Russia/Moscow Red & Manezhnaya Square Part 5
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Red Square & Manege Square:
Red Square is a city square (plaza) in Moscow, Russia. It separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow since Moscow's major streets, which connect to Russia's major highways, originate from the square.
The name Red Square neither originates from the pigment of the surrounding bricks (which, in fact, were whitewashed at certain periods) nor from the link between the colour red and communism. Rather, the name came about because the Russian word красная (krasnaya), which means both red and beautiful, was applied to a small area between St. Basil's Cathedral, the Spassky Tower of the Kremlin, and the herald's platform called Lobnoe Mesto (contrary to the common misconception, it actually never was a place of execution), and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich officially extended the name to the entire square, which had previously been called Pozhar, or burnt-out place, in reference to the fact that several buildings had to be burned down to make place for the square.[citation needed] Several ancient Russian towns, such as Suzdal, Yelets, and Pereslavl-Zalessky, have their main square named Krasnaya ploshchad.
The buildings surrounding the Square are all significant in some respect. Lenin's Mausoleum, for example, contains the embalmed body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union. Nearby to the South is the elaborate brightly domed Saint Basil's Cathedral and the palaces and cathedrals of the Kremlin.
Kremlin,Lenin Mausoleum State Museum,Kazan Cathedral,V. Gates,GUM store,Saint Basil
On the Eastern side of the square is the GUM department store, and next to it the restored Kazan Cathedral. The Northern side is occupied by the State Historical Museum, whose outlines echo those of Kremlin towers. The Iberian Gate and Chapel have been rebuilt to the Northwest.
The only sculptured monument on the square is a bronze statue of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, who helped to clear Moscow from the Polish invaders in 1612, during the Times of Trouble. Nearby is the so‑called Lobnoye Mesto, a circular platform where public ceremonies used to take place. Both the Minin and Pozharskiy statue and the Lobnoye Mesto were once located more centrally in Red Square but were moved to their current locations to facilitate the large military parades of the Soviet era. The square itself is around 330 meters (1,080 feet) long and 70 meters (230 feet) wide.
The Kremlin and Red square were together recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990, due to their inextricable links to Russian history since the 13th century.
Manezhnaya or Manege Square (Russian: Манежная площадь, Manezhnaya ploshchad) is a large pedestrian open space in the Tverskoy District, at the heart of Moscow. It is bound by the Hotel Moskva to the east, the State Historical Museum and the Alexander Garden to the south, the Moscow Manege to the west, and the 18th-century headquarters of the Moscow State University to the north.
The square forms a vital part of downtown Moscow, connecting Red Square (which sprawls behind the Iberian Gate immediately to the south) with the major traffic artery Tverskaya Street, which starts here and runs northwestward in the direction of Saint Petersburg. It is served by three Moscow Metro stations: Okhotny Ryad, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, and Teatralnaya.Wikipedia