2017 publication, Moscow is the fourth city in the world in number of billionaires, and the first in Europe.

Toponymy

The name of the city comes from the river that runs through it, called Moskva (Moskvá; Old Russian: град Москов [Grad Moskov], literally the city on the Moskva River).

The origin of the name is unknown, although there are several theories. One theory suggests that the origin of the name comes from an ancient Finnish language, in which it means "dark" and "murky". The first Russian reference to Moscow dates from 1147, when Yuri Dolgoruky exhorted the prince of the Novgorod Republic: "Come to me, brother, to Moscow" (Приди ко мне, брате, в Москов) [Pridi ko mne, brate, v Moskov].

History

Middle Ages

The first Russian reference to Moscow dates from 1147 with Yuri Dolgoruky (Юрий Долгорукий). Nine years later, in 1156, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky of Rostov ordered the construction of a palisade surrounding the citadel, which had to be rebuilt several times. After the sack of 1237-1238, when the Mongols burned the city and its inhabitants were killed, Moscow recovered and became the capital of an independent principality, the Principality of Moscow, in 1327. Its favorable position at the headwaters of the Volga River contributed to its continued expansion. Muscovy was a stable country and a prosperous principality for many years, attracting large numbers of refugees from several surrounding principalities.

Ivan I replaced the city of Tver as the political center of the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal and became the sole tax collector for the Tatar-Mongol rulers after the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus. Ivan won an important concession from the khan by paying large tributes. Unlike other principalities, Moscow was not divided among his sons, which kept it intact. However, Moscow's opposition to foreign domination grew. In 1380, the Moscow prince Dmitri Donskoi led the Russian army in a major victory over the Tatars at the Battle of Kulikovo, which was not decisive, however. Only two years later, Moscow was sacked by the Toqtamish khan. In 1480, Ivan III finally ended Tatar rule, allowing Moscow to become the center of power in Russia. Following Ivan III's reign, the city became the capital of the Russian Tsarate that would eventually encompass all of present-day Russia and other lands.

Modern Age

In 1571, the Crimean Tatars attacked and sacked Moscow, burning everything except the Kremlin.

In 1609, the Swedish army, led by Count Jacob de la Gardie and Evert Horn, began its march from Velikiy Novgorod to Moscow to assist Tsar Basil IV of Russia; they entered Moscow in 1610 and put down the rebellion against the tsar, but left the city in early 1611, after which it was invaded by the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The 17th century was rich in popular uprisings, such as the one that led to the liberation of Moscow from the Polish Commonwealth -Lithuanian (1612), the Salt Revolt (1648), the Copper Revolt (1662) or the Moscow Revolt in 1682. From 1654 to 1656 the plague killed half the population of Moscow. The city left from being the capital of Russia in 1712, after the founding of Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great on the Baltic Sea coast in 1703.

Contemporary Age

Napoleon in command of the Great Armée in the fire of Moscow of 1812. Adam Albrecht (1841).

On September 14, 1812, as Napoleon's invading forces approached Moscow, Muscovites burned down and evacuated the city. Plagued by hunger, cold, and poor supply lines, Napoleon's army was forced to retreat and was almost completely wiped out by the devastating Russian winter and sporadic attacks by Russian military forces.

In January 1905, the institution of city governor, or mayor, was officially created in Moscow; the first mayor of Moscow was Aleksandr Adrianov. On March 12, 1918, after the Russian Revolution of 1917, Moscow became the capital of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and five years later, of the Soviet Union.

During the Great Patriotic War (the name given in Russia to combat on the Eastern Front of World War II, after the German invasion of the USSR), the Soviet State Defense Committee and the Red Army General Staff They were based in Moscow.

In 1941, sixteen of the national volunteer divisions (more than 160,000 people), twenty-five battalions (18,500 people) and four engineering regiments were formed among Muscovites. In November, the German Army Group Center was stopped on the outskirts of the city and then driven out during the Battle of Moscow. Many factories were evacuated, along with much of the government, and as of October 20, the city was declared under a state of siege. The rest of its inhabitants built anti-tank defenses, while the city was bombarded from the air. It is to be noted that Stalin refused to leave the city, which meant that the general staff and the Council of People's Commissars remained in the city. Despite the siege and shelling, construction of the Moscow metro continued throughout the war, and new metro lines were opened at the end of the war.

On May 1, 1944, the Medal for the Defense of Moscow was instituted and in 1947 another medal In memory of the 800th anniversary of the founding of Moscow. On May 8, 1965, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the victory in World War II, Moscow was one of twelve Soviet cities awarded the title of Hero City. In 1980, it hosted the Summer Olympics, which were boycotted by the United States and other Western countries due to the War in Afghanistan.

In 1991, Moscow was the scene of an attempted coup by members of the government and the KGB opposed to Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms. After the dissolution of the USSR that same year, Moscow continued to be the capital of the Russian Federation.

Since then, the rise of a market economy in the country has produced an explosion of Western lifestyle, retail and services. In 1998, the first World Youth Games were organized.

News

In 2018 Moscow and 10 other Russian cities hosted the Soccer World Cup. Important sports and infrastructure facilities were built for this event in the city.

Political-administrative division

Moscow administrative districts.

The city of Moscow is governed by a mayor. The current mayor is Sergei Sobyanin (elected in 2013). Moscow is divided into 12 administrative districts (ókrugs, it is an organization very similar to that of Vienna), 125 districts and 21 settlements. All ókrugs have their coat of arms and flag. Almost all of them have their own television station.

Moscow is the center of Russian political power. The Kremlin is located in the heart of the city, in the central okrug. There is the official residence of the president of Russia and numerous military barracks. In Moscow there are embassies of foreign countries.

Geography

Aerial view of Moscow and the Kremlin.

Moscow lies on the banks of the Moskva River, which flows for just over 500 kilometers through the Eastern European Plain into central Russia. Forty-nine bridges span the river and its canals within the city limits. The altitude of Moscow, at the Russian Exhibition Center (VDNJ), where the city's main weather station is located, is 156 meters. The Tioply Stan highlands are the highest point in the city, at 255 metres. Moscow City (not including the MKAD ring road) measures 39.7 km from east to west and 51.8 km from north to south.

Time zone

Moscow is the reference point for the time zone used in most of central Russia, including Saint Petersburg. Moscow standard time (MSK, мск), is UTC + 3 or GMT + 3. Daylight saving time is no longer used.

Climate

Moscow has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with harsh, long winters and mild, short summers. Cloudy and overcast days are frequent throughout the year, so in winter the average hours of sunshine rarely exceed 15 minutes a day. Snow can stay on the streets of the city for half a year perfectly, from the end of October to the beginning of April. In winter the average is located at -12 °C, however, occasionally there are cold waves from the interior of Siberia that can drop the temperature to -40 °C, and even lower, recorded on several occasions to date. Spring is very cold during the first three weeks, but it tends to soften as the months of April-May progress, when rainy days begin to be frequent. In summer, temperatures rise in very isolated cases to 35 °C with strong heat waves generated in the interior of the continent, although they usually range between 10 °C and 30 °C. Storms are also common. The maximum rainfall occurs in this season, coinciding with the season of highest temperatures. During the autumn the season of transition from hot to cold returns, and snowfalls are normal again from the end of October.

Average climatic parameters of Moscow (1991-2020)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	8.6	8.3	19.7	28.9	33.2	34.8	38.2	37.3	32.3	24.0	16.2	9.6	38.2
Average temperature (°C)	-3.9	-3.0	3.0	11.7	19.0	22.4	24.7	22.7	16.4	8.9	1.6	-2.3	10.1
Average temperature (°C)	-6.2	-5.9	-0.7	6.9	13.6	17.3	19.7	17.6	11.9	5.8	-0.5	-4.4	6.3
Temp. medium (°C)	-8.7	-8.8	-4.2	2.3	8.1	12.2	14.8	13.0	8.0	3.0	-2.4	-6.5	2.6
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	-42.1	-38.2	-32.4	-21.0	-7.5	-2.3	1.3	-1.2	-8.5	-20.3	-32.8	-38.8	-42.1
Total precipitation (mm)	53	44	39	37	61	78	84	78	66	70	52	51	713
Nevadas (cm)	24	35	29	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	12	106
Days of rain (≥ 1 mm)	6	6	9	14	16	16	15	16	16	17	13	8	152
Days of snowfall (≥ 1 mm)	25	23	15	6	1	0	0	0	0.3	5	17	24	116.3
Hours of sun	33	72	128	170	265	279	271	238	147	78	32	18	1731
Relative humidity (%)	85	81	74	68	67	72	74	78	82	83	86	86	78
Source: Погода и климат

Demographics

The demonym of Moscow is Muscovite. The population of Moscow is a mixture of many nationalities. Russians are the largest ethnic group in Moscow by far. Other nationalities include Ukrainians, Tatars, Belarusians, and Armenians, although there are no separate ethnic quarters. The government has sought to limit the number of people living in the city.

Demographic evolution of Moscow between 1400 and 2002:

Religion

The Red Square, one of the most famous meeting points.

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour of Moscow, demolished in the Soviet era and rebuilt between 1990 and 2000.

Orthodox Christianity is the predominant denomination in the city, of which the Russian Orthodox Church is the most faithful. Moscow is the Russian capital of Orthodox Christianity. It has been the traditional religion of the country and is considered part of the "historical heritage" of Russia in a law passed in 1997. Other religions practiced in Moscow include Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Old Believers, Buddhism, and Judaism.

The Patriarch of Moscow is the head of the church and resides in the Danilov Monastery. Moscow was called the "city of 40 times 40 churches" ("город сорока сороков церквей", "Górod Soroká Sorokov Tserkvey") before 1917. In 1918, Russia became a secular state and religion lost its position in society. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union many of the churches destroyed before 1991 have been restored and traditional religions have once again gained popularity.

While the city's Muslim population is estimated at 1.2–1.5 million (out of a total population of 12 million), there were only four mosques in the city as of 2010. Despite the fact that an additional mosque in the southeast was approved, anti-mosque activists have blocked construction.

As of an official survey in 2012, 52.8% of the population of Moscow adhere to the Russian Orthodox Church, 3% declare to be a generic Christian (excluding Catholics and Protestants), 2% follow other Orthodox Churches, 1% are Slavists and another 1% Old Believers. Muslims make up 4% of the population. 5.2% follow other religions or do not give a response to the survey. In addition, 19% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious" and 12% being atheists.

Economy

Moscow International Business Centre

Tverskaya Street in the city center

Since the 1998 Russian financial crisis, several industries have experienced significant growth. Primary industries in Moscow include the chemical, metallurgy, food, textile, furniture, power generation, software development, and machinery industries. The industrial activity of the Russian capital is very important, proof of this is that it occupies one sixth of the total volume of industry in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

A recent study by Mercer Human Resources Consulting revealed that the city of Moscow is the most expensive in the world, surpassing Tokyo. For this study, the consultancy evaluated 144 cities around the world following criteria based on transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment costs. After Moscow, the most expensive cities are Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong and London.

An important piece of the Russian economy and its benefits is Moscow. Large multinational companies and branches of all kinds are concentrated in it. The luxurious offices and lifestyle of employees of Moscow companies make it indistinguishable from any city in Western Europe. The Russian capital holds another record from a study, this time from the prestigious Forbes magazine.. As indicated in this publication, Moscow is the city where more people with fortunes of more than 1 billion dollars reside. At the top of the list of "millionaires" With residence in Moscow is Román Abramovich, oil and aluminum magnate and owner of the Chelsea FC and CSKA Moscow soccer clubs, with 12 billion dollars. On this occasion, Moscow surpassed New York, which has 31 billionaires to the 33 of the Russian city.

The Mil Moscow Helicopter Factory is one of the leading producers, in Russia and in the world, of civil and military helicopters. The Khrúnichev plant produces aeronautical and space equipment for the MIR, Saliut and ISS stations, as well as Proton rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The ZIL, AZLK and Voitovich automobile plants are located in Moscow, while the Metrovagonmash metro car plant is located in the city limits.

The Kristall distillery is the oldest in Russia and produces several types of vodka, including "Stolichnaya". While a wide range of wines are produced at various Moscow plants, including the Moscow Interrepublican Winery. The Moscow Jewelry Factory and Jewelerprom are Russia's largest jewelry producers. Jewelerprom used to produce the Order of Victory, the highest military decoration awarded by the Soviet Union in World War II. The computer market has offices and branches in Moscow of various software companies, including Kaspersky, 1C Company, ABBYY, and the game developer Akella.

In 2018, 12 matches of the World Cup will be played in Moscow. Holding the tournament will be an additional stimulus for the development of the city's economy, sports and tourism infrastructure, as well as for the beautification of its territory.

Cost of Living

Shúkhov Tower, Moscow.

During Soviet times, apartments were lent by the government to people according to a rule of square meters per person (some groups, such as artists, heroes, outstanding scientists, had bonuses based on their track record). Private ownership of apartments was limited until the 1990s, when people were allowed secure property rights to the places they inhabit. Since Soviet times, owners had to pay the service charge for their residences, a fixed amount based on the number of people living in the area. Due to the current economic situation, the price of property and real estate in Moscow continues to rise. Today, one can pay US$4,000 on average per square meter on the outskirts of the city, and between US$6,000 and US$7,000 per square meter in a prestigious neighborhood. The price of an apartment can sometimes exceed US$40,000 per square meter. A typical one-bedroom apartment is about 35 square meters, a typical two-bedroom apartment is 45 square meters, and a typical three-bedroom apartment is seventy square meters. Some residents of the city have tried to meet the cost of living in their rented apartments and at the same time stay in their dachas (country houses) outside the city.

Between 2006 and 2008, Moscow was named the most expensive city in the world. However, in 2012, it ranked fourth in Russia.

In 2006, there were 8.47 million Muscovites of working age. 1.73 million are employed by the State, 4.42 million are employed by private companies, and 1.99 million are employed by small businesses. There are 74,400 officially registered unemployed of working age, of whom 34,400 are eligible for unemployment benefits.

Culture

Architecture

In Moscow, a multitude of architectural styles coexist, from Renaissance buildings to Baroque and modern architecture.

In the historic center of Moscow, pre-revolutionary buildings predominate, whose construction dates from the end of the XIX century and beginning of the XX century, before the October revolution of 1917. The buildings of the Stalinist period also stand out in the city, a style between the years 1930 and 1950. These buildings are usually located in the most important streets and avenues of the city, such as Tverskaya street, and Kutuzovsky, Leninsky and Leningradsky avenues.

The Seven Sisters are the seven skyscrapers that exist in Moscow, also called Stalinist skyscrapers. Three of them are intended for housing, but the other four include two hotels, the Moscow State University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Finally there is the post-Stalinian architecture, buildings smaller than those of the Stalinist period and built between 1960 and 1970.

Other types of more modern buildings are the ministerial buildings, which were built between the 1970s and 1980s, mainly for employees of Soviet ministries and high command of the communist party.

Lately, the buildings in Moscow try to adapt to modern times. Proof of this is the plan being carried out by the prestigious British architect Norman Foster to build an area dedicated to business known as Moscow City, on the banks of the Moskva River.

Monastery of the Trinity and San Sergio.

Featured Places

Among the most famous places in Moscow are the Kremlin, the fortress of the tsars, where there are several palaces such as the Grand Kremlin Palace or the Palace of Facets; in addition to several temples such as the Cathedral of the Dormition, the Cathedral of the Annunciation or the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great of Ivan III of Russia, also known as Ivan the Great. Surrounding all the buildings are the Wall, which includes the Kremlin towers. Since 1990 the Kremlin was included, along with the Red Square complex, on the Unesco World Heritage List.

Next to the Kremlin is Red Square, with the famous Saint Basil's Cathedral, completed in 1561 and known worldwide for its colored domes. In this square there is also the National Museum of History, the Lenin Mausoleum and the GUM, one of the largest shopping centers in the world, built in Soviet times and later privatized, becoming occupied by the most elite brands, the building that has with a bridge and innovative metal and glass vaults. Its architect Vladimir Shukhov was responsible for building several of Moscow's hallmarks during the Soviet era; among others the Shukhov Tower, just one of many hyperboloid towers designed by Shukhov. For its part, the National Museum of History was ordered to be built by Emperor Alexander II in 1872. The rooms into which the museum is divided are faithfully recreated and decorated with motifs from the different periods it represents, from antiquity to early XX century. It is considered the national treasure of Russia.

National Museum of History.

Moscow's churches and monasteries are very numerous, although many have been lost due to demolitions by the Soviets such as the Monastery of Miracles and the Monastery of the Ascension of Christ in the Kremlin. However, a large number of religious buildings of unquestionable historical value are still preserved. The Monastery of Saint Daniel is one of those in the best condition, whose construction dates back to 1282. Daniel, the son of Aleksandr Nevsky, was buried there. Later it was transferred to the Kremlin and restored by Ivan the Terrible. The High Monastery of San Pedro was founded by Daniel's son, Iván I el Kalitá, despite the fact that it owes its name to Pedro the Great.

GUM, architects A. Pomerántsev and V. Shúkhov.

Another notable monastery in the city is the New Monastery of Our Saviour, which safeguards Moscow from the shore. Its construction dates from the 15th century and the remains of the Romanov family rest there. Another notable monastery is the Novodevichy Monastery, declared a World Heritage Site in 2004. Last but not least are the monasteries in the surroundings of Moscow: the Trinity and Saint Sergius Monastery in Sergiyev Posad (considered as Mecca of the Russian Orthodox Church and a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Volokolamsk Monastery of Saint Joseph and the New Jerusalem Monastery near the city of Istra.

The city has, in addition to some architectural jewels from antiquity, examples of Soviet architecture such as the Soviet-Stalinist skyscrapers called "the seven sisters" since they are seven buildings of similar design; Among them, the Moscow State University and the Ukraine Hotel stand out. Another Soviet-era work is the Moscow Metro, a sumptuously decorated metro network called by Stalin "the palaces of the people." Gorky Park offers its gardens for rest and recreation.

Zaryadye Park

Recently, after the dissolution of the USSR, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was rebuilt based on the original plans of the cathedral, demolished after the 1917 revolution. The converted Exhibition of the Progress of the National Economy and the haciendas- Tsaritsyno, Kolomenskoe and Kuskovo museum.

Zaryadye Park is located in a central area, steps from St. Basil's Cathedral, Red Square and the Kremlin, and was built in 2017.

Art

In Moscow are the most important frescoes and icons of Russia. Precisely, in the second third of the 14th century, the Moscow school of icon painting appeared in the city, promoted by artists such as Prójor de Gorodéts, Daniel the Black and Andrei Rubliov. There are several historical buildings that contain icons by these artists, such as the Kremlin cathedrals, the Assumption Cathedral or the Church of the Apparition of the Virgin. The frescoes are often found in many Moscow churches. The most notable frescoes are in churches such as the Holy Trinity in Nikitniki, the cathedral of the Srétenski monastery or the church of Saint John the Warrior.

Pushkin Fine Arts Museum.

The Tretyakov National Art Gallery is the most important in Moscow, thanks in part to its collection of pre-revolutionary Russian art. The gallery, and of course its name, is closely related to the life of a local patron, Pavel Tretyakov, a man dedicated to the collection of works of art and who promoted the creation of the gallery. In fact, Tretyakov's artistic collection numbered nearly 500 works in 1872. After his death, the direction of the gallery's construction was directed by the governor of Moscow himself.

Another of the fundamental cultural buildings in Moscow is the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, opened to the public on May 31, 1912. The collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works and some of the artists that can be found in the museum stand out. museum include Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh or Auguste Rodin. Among all the works, two Rembrandts, two Rubens, three portraits by Van Dyck, a painting by El Greco and another by Sandro Botticelli stand out.

Theatres

Moscow is considered one of the greatest cultural capitals in the world.^{[citation needed]} Its Bolshoi Theater (in Spanish Great Theater) is perhaps the theatrical emblem of the city, home to Russian opera and ballet performances, where the works of Russian composers such as Glinka or Rimski-Kórsakov are represented, and it is the headquarters of the Bolshoi Ballet Company, which featured a performance by Maya Plisetskaya and Mikhail Baryshnikov. The building is one of the most important works of Russian classicism, whose construction was carried out by Joseph Bové, a Russian architect, in 1824, being restored in 1854 after a fire. It is located in one of the key locations of the city, the Plaza Teatral.

Bolshei Theatre.

The Maly Theater (in Spanish Teatro Pequeño) offers classical plays, the conservatory with its large and small halls offers classical, choral or organ music. Many other halls bring cultural diversity to Moscow. Other important theaters in Moscow are the Taganka theater by Yuri Lubimov, the musical theater by Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Dánchenko or the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, a large auditorium frequented by musicians and dancers.

One of the most important cultural centers regarding Moscow theater is the Bajrushin Theater Museum, which was originally an estate that Alexei Bajrushin converted in 1894 into the first museum of theatrical art. In 1913 he ceded it to the city of Moscow. Today the Bajrushin museum houses a collection containing 1.5 million of all kinds of authentic objects related to each of the periods of the theater's history. It is located near the Paveletskaya metro station.

Education

Former building of the University of Moscow on Mojovaya Street (now headquarters of the Faculty of Journalism).

There are 1,696 secondary schools in Moscow, as well as 91 centers of higher learning. In addition to these, there are 222 institutions offering higher education in Moscow, including 60 state universities, and the Moscow State University M.V. Lomonosov, which was founded in 1755. The most important building of the main university is located on the Hill of Sparrows (Vorobiovy Gory), it has a height of 240 meters and upon completion, it was the tallest building outside the United States United. The university has more than 30,000 undergraduate students and more than 7,000 graduate students, who have a choice of twenty-nine faculties and 450 departments of study. In addition, approximately 10,000 high school students take courses at the university, which is staffed by more than 2,000 researchers. The Moscow State University Library contains more than nine million books, making it one of the largest libraries in all of Russia. Its fame throughout the international academic community has meant that more than 11,000 foreign students have graduated from the university, with many coming to Moscow to learn the Russian language.

Bauman Moscow State Technical University, founded in 1830, is located in the center of Moscow and offers more than 18,000 undergraduate and 1,000 postgraduate student places with a science and engineering education offering a wide range of degrees technicians. Since it opened enrollment to students from outside the country in 1991, this university has increased its international enrollment to a maximum of 200 foreign students.

The Moscow Conservatory, founded in 1866, is a leading Russian music school whose graduates include Sergei Rachmaninov, Aleksandr Skryabin, Aram Khachaturyan, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Alfred Schnittke.

The All-Russian Gerasimov University of Cinematography, abbreviated as VGIK, is the world's oldest educational institution of cinematography, founded by Vladimir Gardin in 1919. Sergei Eisenstein, Vsevolod Pudovkin and Alexei Batalov are among its most distinguished professors and Mikhail Vartanov, Sergei Paradzhánov, Andrei Tarkovsky, Nikita Mijalkov, Eldar Ryazanov, Aleksandr Sokurov, Yuri Norstein, Aleksandr Petrov, Vasily Shukshin and Konrad Wolf, among the most distinguished students.

The University of International Relations of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, abbreviated as MGIMO, was founded in 1944, in Russia it remains the best-known school of international relations and diplomacy, with six different schools focusing on international relations. Around 4,500 students make up the university's student body and more than 700,000 Russians and foreigners have passed through its classrooms. More than 20,000 rare books can be found in the library of this university.

Other notable institutions include the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, also known as Phystech, the Moscow Aviation Institute, and the Moscow Institute of Engineering Physics. The Institute of Physics and Technology has taught numerous Nobel Prize winners, including Pyotr Kapitsa, Nikolai Semyonov, Lev Landau, and Aleksandr Prokhorov, while the Institute of Engineering Physics is known for its research in nuclear physics. Other institutions, such as the Financial Academy, the State University of Management, the Plekhanov Academy of Economics, and the Higher School of Economics offer degrees in management and economic theory.

Although Moscow since the Soviet era has a number of famous higher education institutions, most of which are more oriented towards engineering or fundamental science, in recent years Moscow has seen significant growth in the number of institutions private or commercial that offer classes in business and business administration. Institutions in Moscow, as well as in the rest of post-Soviet Russia, have begun offering new international certificates and postgraduate degrees, including the Master in Business Administration (MBA). The exchange of students with different programs (especially from Europe) has also multiplied in Moscow universities, while many schools in the Russian capital also offer seminars, conferences and courses for employees and entrepreneurs.

Moscow is known as one of the most important scientific centers of Russia. The headquarters of the Russian Academy of Sciences is located in Moscow, as well as numerous research and applied sciences.

The Kurchatov Institute is the leading research and institutional development in the field of nuclear energy in Russia. It was where the first nuclear reactor in Europe was built. The Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, the Kapitsa Institute for Physics Problems, and the Steklov Institute for Mathematics are all located in Moscow.

There are 452 libraries in the city, including 168 for children. The Russian State Library, founded in 1862, is home to more than 275 kilometers of bookshelves and forty-two million items, including more than seventeen million books and serial volumes, thirteen million magazines, 350,000 musical scores and sound recordings, and 150,000 maps, making it the largest library in Russia and one of the largest in the world. Items in 247 different languages make up approximately twenty-nine percent of the collection.

The Public Historical Library, founded in 1863, is the largest library specializing in Russian history. Its collection contains four million items in 112 languages (including 47 languages of the former Soviet Union), mostly in Russian. It also deals with world history, heraldry, numismatics and the history of science.

Sports

Moscow has always been linked to sport. Since the days of the USSR, where various sports modalities dominated, until now, the Russian capital has facilities of the highest level such as the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium (elite stadium by UEFA) that have led the city to host the Games Olympic Games of 1980, to finally present itself unsuccessfully to those of 2012 and host international events such as the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2008. The capital was one of the venues for the 2018 Soccer World Cup.

Luzhnikí Olympic Stadium, Russia's largest stadium.

In Moscow there are many sports that enjoy great success among the population. Football, obviously, is one of them, along with basketball, ice hockey or chess. In all modalities, both clubs and individual athletes have won international trophies. There are also seven horse racing tracks, the largest being the Moscow Central Hippodrome, founded in 1834.

In football, the tradition is long and the rivalry is maximum, since the Moscow clubs were all linked to a sector of Soviet society and politics (except Spartak). The most successful club is Spartak Moscow with 12 USSR Leagues and 10 current Russian leagues, although it does not have any international title. He plays his matches at the Otkrytie Arena.

Semifinal of the 2005 Kremlin Cup Olimpiyski.

Followed by FC Dinamo Moscow with 11 Soviet leagues for none of the current Russian format. His greatest international milestone was the runner-up in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1972, as he lost 3-2 to Glasgow Rangers in the final at the Camp Nou. Dinamo, which was the team of the Soviet interior ministry, plays its local matches in the old Dinamo Stadium. Another of the Moscow clubs is PFC CSKA Moscow, a team that has won 7 Soviet championships, 3 Russians and a UEFA Cup, won in 2005 against Sporting de Portugal. The club, whose owner is the billionaire Román Abramóvich, also plays its matches at the Dinamo Stadium while awaiting the construction of its own new one. CSKA was the team of the Soviet Army. For its part, Lokomotiv Moscow was the team linked to railway workers and has two Russian leagues. Play at home in the modern Lokomotiv Stadium. The last Moscow team in the Premier League is FC Moscow, the youngest of them. It was founded in 1997 and does not have any official title on its windows. It disputes its matches at home in the Torpedo Stadium. Finally, the list of Moscow teams closes with the historic Moscow Torpedo, which is currently immersed in a sports crisis that keeps it in the Russian Second Division. Torpedo represents workers in the automobile sector, has 3 Soviet leagues and also plays at home in Luzhniki.

Another characteristic feature of some Moscow clubs is that they are multi-sport teams. The two most important are CSKA Moscow and Dinamo Moscow. The former has soccer, basketball, and ice hockey sections, while Dinamo has soccer, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey, and bandy.

Moscow is home to the Irina Viner-Usmanova Palace of Rhythmic Gymnastics, located in the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. The construction of the sports facility began in 2017, while the inauguration was held on June 18, 2019. The project investor is billionaire Alisher Usmanov, husband of former gymnast and rhythmic gymnastics coach Irina Viner-Usmanova. The total area of the building is 23,500m², comprising 3 gymnasiums, changing rooms, rooms for referees and coaches, saunas, a canteen and a cafeteria, 2 ballrooms, a Medical Center, a space dedicated to journalists, a space museum and a hostel for athletes.

In basketball, the big two are PBC CSKA Moscow and MBC Dinamo Moscow. CSKA is, without a doubt, the most successful team in Russian basketball and one of the most important in Europe, since it has 6 Euroleagues, 25 USSR leagues and 14 Russian leagues in its showcases. Dinamo, meanwhile, has a ULEB Cup and two Soviet leagues.

Meanwhile, in ice hockey the two previous teams stand out again. CSKA's hockey section is HC CSKA Moscow and it is the most important team. Other Moscow clubs are HC Dinamo Moscow, Krylia Sovetov Moscow and HC Spartak Moscow. The most important ice hockey arena is the modern Jodynka Arena, which hosted the 2007 Men's Ice Hockey World Championship. However, it is a multi-purpose arena as it hosts boxing matches and Euroleague basketball matches.

Another of the most popular sports in Moscow, and in general in all of Russia, is tennis. The city has always produced great talents in this sport, both in its male and female versions. Prominent Muscovite tennis players are, among others, Marat Safin, Maria Kirilenko, Anna Kurnikova, Anna Chakvetadze, Igor Andreev, Mikhail Yuzhny, Yelena Dementieva and Vera Zvonariova. One of the ATP and WTA tournaments is the Moscow Tournament, also known as the Kremlin Cup, which takes place at the Olimpiski Stadium.

The reconstruction of other stadiums, such as Dinamo, Streltsov, is also being completed. In August 2014, the Otkritie Arena stadium was put into operation, in August 2016 - CSKA Arena, and in 2017 - Luzhnikí. Along with these stadiums, another Moscow stadium, Lokomotiv, will host the First League games. In 2018 Luzhnikí and Otkrítie Arena will host the games of the 2018 Soccer World Championship. Luzhnikí will also host the opening and final matches of the tournament.

World Championship 2018 in Moscow

Two stadiums in the city hosted the matches of the Soccer World Championship: Luzhniki and Otkritie Arena.

12 Championship games were played in the capital. 11 municipal regions are already preparing training bases for athletes.

Luzhniki is the largest stadium in Russia. Its capacity reaches 81,000 spectators. It has 102 boxes for VIP spectators, 2,000 seats for journalists and 300 seats for people with disabilities. 24 billion rubles were invested in the reconstruction of the stadium. In 2017 the arena was recognized as the best stadium, according to the prestigious portal stadiumdb.com. The winning committee included five architects who evaluated the works based on three key criteria: architectural value, functionality and innovation.

Otkritie Arena is capable of holding 45,360 spectators. The stadium is the headquarters of the sports club «Spartak» (Moscow). In accordance with the requirements of UEFA and FIFA during official games in international tournaments between clubs and national teams, the stadium cannot bear the "sponsor name" and will be called in a neutral way "Spartak Stadium".

The Otkrítie Arena is the sports center of the development project for the former airport in the Tushino region. Here are homes, shops, offices and public buildings, health and physical culture centers, tennis courts, water and ice sports halls, kindergartens and schools, health centers and points of creative work.

At first it was planned to open up the areas adjacent to the Moscow State University (MGU) for the organization of the FIFA Fan Festival. This initiative was harshly criticized by numerous students and professors from the university, motivating him that they would not be able to prepare for the exams during the World Cup. In the end, the parties reached a compromise: the festival site will be close to the MGU but will not occupy the campus territory, and the main stage of the event will be located at a distance of 310 meters from the MGU central building. It was also decided to reduce the capacity of the festival site from 40 to 25 thousand people. The other facilities for the 2018 World Cup planned in the territory of the university would not be there either.

The 2018 World Championship will represent an important stimulus for the development of the sports movement in the city. More than 10,000 young athletes are already training in 11 training camps that appeared in Moscow for the World Cup. “Near each of these fields, youth sports schools were built. The World Championship will pass, but his legacy remains, and today more than 10,000 children can train in these fields.

On the days of the World Championships, free shuttle-buses will be used to move spectators around Moscow.

• Shuttle S1 – «Metro «Parque de cultura» – Estadio «Luzhnikí»
• Shuttle S2 – «Calle Kosyguin – Stadium «Luzhnikí»
• Shuttle S3 – «Metro «Sókol» – Stadium «Luzhnikí»
• Shuttle S4 – «Aeropuerto Sheremétievo – Stadium «Luzhnikí»
• Shuttle S5 – «Aeropuerto Sheremétievo – Metro «Jóvrino»
• Shuttle S6 – «Aeropuerto Vnúkovo – Metro «Salarievo»
• Shuttle S7 – «Domodédovo Airport – Metro «Domodédovskaya»
• Shuttle S8 – «Metro «Kíyevskaya» – Kosyguin Street»

Transportation

Aerial

Sheremétievo Airport Terminal D

There are three main commercial airports serving Moscow: Moscow-Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow-Domodedovo International Airport and Moscow-Vnukovo International Airport. The Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport is one of the most important in the city and the second with the highest volume of passengers in Moscow, with more than 12 million users per year, and controls 70% of all international flights. Moscow-Domodedovo International Airport is the main airport in Russia in terms of passenger throughput, more than 16 million per year, and is the main gateway for domestic and Commonwealth of Independent States long-haul flights. It is located about 34 kilometers south of Moscow and consists of two terminals. It is one of the most modern airports in the country and the forecast for the airport itself for the coming years is very positive. The EAST LINE Group, the company that manages the airport, revealed that in 2010 they will receive 22 million passengers and in 2015 close to 30 million, double the volume than today.

The other airports in particular offer flights within Russia and to and from the states of the former Soviet Union. Moscow's airports vary in distance from the MKAD belt: Domodedovo is 22 kilometers away, Vnukovo 11 kilometers, Sheremetyevo 10 kilometers, and Ostafievo, the closest, about 8 kilometers.

There are also several smaller airports near Moscow, such as Myachkovo Airport, intended for private planes, helicopters and charters.

Railway

Kíyevsky Train Station

Moscow has nine railway stations, which are located close to the city center, but each of them handles trains from different parts of Europe and Asia. Moscow railway stations are: Belorussky, Kazansky, Kiyevsky, Kursky, Leningradsky, Paveletsky, Rizhsky, Savyolovsky and Yaroslavsky. There are also many small railway stations. Because trains are relatively cheap, they are the preferred way for Muscovites to get around, especially when departing for St. Petersburg. Moscow is also the western terminus of the Trans-Siberian, which traverses nearly 9,300 kilometers of Russian territory to Vladivostok on the Pacific coast. On the other hand, there is a long-distance bus terminal and other intercity passenger buses with a daily user volume of 25,000 passengers.

Maritime

Moscow has two passenger ship terminals on the river, and regular ship and cruise routes along the Moskva and Oka, which are used mainly for entertainment. The river's northern terminus, built in 1937, is also the main long-distance hub on river routes. The city has three cargo ports.

Public transportation

Local transportation includes the Moscow Metro, famous for its artwork, murals, mosaics, lamps, and general decor. When it was inaugurated in 1935, the system had only one line but today it has twelve, mostly underground with a total of 203 stations. It is one of the deepest metro systems in the world, for example Park Pobedy station, completed in 2003, is 84 meters underground and has the longest escalators in Europe. The Moscow metro is one of the busiest in the world, transporting more than 7 million passengers a day. There is also a monorail line, operated by the same company. There are plans to expand the metro, to mitigate the great transport problems that Moscow suffers.

The metro has a great geographical development with some stations located outside the city center at distances of up to four kilometers, from the metro stations an extensive bus network transports passengers to residential areas. Every major avenue in the city is served by at least one bus route. There are also a large number of tram and trolleybus networks. There is a monorail service in the eastern part of the city.

The Moscow Routes website makes it easy to find means and routes of transportation through the city. More than 2.6 million cars circulate daily through it. Recent years have seen a marked growth in the number of vehicles, causing numerous traffic jams.

The future Fourth Ring Road is just one of three expressways being built within the Moscow city limits. These will complement other existing highway systems that form concentric circles around the city.

• 

  Urban bus

• 

  Urban trolleybus

• 

  Urban bus

• 

  Urban tram

• 

  Urban tram

• 

  Urban monorail

• 

  Estación Rumiántsevo

• 

  Novoslobódskaya Station

• 

  Plóschad Gagarina Station of the Central Circle of Moscow

• 

  Luzhnikí Station of the Central Circle of Moscow

• 

  Electric bus

• 

  Sólnstevo station

Carpooling

Moscow City Hall offers different car sharing services through private companies. There is a car sharing service, called Karshering, with the possibility of searching through the service application for a car to drive in the city, parking it at the end of the trip. In 2018, the mayor of Moscow said that the citizen car sharing service became the car sharing with the most vehicles available in Europe. There is also the possibility of renting a bicycle with the Velobike, the traditional and electric bicycle sharing service, with more than 3,000 bikes and 380 rental points. To rent a bike, you must pay with a credit card or with the Troika Card, the versatile card of Moscow transports. There is a sharing service for electric scooters. There are private vehicle sharing services near the large city parks.

• 

  Station of the Velobike

• 

  YouDrive Lite electric skate

• 

  Carsharing car BelkaCar

Moscow gondola lift

Moscow Telecabina

On November 26, 2018, the mayor of the Russian capital Sobyanin officially inaugurated the Moscow Gondola lift complex, which operates on the Moskva River. The infrastructure connects the Luzhniki Olympic Complex to Sparrow Hill and Kosygin Street.

The route lasts 5 minutes, while using the car the time taken to finish the tour is 20 minutes, so the cable car is more convenient.

The operating hours of the public transport service start at 11:00 and end at 23:00. The complex has 3 stations: Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hill), Nóvaya Liga and Luzhnikí.

The cable is 720 meters long and is capable of carrying a maximum of 1,600 passengers per hour in all weather conditions. The 35 cabins are equipped with audiovisual screens, LED lighting, hooks for bicycles, skis and snowboards as well as audio guides available in Russian, English, German and Chinese.

Unique transport navigation system

Information panel located in a pedestrian zone

In 2016, the unique navigation system of Moscow transports was introduced, consisting of a unique signage design, which helps passengers and pedestrians navigate the city. The system was designed to be implemented in the Metro, in ground transportation, in pedestrian areas, in the Velobike network, and in transit spaces. Each element of the system has a specific role in the orientation and construction of the route. Some navigation elements include a map that points the user in space and the objectives that can be reached on foot in 5 minutes. The materials used to make the signaling elements allow vandalism to be minimized and the various parts can be easily replaced.

The new signs are placed where passengers and pedestrians need to find their way. The project requires an analysis of pedestrian models, consideration of the context and specific characteristics of each place, and a list of questions for which the user can get an answer in that specific place. The Moscow Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development developed this uniform navigation signaling system in a team that includes graphic designers, industrial designers, cartographers, analysts, editors and managers. Russian and world experts are constantly working on the project.

Current Issues

Crime and homelessness

Crime in the Russian capital has had a long history at the hands of the mafia. However, in the early 2000s other sectors of the population have replaced the mafia itself (youth gangs) in terms of crimes perpetrated in Moscow.

A report by Mercer Human Resource Consulting in 2003 revealed that Moscow was the most dangerous city in Europe. The data on events in Moscow during 2002 revealed that 163,418 crimes were registered, 29.7% more than in 2001, 20.4% more in terms of the number of crimes related to drug trafficking and attacks on people, including murders, increased by 7.3% over the previous year.

The rise in underage youth crimes coincided with the high number of children living on the streets. It is estimated that around 2,000 children lived on the streets of the capital and another 5,000 were housed in government institutions. In total, some 300,000 homeless and "homeless" they wandered around Moscow and only 10% were from the city. The rest came from elsewhere in Russia or from former Soviet republics.

Ford Transit Ambulance in Moscow

The Economist has published its 2019 Safe Cities Index, a 'ranking list' prepared every two years by the prestigious magazine to assess safety in 60 cities around the world. The index is derived from the average between the scores assigned to each city according to four categories: digital security, infrastructure security, health security and personal security. With 65.8 points, Moscow ranked 37th among the cities evaluated, up four places from the 2017 version of the 'ranking list'. More than 200,000 cameras with facial recognition system are active in transport, on the streets and buildings of the city.

The city's ambulance services have been considered the second best in the world, according to analysts at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the company's website says. In fact, in all categories, Moscow ranks just behind Berlin and ahead of New York. It even appears first in some criteria, such as the average response time of the operators (4 seconds), the interval between the call and the departure of the ambulance (2 minutes and 30 seconds) and the waiting time before arrival of aid (14 minutes 34 seconds, but 9 minutes 24 seconds in an emergency).

As throughout the country, the emergency numbers are 101 for the fire service, 102 for the police, 103 for health emergencies, 104 for the emergency gas service and 112 as the single emergency number.

Twinned cities

Moscow is actively involved in the town twinning scheme. For this, it is associated with the following cities:

Predecessor: Montreal

Olympic City 1980

Successor: Los Angeles