A tour of the Moskva River

We know that many cities in the world are built along rivers. Since water is a basic human need, the availability of easy access to water is one of the main reasons for the creation of riverine settlements. And there are other bonuses. The proximity to the water may also be important for the safety of a city or castle.

Moscow, the capital city of Russia, is also located on the banks of a river. Moscow City was built on the banks of the Moscow River. Yes, the city's name is Moscow, and the river's name is Moscow.

First, let's find out how. The Russians call Moscow the Moscow city. And the river that flows through it is Mosquam itself. But in English and many other European languages, the name of the river comes from Moscow, or near it. So, when the Moskva River is called all over the world, non-Russian people recognize Moskva as Moscow.

But that's not the point. Moscow's historical name is closer to its Russian accent; To the foreign pronunciation.

There is no history in Moscow as to who built it or when. The earliest reference to Moscow is a message sent by Prince Yuri Dalgaraki in 1147 to a companion. It said, "Brother, come see me in Moscow."


Thus it appears that Moscow was called at that time. Because this is the oldest record of Moscow, it is officially considered that Moscow was built in 1147.

Moscow is about a kilometer from Moscow. The Mosque River begins about 140 km west of the river. 502 miles, falls into the Oka River. The Akka River joins the Volga River at Nirni Novgorod. On the way to the Moscow River, you will encounter other cities, but they are much smaller than Moscow.

Moscow by boat

Many visitors to Moscow. There are so many places to see in Moscow. But one of the most interesting ways to visit the city is to take a boat ride on the Moskva River. There are many historical and important places to visit in the city. It is an experience many locals and tourists alike would like to have.


There are various packages for boat rides in Moscow. They depend on factors such as the route, the time taken and the time the journey started.

Our Moscow boat cruise was in the late evening of the last few days of July. The journey starts in Moscow at 7 pm and takes about two and a half hours. So, along with the journey, we also had dinner.

This trip was organized by the Russian government for our group. More precisely by the Russia Beyond website and the Russian Foreign Ministry. The time they chose was a good fit for us because it was the perfect time to visit Moscow. At night, the city of Moscow arrived at about 9.30 pm. So the lights in Moscow were lit while we were on the boat. We must thank our organizers for choosing to make the journey, whether intentionally or not.

Kievsky Wags

Our journey began near the Kievsky Wagsal, the Kyiv station. It is said that this is the only railway station in Moscow facing the Moscow River. The Moscow Metro was not intended as a railway station. This meant railway stations on the railway lines connecting Moscow and other areas.

It is said that the Kievskii Vagsal was built during the First World War. The 51-meter high clock tower is one of its specialties.


It was about 7 o'clock when we were crossing the river near Kievsky Vagsal. Our guide, Maria, advised us to hurry up as the boat leaves at 7am. But it was not easy for her to drag us around with photos of the surrounding buildings.

Our boat is one size. Its lower floor is a glass-covered dining room. When we got on the boat, we had the first part of our dinner.

In the first part of the journey, we went upstairs, at the invitation of our tour guide, to see the surrounding buildings and eat. He's a young guide named Ivan. When we became friends with him, we called him "not terrible, Ivan."

"Horrible Ivan" is the system we know as Russia's First Czar IV. But we also learned from our Ivan that the Russian name of the terrible Ivan is not "terrible". We will not attempt to explain it in a separate article.

Stalin's skyscrapers

The cold breeze greeted us as we reached the top floor of the boat. To the right in front of us in a short moment was a large, far-off building. It is the main building of Moscow State University.


It is considered to be the tallest building in the world of educational institutions. The total height is 240 m and the roof to 182 m. The remaining height is made up of the antenna and the star on it.

The building, which began in 1949 and was completed in 1953, was used as the main building of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

The building was the tallest of the seven tallest buildings in the era of Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin. These seven buildings are also known as the "Seven Sisters" in Moscow. These buildings were built by Stalin, who wanted to build a few competing buildings in the West and Moscow.

In total, nine buildings were planned, but two could not be built. During our trip, we passed the two buildings that were not able to be built, and we saw two more. Our journey ended near the "Kotelniecheskaya River", one of the "seven sisters".


The green area on the banks of the river, where Moscow State University appeared. While the crowd was relaxing with the cold wind, a Serbian friend who was with us started singing the famous Russian song "Katyusha". We joined the piano because that song is familiar to us.

The Wind of Change

While crossing the Moskwa River, we passed Lushniki Stadium on the left. Football fans among us will surely remember the 2018 World Cup final.


Shortly after completing the bend, we came across Gorky Park on our right. Some may recall Martin Cruz Smith's novel "Gorky Park". Many remembered the Scorpions band's Wind of Change.

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Change of Wind to Listening

Along the Mosque River
I'm going to Gorky Park
In the ears of the wind of change

Written during the Soviet Union's collapse, the song became very popular in Europe. The term "Wind of Change" was used previously. On February 3, 1960, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan addressed the South African Parliament.

There, he said, "the wind of change is sweeping through Africa. Whether we like it or not, the growth of national consciousness is a clear indication."

Thirty years later, in reference to the winds of change that swept through Moscow, the Scorpions group claimed that the Communist system could not be sustained.

The Cathedral

As we crossed the Gorky Gardens, we saw a tall statue. It was built for Emperor Peter the Great. However, there are a lot of controversies about this monument. At one time this was a gift to another city, but no one accepted. The 98-meter-tall monument has been named the world's worst monument in some surveys.

The monument of Emperor Peter is located at the confluence of the Moskwa River. There the river Mosque turns slightly to the left. Otherwise, we can see a huge temple close to us. It is the cathedral of the Messiah, Christ. It also has a rich history.


After Napoleon's invasion was defeated, Emperor Alexander I proposed to build a cathedral to thank for his victory. But it began in the time of his brother, Nicholas Tsar I. The church was opened in 1883. A year earlier, Tchaikovsky unveiled his 1812 Overture, which was also near the cathedral.

In 1931, at the behest of Stalin, the chapel was destroyed. He intended to build the tallest building in his sky-clearing here. It was called the Palace of the Soviets. Its work was begun, but its work was halted due to World War II.


It was later discovered that the site was unsuitable for such a building. So the building was demolished. Later, the Mosque Swimming Pool was built using foundations. It was the largest outdoor swimming pool in the world. It had a water heating system, so it could be used for part of the winter.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was decided to rebuild the former cathedral. That is why the building we see today was built. It was completed in 2000. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was decided to rebuild the former cathedral. That is how the building we see today was built. It was completed in 2000.

The Kremlin and the Red Square

As we passed the Savior Cathedral of Christ, we saw the Moscow Kremlin and the Red Square. A visit to the Moskva River is not a good time to give a glimpse of the Kremlin or the Red Square. This is because those areas are not fully visible from the river. Still, I can't stop talking about it.

In the Kremlin, the main Kremlin House and some churches in the "Cathedral Square" can be seen from the Moskwa River. The main Kremlin mansion is considered the official residence of the Russian President.

St. Basil's Cathedral in the Red Square beyond the Kremlin is also visible from the Moskwa River. Built by Ivan Saar IV, it began in 1555. There are several reasons for its uniqueness. One of the reasons is its unique architecture. Of course, on the outside, it looks like a fairy-tale palace. It was not destroyed when all the temples in the Red Square were destroyed by Stalin. As such, its historicity is even higher.

However, the Cathedral of St. Basil is best viewed when it comes to Red Square.

Another unbuilt building

We told you earlier that Stalin planned to create nine skyscrapers and seven of them. Shortly before we reached the Kremlin, we were able to locate one of them. Shortly after passing the Kremlin, we come across the spot where the other palace was to be built. That is, two buildings that Stalin could not build were ready to be built on either side of the Kremlin.


The building was named after the administrative building of the city. In 1947 the houses of the district of Sarid, which had been near the Kremlin for several centuries, were demolished. However, no opportunity was given to build it. Stalin died in 1953 and the building was abandoned. For this purpose, the Razia Hotel, which has a capacity of 6,000 guests, was built.

But when you leave today, you don't see the Rasiya Hotel. It was demolished in 2006. After about a decade of considering what to do there, a park was built there. The beautiful garden that we see today is called the Garden of Faraday.


After a short journey, we reached the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building. As our "not terrible Ivan" said, the homes here are on sale for very high prices.

Soviet symbols of this building can still be seen today. The most prominent symbols are the Soviet-style statues and the star at the top of the building.

Night

As we turned back a bit, the night arrived. As we approached Lushnik, it was dark and the buildings in the business district of Moscow were far away from us. It's a bit different from the historic Moscow city we've seen so far.

A short time later, we saw another brightly lit hall of Stalin, lit by the light. It is the Foreign Ministry Building.

When we saw the Kievsky Vagsal building on the left, we realized that our river tour was over. Our group was to return the next day to our countries. After spending a few days in Moscow and finally making a nice river trip, the break was not easy. But we knew that the memories of the trip and the vivid stories of Moscow's history would bring us back there. So we came to our villages, saying "Das Vidhania" (meet again) to each other and to Moscow.