Moscou is one of the oldest and most beautiful Russian cities. The emperors, or Tsars, made the city their base of rule until 1712, when the capital was moved to Saint Petersburg. Moscou was restored as Russia's capital in 1918, and it served as the capital of the USSR.

Moscou is the capital of Russia and the country's principal political, economic, financial, educational, and transportation center, located on the Moskva River. The city's population of 10.4 million permanent inhabitants within the city boundaries constitutes about 7% of the total Russian population.

Moscou remains a major economic center and is home to a large number of billionaires and is perennially considered one of the most expensive cities in the world. It is home to many scientific and educational institutions, as well as numerous sport facilities. It possesses a complex transport system that includes the world's busiest metro system which is famous for its architecture.

Moscou has a long and dramatic history. The city has been completely destroyed and rebuilt again many times throughout the years. Its most ancient wooden buildings disappeared in fires. Each time the city was resurrected from the ashes, it became more and more beautiful. For every rebuilding, the most talented and famous architects were invited from around the world to restore Moscou.

This history of reconstruction Moscou has undergone, is part of the reason she has absorbed the many different and diverse styles that visitors experience here. Stalin's epic and monumental buildings neighbour with small two-store nineteenth century town houses, while splendid cathedrals peer out from behind modern skyscrapers. Even in the heart of Moscou, in the Kremlin, old churches compete with the immense Congress Palace for space.

Despite the size of the city (about 900 square kilometres) and the scale of many of the buildings and avenues there, the general layout is easily grasped - a series of concentric circles and radial lines, emanating from the Kremlin; the centre being compact enough to explore on foot.

Москва, описание города

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