MOSCOW
Whoever has been to Moscow knows Russia
KITAI-GOROD
Kitai-Gorod is the oldest part of Moscow, it was formed in the
12th–13th centuries. In the late 14th century it receded farther to the east. In the
next century, after the construction of the Kremlin’s towers and walls, the Posad was
finally squeezed out of the Kremlin and occupied the territory that belongs to it today.
The name “Kitai-Gorod” appeared in the 15th century and there are
several theories about its origins. According to one version, it came from the word
“kita”, meaning the fence of stakes and twigs which enclosed the Posad above the
eastern wall; another version says it is connected with the Mongol “kitai”, meaning
“middle”, that is the middle town between the Kremlin fortress and the unfortified
suburbs; and finally, from “kitai”, the word formed from the root “cit-kit” which
was common to many European languages, and meant town.
Between 1534 and 1538 the original earth bank was replaced by the
Kitai-Gorod wall. It had the same length as the walls of the Kremlin, but was a bit lower
and thicker: 6 m high and 6 m wide, with 7 gates and 15 towers.
Initially Kitai-Gorod was inhabited by craftsmen and traders, but, well
fortified and close to the Kremlin walls, started attracting the nobility. Monasteries
built their houses for monks here; foreign countries had their diplomatic representatives
in the area.
Kitai-Gorod was very important for the development of Russian culture.
It was here that were printed the first books and the first newspaper; and the first
public library, theatre and Russian University were opened. At the end of the 18th
century, and after the war of 1812, new public institutions appeared there: banks and
shops, that little by little displaced nearly all the houses.
Three streets leading eastwards from the Kremlin formed the axes of
Kitai-Gorod.
Nikolskaya Street
 It got its name after the Nikolsky Monastery that was destroyed after the
Revolution.
In 1686 there was the Slavonik, Greek and Latin Academy on the
street, where at first people of different fields were educated, but after the creation of
the university it started to prepare only clergy.
 On Nikolskaya street we can see a building that reminds one a bit of a gothic
cathedral. It is the building of the former Synod Printing House, where religious
literature was published starting from the beginning of the 18th century. The building was
constructed in 1814. There is a sundial on its facade with figures of a lion and a unicorn
nearby – the symbols of the tsar’s power. This emblem was taken from the personal seal
of Ivan the Terrible.
There is also the famous restaurant “Slaviansky Bazar” where
Stanislavsky and Nemirovitch-Danchenko met, and where the idea appeared to create the
well-known theatre (МХАТ).
Right behind the restaurant one can see the Tretiakovsky Passage
(Третьяковский проезд) that connects Kitai-Gorod with Kuznetsky Most
Street. There is a beautiful archway in Russian style at the end of it. The architect of
the archway was a relative of the famous Pavel and Sergei Tretiakov, that ordered the
archway built. It was their gift to the town, and the government of Moscow decided to call
the construction by their name.
Ilyinka Street
Its name derives from a monastery which stood on the street from the
16th century. Ilyinka was the central street of Kitai-Gorod. Since ancient times at this
location was the biggest Moscow market, where one could buy the most diverse goods. The
names of some stalls that had existed there before, have been preserved in the names of
some lanes today – Fish (Рыбный), Crystal (Хрустальный), Rags
(Ветошный). In the second half of the 19th and the early 20th centuries, Ilyinka
was Moscow’s business and commercial street, lined with major banks, trading centres,
warehouses and lodging houses.
 At the very beginning of the street one can see the Gostiny Dvor
(Гостиный Двор). The first covered building appeared here in the 16th century.
Its name derives from the word “guest”, i.e. the merchants engaged in foreign and
wholesale trade. In the 19th century, Quarengui (Кваренги) built on its place a
magnificent building in the classical style.
It was here that the idea to sell goods at reduced prices appeared. One
day a merchant of the “Knife” stall was walking in a street and suddenly he was
stopped by a man selling raisins. The merchant did not want any raisins, but the seller
insisted: “Buy it, it is so cheap!” After this the merchant put on his shop the
inscription: “Everything at the cheapest prices”. Everyone wanted to buy them, and
soon the merchant became very rich.
Moscow merchants liked joking a lot. They put mice wrapped in paper on
the ground in crowded places of the Gostiny Dvor. Those who found one, thought that
someone had lost his purchase. They took it, and brought it home with great joy…
Varvarka Street
 The street is home to more churches than any other street in the town. The
name itself comes from the Church of St. Varvara, that stands there even now. At
first there was a church built in the 17th century by Aleviz Fryazin; the building was
erected with the proceeds of rich merchants that St. Varvara was considered to be the
protector of. In the 19th century, a merchant whose wife was cured of an illness owing to
the relics of Varvara, built on the same place another church.
Near the Church one can see the Ancient English Court. It
appeared in Moscow in the 16th century, and belonged to a merchant. Ivan the Terrible, who
started trading with England, gave the Court to the English traders; but in a century, by
the order of Tsar Aleksey Mikhalovitch, who was indignant with the execution of Charles I,
the English merchants left Russia. In the 18th century, Peter the Great opened a school
for mathematics in the building. Today we can see photos of the English Queen in the
court, and even attend musical concerts that regularly take place there.
 In 1969 the hotel “Russia” was built; before there had been
Zaryadye (Зарядье). Nearby is the Church of St. Anne of the 16th
century, that has reached our days from that epoch. The church is considered to be the
oldest stone Moscow construction.
The Boyar Romanovs’ House was built on this street in 1560s.
In the 17th century the estate was transferred to the Znamensky Monastery founded in the
area. In the 19th century the house was renovated, and in imitating a 17th century abode,
the architect raised a new wooden upper floor above the old white ground-floor. In 1859,
the house was turned into a museum and is now a branch of the State History Museum.
Questions to the next part:
1. Where did the name of Bely Gorod come from?
2. What can be found now at the place where the wall of Bely Gorod was
located?
3. What is the legend connected with the construction of the Cathedral
of the Vladimirskaya Icon of the Mother of God?
4. Why was it possible to see noble men sweeping Kuznetsky Most Street?
5. What did Trinkle Yar found in Moscow?
6. What is the history of creation of the Sandounov baths?
Compiled by Alevtina Kozina
to be continued
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