Red Square is a dramatic open cobbled
space in the center of Moscow. It
was originally the city’s market place that also served as a public gathering
place to celebrate festivals, listen to government announcements or to
witness executions, especially common during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
The Soviet state turned it into a memorial cemetery, and constructed Lenin’s
Mausoleum to one side. A crystal casket containing the preserved body of the
founder of the Soviet Union is still open to public
viewing today. The communist government destroyed several ancient buildings
around Red Square, including the Resurrection Gate and
chapel, to make space for and to allow easy tank access to the demonstrations
and military parades that frequented the area. The current Resurrection Gate
and chapel are replicas that were built in the 1990s. The
square is dominated by the walls and towers of the Kremlin on one side and the
façade of the GUM department store on the other. The most impressive and
historic parade that occurred in the square involved the gathering of thousands
of Russian soldiers ready to march to war against the Nazis in 1941. The word ‘red’
doesn’t apply to the color of the brickwork, neither is it a reference to
communism. It was likely a reference to the executions that took place in the
square.
Bolshoi Theater
Moscow's oldest
theater, the Bolshoi, dates from 1824 and is Russia's
most famous theater, with its world-renowned opera and ballet companies.
Completely rebuilt after a fire in 1856, the grand building is a masterpiece of
Russian neoclassicism architecture, including an eight-columned entrance porch
topped by a horse-drawn chariot of Apollo, patron of the arts. The glittering
five-tiered interior is richly adorned with red velvet furnishings, gold
decoration and chandeliers. The auditorium is the largest in the world. The
Bolshoi Theatre has hosted some of the world's most celebrated premieres and
performers, including Swan Lake,
Spartacus and concerts by Richard Wagner. An evening performance at the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre
constitutes one of Moscow's best
nights out on the town.