Red Square

Centuries ago, under the eastern wall of the Kremlin there was a square which was called Troitskaya (Trinity) Square after Holy Trinity Church which stood where St. Basil's Cathedral is now to be seen. In the middle ages there were often raging fires here, and so it had another name: Fire Square. From the mid-17th century it became known as Krasnaya (Red) Square which in Old Russian meant "beautiful". Along one side stands the eastern wall of the Kremlin, on the other side rise the onion domes of St. Basil"s Cathedral, to the north stretch the endless arcades of the GUM shopping mall and Kazan Cathedral and to the west - the National Historical Museum and the replica of the Resurrection Gate (created in the 90-s). Red Square has always been the main square in Moscow. It was here that the town-criers would announce the Tsar"s orders. Occasionally the Sovereign himself would make appeals to his Moscow citizens from the Lobnoye Mesto (Front Point). During the important ecclesiastical holidays there would be a religious procession from the Kremlin to Red Square, and on such days the whole square would fill with people. It was here that the magnificent cathedrals were built, consecrated to the Mother of God, Protector of Moscow and All Russia. In 1712 Peter the Great moved the Russian capital to St. Petersburg and Red Square lost its political significance for some time only to regain it two centuries later, when the Bolsheviks moved the capital back to Moscow in 1918. After the revolution Red Square maintained its significance, becoming the main square in the life of the new state. The new Communist regime turned the square into a memorial cemetery and parade ground, and in 1924 the Lenin Mausoleum was built to house the mummified body of the Communist State founder.

The Kazan Cathedral and the Iverskaya Chapel with the Resurrection Gates were demolished to make space for the parades and demonstrations that were held quite often there. The Bolsheviks even planned to knock down the GUM Department Store and the Historical Museum, but the beginning of the World War II diverted their attention from the idea.

Nowadays, Red Square is a popular place of interest for both Russian and foreign visitors alike. The area between St. Basil's Cathedral and the Moscow River is often used for rock and pop concerts and other entertainment events.