1. Art and Diseño

Maps Events Restaurants Cafés Nightlife Sightseeing Shopping Hotels
Moscow
February - March 2015
More than
11 years
in Russia!
inyourpocket.com
N°37
Poking around
Pokrovka
A stroll through
Moscow’s past
Is it Spring
yet?!
Holidays to help
you beat the cold
Contents
E S S E N TI A L
C I TY G U I D E S
Foreword
4
In the News
5
Arrival & Getting Around
6
Public transport
City Basics
8
Language
9
Culture & Events 10
Concerts10
Russian rock
12
Exhibitions13
Sport15
Features
What to see
39
Moscow Theatre life16
The Kremlin
39
Celebrating Russia’s winter18
Churches and monasteries
40
Russian women21
Ride an icebreaker
41
Pokrovka24
Museums41
Hidden museums46
Russian icons
42
Murmansk60
Parks and gardens
42
26
Russian cuisine
27
Bring on the bliny32
Artistic places
Interview with concierge
50
Nightlife
Shopping
Shopping centres
Russian souvenirs 51
51
52
Business directory
53
Where to eat
36
Dance and drink the night away
43
Where to stay 48
Expat & Lifestyle54
The Expat Experience
Column: Sanctions
Column: Russian hospitality
55
56
57
St. Petersburg
58
Visit the Northern capital
Maps & Index
City map
Street index Metro map
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
62
66
67
February - March 2015
3
Foreword
Unlike in Western Europe, where February and March can be
a bit of a letdown after the festive season, the winter months
in Russia are laden with promise. It might be still very cold
in Moscow, but Russians start to celebrate the end of winter
even if spring still seems a long way off. During Maslenitsa
week (February 16th – 22th) you eat as many bliny (pancakes) as your constitution will allow, especially if you are
storing up the carbs for Lent, which this year runs through to
the second week of April. Maslenitsa attracts young and old
alike, and is an opportunity to enjoy the vividness of tradition
in modern Russian life. Burning Maslenitsa dolls, sleigh riding
for the kids, traditional costumes, music and delicious food,
all accompanied by the warmth of a winter sun, will make
you fall in love with Russia all over again. But it is not only
Maslenitsa that marks the start of spring according to Russians. The farewell to Father Frost is also heralded by a series
of holidays, beginning on February 23rd, the Defender of the
Fatherland Day, when men receive gifts and kudos for their
grit and heroism, whether they have ever pulled on a pair of
army boots or not. This, of course, turns out to be only a foretaste to March 8th, when you should treat the ladies around
you as you never did before! Don’t forget to reserve a table in
one of Moscow’s romantic restaurants, this day is much more
important than St. Valentine’s, although that holiday is also
embraced by many young Russians. All these days off are an
ideal opportunity to leave Moscow for a breath of fresh air,
and in this issue we present an extremely remote option, far
away from the bustle of daily life, perfect for those who like
to experience how vast Russia is. Read about the fascinating
Murmansk region, where Golden Globe winner ‘Leviathan’
was filmed, on page 60. Too far? There are also many exciting
things to do in Moscow itself, so turn to page 46 for our feature on hidden museums, inspiring little gems that you may
never have visited before. The strollers among you should
read about the historical Pokrovka district on page 24, a picturesque, trendy neighbourhood all too often neglected by
tourists. Take Moscow In Your Pocket with you, and let’s enjoy
winter while celebrating spring around the corner!
Wabke Waaijer, Russia In Your Pocket.
E S S E N TI A L
Moscow In Your Pocket
C I TY G U I D E S
founded and published by OOO Krasnaya Shapka/In Your Pocket.
Russia, 196084 St. Petersburg, Ul. Tsvetochnaya 25A.
tel: +7 (812) 448 88 65, fax: +7 (812) 448 88 64,
General Director Tanya Skvortsova, [email protected]
[email protected], russia.inyourpocket.com
General Manager Chris Gilbert, [email protected]
Managing Editor Ksenia Elzes, [email protected]
Researcher Wabke Waaijer, [email protected]
Design Malvina Markina, [email protected]
Sales Manager Natalia Murgo, [email protected]
Contributors Andy Potts, Maria Stambler, Luc Jones, Bauke van der Meer
Customer Service Manager
Tanya Kharitonova, [email protected]
Copyright notice
Text and photos copyright OOO Krasnaya Shapka 2003-2014. All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any
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permission from the publisher and copyright owner. The brand name
In Your Pocket is used under license from UAB In Your Pocket.
Editor’s note
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paid-for advertising. We welcome all readers‘ comments and suggestions. We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the
information at the time of going to press and assume no responsibility for changes and errors.
© OOO Krasnaya Shapka/In Your Pocket
© Maps: J.J. van der Molen, www.jobvandermolen.nl
Published 6 times per year with supplements,
No 37, 01.02.2015, 60 000 copies.
For children aged 16 years and over.
Cover story
Depicted here is the 1937 landmark statue Rabochy i
Kolkhoznitsa or Worker and Kolkhoz Woman, a monumental (24.5 m high) piece of Socialist-Realist symbolism, located just outside of the Russian Exhibition
Centre in Moscow.
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4Moscow In Your Pocket
Not content with publishing more than 100 guides
to cities across three continents, In Your Pocket is
currently carrying out a new round of expansion
for 2015. New cities due to be pocketed include
Eindhoven in the Netherlands, while some old
favourites, such as Budapest in Hungary and the
Russian exclave of Kaliningrad will be getting a reboot. And there is a brand new digital platform to
look forward to: we will rolling out the new inyourpocket.com throughout February and March.
In order to make sure you keep up with all that’s
new at In Your Pocket, like us on Facebook (facebook.com/inyourpocket) or follow us on Twitter
(twitter.com/inyourpocket).
moscow.inyourpocket.com
In the News
Space-age housing
1920s style
New attractions
at Arkhangelskoe
The Melnikov House, two white cylinders of constructivist
concrete that crash-landed into a side street just off the
Arbat, is one of Moscow’s iconic modernist buildings. Built
as a vision of the future in the late 1920s, its interior has a
surprisingly ‘space age’ feel, albeit the space age of silent
sci-fi movies. For decades its doors have been closed to the
public but now, for a brief period before repair work starts,
five lucky visitors a day can explore Konstantin Melnikov’s
masterpiece. Getting in isn’t entirely straightforward. Prebooking is essential via the Shchushev Architecture Museum and slots for February and March went on sale back on
January 12. But for those who can snag a spot on the tour,
it’s a 300-ruble ticket to a unique building and an exhibition
featuring more than 5,000 works and artefacts relating to
Melnikov’s career as an avant-garde architect and artist. For
pre-booking see www.muar.ru and call (+7) 495 697 80 37.
Arkhangelskoe, one of the
most impressive aristocratic retreats on the edge
of Moscow, has added two
big new attractions for the
new season in 2015. The
Hall of Antiquities and the
Hubert Robert Salon form
part of the main suite of
the late 18th-century palace and, now fully restored, are an ideal showcase for more
of the estate’s impressive collection of fine arts. The Hall of
Antiquities is characteristic of the residential quarters of
18th and 19th century noblemen; today it is also home to
the collection of relics that Prince Yusupov collected from
Pompeii and an assortment of paintings by French and Italian masters. The display also includes many fine examples
of decorative art. The Robert Salon, designed to resemble a
belvedere in a park, is devoted to the work of French painter
Hubert Robert. As well as his landscapes, the walls are decorated with a painted fresco of birds in flight and a marble
sculpture of Cupid plucking his bow from the club of Hercules. See for more information www.arhangelskoe.su.
Immersive exhibitions
at Artplay
Claustrophobia
It might seem like a nightmare straight out of 1984, but
struggling to find a way out of a locked room is fast becoming one of Moscow’s hottest entertainment tickets. The
Claustrophobia Quest challenges guests to solve ingenious
mental puzzles and work out how to escape from a variety of themed rooms. It’s a bit like an intellectual version
of the classic TV show Fort Boyard, with groups of up to
four players seeking a way out from haunted houses, nuclear bunkers or medieval dungeons, among many choices.
Although the settings are designed for the Russian market,
the challenges are non-verbal, making them accessible to
anyone. The key thing is being able to communicate with
team-mates to unlock the door and escape before the time
runs out. For more information see www.phobia.ru.
Мoсква В Твоем Кармане
Учредитель и издатель
ООО «Красная Шапка»
Адрес редакции и издателя:
Россия, 196084 Санкт-Петербург
Ул. Цветочная д. 25, лит. А.
тел. : + 7 (812) 448 88 65
факс: + 7(812) 448 88 64
Главный редактор
Бонни ван дер Велде
Цена свободная.
Для детей старше 16 лет.
Отпечатано ООО “Келла Принт”,
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Тележная, д. 17.
Заказ No26829
Свидетельство о регистрации
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Пи No. 2-6849 от 17.10.03
выдано Северо-Западным
региональным управлением
комитета РФ по печати.
Тираж 60 000 экз. No37.
01.02.2015
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
Following the success of
blockbuster
multimedia
shows like the hugely popular Van Gogh exhibition,
Moscow’s Artplay complex
is set to open the country’s
biggest multimedia space
in February. The arts centre
will unveil two separates
spaces with a combined
area of more than 4,000
square metres, enabling it to present huge, immersive presentations of great masterpieces on a combination of giant
screens and accompanied by unexpected audio-visual effects and music relating to the images on display. The debut
events, which run from February 13, tackle two contrasting
themes. The first, a guaranteed hit, looks at the French Impressionist movement. ‘From Monet to Cezanne’ launches a
hugely detailed exploration some of the best-loved works
of art ever painted. From the late 19th century, the focus
switches to the early 20th in ‘The Great Modernists’, a partner
show that helps the viewer navigate the turbulent waters of
a rapidly changing artistic environment dominated by painters like Munch, Klimt and Malevich. The Artplay complex is
on Nizhnaya Syromyatnicheskaya Ulitsa, close to Kurskaya
and Chkalovskaya metro stations. The new exhibition space
opens on February 13 and the opening shows are set to run
until May 31. Visit www.artplay.ru for more information.
February - March 2015
5
Arriving & Getting Around
Moscow is famous for its red walls, its snowy winters and its
excellent public transport system. Home to over 12 million
people, Moscow has a public transportation that has been
hailed as being amongst the best and most efficient in the
world. Whether it is bus, tram, underground, trolley bus,
marshrutka (fixed route minibuses) or train, the prices are
cheap, the journey is brief and despite the severe weather
that hits Moscow, virtually always on time and in service.
And if public transport is not for you, simply stick out your
arm and you will have a choice of 3 or 4 taxis within seconds. You will never find yourself without a method of getting from A to B in Moscow!
Aeroexpress Trains
All international airports in Moscow have a fast train
connection to the capital’s city centre. All? Yes, all!
Aeroexpress trains run between Belorussky Rail Terminal and Sheremetyevo airport, Kievsky Rail Terminal
and Vnukovo airport, and Paveletsky Rail Terminal
and Domodedovo airport. Each rail terminal is connected via the metro circle line. It takes 35-45 minutes
to get to the airports from the centre of Moscow.
Aeroexpress tickets can be bought at Aeroexpress ticket
counters or at automatic machines in the rail terminals,
through the websites of partner airlines, travel agencies,
and via air ticket agencies, either in Moscow, or indeed
almost any other region of Russia. A list of sales outlets
can be found on the company’s website where you can
purchase e-tickets using Visa, MasterCard, or PayPal. You
can buy an electronic ticket from the official website
www.aeroexpress.ru/en where you can also view
train timetables. Download their free mobile app and
you will be able to purchase Aeroexpress tickets using
your smartphone with no need to print out the ticket:
the turnstiles at the airport are able to read the ticket’s
QR-code directly from your smartphone/tablet screen.
If you are a Master Card PayPass or VISA PayWave holder, you can easily pay for the
fare directly at the turnstiles
Aeroexpress.
The Aeroexpress hotline is
(+7) 800 700 33 77 (calls
from within Russia are free).
6Moscow In Your Pocket
Arriving by plane
Moscow’s three main airports are Sheremetyevo located
in the north west, Domodedovo in the south east and
Vnukovo in the south west. The Aeroexpress train is by the
far the fastest and most reliable way to get in to the city
centre, dropping passengers off at the metro circle line in
just 35 - 45 minutes.
Night time arrivals (the Aeroexpress is closed between
00:30 and 05:00) will be at the mercy of taxi drivers so
it is advisable to pre-book a taxi or transfer, to save yourself being ripped off by the touts. Remember that when
taking a taxi from the airport to the centre that 1,800 2,000Rbl is a standard fare, do not let the taxi touts intimidate you with talk of 4,000Rbl rides. Around 1,800Rbl is
reasonable. If you withdraw cash in the airport, be aware
that ATM’s often dispense 1,000Rbl notes. As taxi drivers
can not be depended on to have change, if you want to
avoid giving them a hefty tip, try to obtain some change
in the terminal beforehand.
Arriving by train
Arriving in Russia by rail is a great experience, and
whether you are coming from east or west, north or
south, Moscow’s many train stations are always bustling
with travelers about to embark on long journeys.Those
arriving very early in the morning to the stations around
Komsomolskaya ploschad (Leningradsky, Kazansky and
Yaroslavsky - usually hubs for travel from central Siberia,
the Urals and St. Petersburg) would be advised to get a
taxi rather than wait for the metro to open as the area
can be rather dangerous at night.
Belorussky Station
Trains go from here to Berlin, Warsaw, Minsk, Vilnius, Kaliningrad, and Sheremetyevo Airport via the Aeroexpress
train.QA-1, Tverskaya Zastava pl. 7, MBelorusskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 251 60 93, www.belorusskiy.railclient.ru.
Kazansky Station
Gateway to the East, trains run to Kazan, Tashkent, Samara, Ulan-Ude and beyond.QE-1, Komsomolskaya pl.
2, MKomsomolskaya, tel. (+7) 499 266 31 81, www.
kazanskiy.railclient.ru.
Kievsky Station
Besides Kiev, destinations include Odessa, Budapest, Bucharest, Kishenev, as well as Vnukovo airport via the Aeroexpress.QА-4, Pl. Kievskogo Vokzala 1, MKievskaya,
tel. (+7) 499 240 04 15, www.kievskiy.railclient.ru.
Kursky Station
For destinations in south west Russia and Ukraine, including Rostov-on-Don and Belgorod.QE-2/3, Ul. Zemlyanoy
Val 29, MKurskaya, tel. (+7) 495 266 53 10, www.
kursky-vokzal.ru.
Leningradsky Station
Hub for trains going north to Helsinki, Tallinn and St. Petersburg, including the Sapsan express.QE-1, Komsomolskaya
pl, 3, MKomsomolskaya, tel. (+7) 495 262 91 43, www.
leningradskiy.railclient.ru.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Arriving & Getting Around
Paveletsky Station
For trains to Domodedovo Airport via the Aeroexpress , or further afield into south east Russia.QD-5, Paveletskaya pl. 1,
MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7) 495 235 05 22, www.paveleckiy.
railclient.ru.
Rizhsky Station
Destinations include Riga or elsewhere in Latvia.QD-5,
Rizhskaya pl. 1, MRizhskaya, tel. (+7) 495 631 15 88,
www.rijskiy.railclient.ru.
Yaroslavsky Station
The starting point for your Trans-Siberian adventure, trains
go to Beijing, Ulan Bator and Siberian destinations such as
Irkutsk on Lake Baikal and Russia’s most easterly destination, Vladivostok.QE-1, Komsomolskaya pl. 5, MKomsomolskaya, tel. (+7) 800 775 00 00.
Public Transport
The quickest method of public transport in Moscow is the
metro. With no more than 3 minutes passing between
each train, passengers barely get a chance to marvel at the
beautiful architecture inside many stations. Buying a ticket
is very easy, either a single from the automatic machine, or
multiple rides from the ticket office. Tickets cost 50Rbl. On
the more modern trains, there is an electronic sign in each
carrige announcing the next station. In the older carriages,
however, it is simply a voiceover, which can be difficult to
hear in rush hour, so if you aren’t familiar with Moscow’s
many stations, it is best to count the number of stops you
need to go.
Trams, buses and trolleybuses all use the same tickets as
the metro. tramlines run all over the city and are very easy
to navigate, though perhaps slightly less punctual than the
metro. Buses and trolleybuses are also very straightforward,
with the routes and destinations displayed in the windows
and an electronic, scrolling banner with the name of the
next stop inside,
Last but not least: marshrutkas. A marshrutka may take
some getting used to for a newcomer to Moscow. What can
look like slightly dodgy minibuses are actually a legitimate
form of transport with fixed routes. Passengers can ask the
driver to stop by shouting “ostanovite pazhalsta!” anywhere
along the route to let them out. The average cost is 50Rbl
- be sure to have some small change on you when taking a
marshrutka as a driver will not take kindly to a 1000Rbl note!
Car Rental
Avis Russia Car Rental
AVIS has offices in Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports,
as well as at Leningradsky Railway station and on 4-y Dobryninsky per. 8, office 122 (near metro station Oktyabrskaya).Qtel.
(+7) 495 988 62 16, www.avisrussia.ru. Open 09:00 - 18:00.
Hertz
Hertz has 11 rental locations in Moscow, including an outlet at Sheremetyevo-1,2, Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports operating from 09:00 - 21:00. It’s possible to collect
a car outside of these hours, it incurs additional charges.
Qtel. (+7) 495 775 83 33, www.hertz.ru. A
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
Taxis
Taxis in Moscow can be relatively cheap compared to other
Western capitals. If you phone a legitimate taxi company,
you’ll be quoted an exact price for the journey.
Angel Taxi, tel. (+7) 495 956 08 00, www.angel-taxi.com
English-speaking operators and drivers in Moscow’s premier 24/7 taxi dispatching per-km service with over 1300
drivers in Moscow.
New Moscow Taxi, tel. (+7) 495 780 67 80, www.newmoscowtaxi.ru
New Yellow Taxi, tel. (+7) 495 940 88 88, www.nyt.ru
TaxiEscort, tel. (+7) 495 622 20 20, www.taxiescort.ru
Taxi Shanson, tel. (+7) 495 225 31 31, www.tshanson.ru
XXL taxi, tel. (+7) 495 995 82 94, www.xxltaxi.ru
It’s also accepted practice to hail down random cars and
negotiate even cheaper prices for rides across the city. To
indicate you’re looking for a lift, stick out your arm - palm
down. To foreigners, the practice may seem unsafe and it
is advisable to take caution by traveling with a companion and generally trusting your instinct. Mostly, drivers are
notorious for overcharging foreigners. A journey within the
city centre should cost between 250-500Rbl. Always agree
to a price in advance (‘Skolko?’) and if the driver refuses,
slam the door and move on to the next Lada.
Buying train tickets
Buying train tickets at the station
For the full blooded Russian experience, line up to buy a
train ticket at one of the kassi (Ticket offices) at any train
station. You can buy tickets for any train out of Moscow at
any train station. If you are buying tickets to a destination
outside of Russia, you need to look for the mezhdunarodnaya kassa (international desk). If you don’t speak Russian, it
is a good idea to find out the number and time of the train
you want to catch beforehand and write it down to help
you along, as most assistants do not speak English. Look
for a big LCD board in the station showing the timetable.
Don’t forget they also require your passport to sell you a
ticket, this is so that your passport details can be printed on
your ticket. If you lose your ticket, it is possible to get a new
one printed for a small fee by taking your passport to the
special lost tickets desk. You will be required to show your
passport when you enter the train (to prove the ticket and
reservation belongs to you).
Buying train tickets online
Using the website of the Russian railways eng.rzd.ru comes
in very handy. There you can view the timetables and buy
tickets online with a credit card and then just pick it up from
the station! Other options are to buy through a ticket agency or travel agency in Moscow or try and make a booking
through online retailers such as www.poezda.net, www.
tutu.ru, www.trainsrussia.com and www.poezdmegapolis.ru but you might need a login and a password.
Odin bilet - One ticket
Dva bileta - Two tickets
February - March 2015
7
City Basics
Be on guard!
Avoid attracting unwanted attention by not speaking
loudly in your mother tongue, or walking the streets if
you have been drinking. If you are of African, Arab, or
Asian descent or have dark skin exercise caution, particularly at night.
Moscow Tourist Helpline (English)
(+7) 800 220 00 02.
Registration
Remember that you must be registered within 7 days of
your arrival in Russia (excluding weekends and public holidays). Hotels are legally obliged to register you within 24
hours of arrival. Many travel agencies can also register you.
If you don’t get registered on time, you can expect serious
problems when leaving, ranging from paying a fee, to missing your flight while officials interrogate you.
Money
The national currency is the rouble (Rbl). Banknotes come
in denominations of 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000. Rouble
coins come in 1, 2, 5 and 10Rbl. There are 100 kopeks to a
rouble and kopek coins come in 5, 10 and 50. It’s illegal to
pay in dollars or euros. You can find ATMs at most metro
stations, banks and large hotels.
Foreigner Prices
The ‘foreigner price’ is a hangover from the good old days
of Intourist-organised Soviet travel. At some theatres and
museums, foreigners are required to pay two to five times
more than the Russian price. Ouch! These institutions insist
that Russian tickets are subsidised with foreigners paying the
‘real price.’ If you have a document (propusk), which says you
work or study in Russia, you can usually get the local price.
Climate
Temparature, oC Rainfall, mm
Winters in Russia are fierce and February is typically one
of the coldest months of the year, with temperatures
sometimes getting as low as -20, so wrap up warm and
don’t forget your thick socks and warm gloves! Layers are
usually the most practical. Only in the end of March does
the city really start to thaw so until then expect a lot of ice
and snow in the streets and minuses on the thermometer.
Rain (max)
Highest recorded temperature (oC)
8Moscow In Your Pocket
Average temperature (oC)
Lowest recorded temperature (oC)
Customs
For most travellers leaving Russia you will just need to go to the
GREEN (nothing to declare) channel and you do NOT need to
complete the ‘Customs and Currency Declaration Statement’
upon arrival or departure (unless you are carrying thousands
of dollars in cash with you). Any art works, icons etc that are
over 100 years old cannot be taken out of the country. If you
are in doubt about antiques you have bought get an ‘expert’s
report,’ either from the Rosokhrankultura (Kitaigorodsky pr. 7,
bldg. 2, tel. (+7) 495 660 77 30) or an accredited shop. Travelling to most countries you can legally take 200 cigarettes and
2 litres of hard alcohol out with you. To some countries such as
Estonia, the allowance is less.
Mobile Phones
You can use your mobile phone from home if your provider
has a roaming agreement with a Russian mobile company.
To avoid roaming charges, you can get a Russian SIM card.
You’ll need to bring your passport to the store to register
your new sim card.
Alcohol
The traditional Russian alcoholic drink is of course vodka.
The Poles may also claim that they invented it, but what
is certain is that the Russians - and in particular the scientist Mendeleev - are the ones who perfected the recipe.
Vodka is cheap and there are literally hundreds of brands to
choose from. The most traditional way to drink it is straight
as a shot, followed by a salty snack. Beer (pivo) is now the
most popular alcoholic drink in Russia and Sovietskoye
shampanskoye (Soviet champagne) is the national party
drink. Take note that you cannot buy alcohol in shops that
is above 0,5% between 22:00 and 11:00.
Post
Only believe half the stories you hear about Russia’s post
system. Mail may get detoured, but usually not lost. If
you need to get something in or out of the country in
a hurry, consider a courier service. A letter to Europe or
Australia takes around three weeks. In addition to these
offices below, you can also buy stamps from any post
office in Moscow and drop them into any dark blue post
box around the city.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Language
useful phrases
Basic frases
No/Yes
Hello
Goodbye
Thank you
Sorry/excuse me
Please
I don't understand
I don't speak
Russian
Do you speak
English?
Help!
I need some
help
I don't want
Net/da
Zdrastvuite
Dasvidaniya
Spasibo
Izvinite
Pazhalusta
Ya ne panimayu
Ya ne gavaryu
pa-russky
Vy gavaritye
pa-anglisky?
Pomogitye!
Mne nuzhna
pomoshch
Ya ne khachu
Mnye (ne)
I (don't) like it
nravitsa
May I?
Mozhno?
Do you have...?
U vas est…?
I don't know
Ya ne znayu
How much is it? Skolko stoit?
It's expensive!
Eta dorogo!
Bolshoy/
Large/small
malenky
Khorosho/
Good/bad
plokho
It hurts!
Bolno!
Today
Sevodnya
Tomorrow
Zaftra
Could you write Zapishite
it down?
pazhalusta
Toilets
Tualet
Ostanavite
Stop here please
pazhalusta
When? At what Kogda? Vo
time?
skolko?
What time is it? Katory chas?
Who?
Kto?
How do you say Kak skazat eto
that in Russian? pa-russky?
No problem
Bez problem
Of course
Koneshno
Happy Holidays! S Praznikom!
Password
Parol
Нет/Да
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pocket dictionary: BLIN
Bliny are the essential Russian snack and during the week
of maslenitsa (the period before lent) you will see them
everywhere. In pagan times they were seen as symbolic of
the sun amongst Slavic people and so have always played
an important role in Russian traditions. The word itself is
believed to come from the old Slavic word ‘mlin’ meaning
‘to mill’ which is of course what you need to do to make
flour that is the core ingredient of bliny or their mini versions blinchiki. The word blin is also often blurted out in the
way that English speakers may say ‘oh sugar’ instead of, well
we’ll leave you to guess what. So the next time you hear
someone exclaiming ‘ai blin‘! rest assured they’re probably
not getting angry about their pancakes.
alphabet
А
Б
В
Г
Д
Е
Ё
Ж
A
B
V
G
D
E
YO
ZH
З
И
Й
К
Л
М
Н
О
Z
I
Y
K
L
M
N
O
П
Р
С
Т
У
Ф
Х
Ц
P
R
S
T
U
F
KH
TS
Ч
Ш
Щ
Ы
Э
Ю
Я
Ъ, Ь
CH
SH
SHCH
Y
E
YU
YA
no sound
February - March 2015
9
Culture & Events
Moscow can be considered as the birthplace of Tchaikovsky, Tolstoy, Stanislavsky, Chekhov, Bulgakov and co. – they
all took their inspiration from this magical and majestic
place. Live music from local and international performers
is another big part of the cultural landscape of the city and
on a lighter note, contemporary Moscow also sees the running of high heeled road races, honey festivals, air-guitar
competitions and other curious events.
concert halls and clubs
Crocus City Hall
QMKAD 65-66 Km, MMyakinino, tel. (+7) 499 550 00
55, www.crocus-hall.ru.
Luzhniki Stadium
QLuzhniki 24, MSportivnaya, tel. (+7) 495 637 02 62,
www.luzhniki.ru.
Moscow Conservatory, the Great Hall
QB-3, Bol. Nikitskaya ul. 13/6, MArbatskaya, tel. (+7)
495 629 94 01, www.mosconsv.ru.
Moscow Philarmonic Society
QB-1, Ul. Tverskaya 31/4, bldg. 1, MMayakovskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 232 04 00, www.meloman.ru.
RAY JUST Arena
QLeningradsky pr. 31, bldg. 4, MDinamo, tel. (+7) 495
940 67 55, www.rayjustarena.ru.
SK Olimpisky
QС-1, Olimpisky pr. 16, MPr. Mira, tel. (+7) 495 786 33
33, www.olimpik.ru.
Stadium Live
QLeningradsky pr. 80, bldg. 17, MSokol, tel. (+7) 495
540 55 40, www.stadium-live.ru.
State Kremlin Palace
QC-3, Ul. Vozdvizhenka 1, MBiblioteka im. Lenina, tel.
(+7) 495 628 52 32, gkd-kremlin.ru.
theatres
Bolshoi Theatre
QC-2, Teatralnaya pl. 1, MTeatralnaya, tel. (+7) 499 455
55 55, www.bolshoi.ru.
Helikon-Opera
QB-3, Ul. Novy Arbat 11, MArbatskaya, tel. (+7) 495
695 65 84, www.helikon.ru.
Maly Theatre
QС-2, Teatralny proezd 1, MTeatralnaya, tel. (+7) 495
624 40 46, www.maly.ru. UK
Mayakovsky Theatre
QB-3, Bol. Nikitskaya ul. 19/13, MArbatskaya, tel. (+7)
495 690 46 58, www.mayakovsky.ru.
Moon Theatre
QD-5, Ul. Malaya Ordynka 31, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7)
495 953 13 17, www.lunatheatre.ru.
Moscow English Theatre
Qwww.moscowenglishtheatre.com. Different performance venues, check the website for details.
Natalia Sats children’s Music Theatre
QPr. Vernadskogo 5, MUniversitet, tel. (+7) 495 930 70
21, (+7) 965 302 27 80, www.teatr-sats.ru.
10Moscow In Your Pocket
Sovremennik Theatre
QE-2, Chistoprudny bul. 19А,, MChistye Prudy, tel.
(+7) 495 621 64 73, www.sovremennik.ru.
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko
Moscow Music Theatre
QC-2, Ul. Bol. Dmitrovka 17, MChekhovskaya, tel. (+7)
495 723 73 25, www.stanmus.ru.
Taganka Theatre
QE-4, Ul. Zemlyanoy Val 76/21, MTaganskaya, tel. (+7)
495 915 12 17, www.taganka.theatre.ru.
FEBRUARY events
08.02 Sunday
20:00 Yann Tiersen
In Russia Yann Tiersen is
best known and loved for
his music for the ‘Amelie’
soundtrack - but it would be
wrong to pigeonhole him
purely as a film composer.
In reality the Frenchman’s
work spans a wide range of
genres. Adept on a range of
instruments as well as being
an accomplished composer,
Tiersen’s output runs the gamut from folktronica to classical minimalism, from post-rock to old-school indie. This
concert, part of a tour in support of his recent album ‘Infinity’, is likely to focus more on the latter; the evidence of
that disc suggests that, for the time being, Tiersen’s creative inspiration is finding its outlet in vocals and guitars
rather than elaborate instrumentation.QYotaspace (Glavclub), Ul. Ordzhonikidze 11, MLeninsky pr., tel. (+7) 495
230 10 30, www.yanntiersen.bzh. 1,900 - 5,000Rbl.
12.02 Thursday
20:00 Alex Clare
Sometimes life gives out
a second chance, as Alex
Clare’s career proves. In
2012, following the underwhelming performance of
his debut album, he was
working as an estate agent
and putting dreams of stardom behind him. Then the
fates intervened: one of his
songs was picked up for
a Microsoft ad and almost overnight the forgotten man
became a hot ticket. Last year’s follow-up release ‘Three
Hearts’ overcame some sniffy reviews to sell well in Europe
and his role in the updated version of Jeff Wells’ ‘War of the
Worlds’ also went down well. Can he take full advantage
of his professional reprieve and string together a lasting
career, or is this the last gasp of a limited talent? Hear for
yourself at Yotaspace.QYotaspace (Glavclub), Ul. Ordzhonikidze 11, MLeninsky pr., tel. (+7) 495 230 10 30,
www.yotaspace.ru. Tickets 1,800 - 5,000Rbl.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Culture & Events
14.02 Saturday
20:00 Garik Sukachov: My Vysotsky
Eventually every legend of the Russian music scene has to
square up with Vladimir Vysotsky, the great bard singer.
Vysotsky was a kind of Soviet Dylan; a man with a guitar and
a message that could not be silenced. Similarly his music
has been colossally influential on subsequent generations
of artists, and his songbook has been covered by pretty
much any serious (and many not-so-serious) singers ever
since. Garik Sukhachev was one of the enfants terribles of
the rock scene of the late Soviet era before his 90s band
Neprikaсayemye became one of the biggest act of the postCommunist years. Last year he recorded a Vysotsky tribute
album, featuring 13 songs. Many have been performed on
stage before, but this concert is the first time they have all
appeared together.QRay just Arena, Leningradsky pr. 31,
bldg. 4, MDinamo, tel. (+7) 495 940 67 55, www.garik.
su/albums. Tickets 2,300 - 1,500Rbl.
Buying concert tickets
Tickets for most events can be bought at ticket offices
and kiosks (teatralnaya kassa), of which there are many
in the city centre – they are usually very easy to spot as
they tend to be plastered in posters for concerts and
shows. Of course each venue also sells its own tickets
and some venues such as the Bolshoi Theatre also sell
tickets online. There are also a number of online services that allow you to reserve and/or buy tickets online
and most of them offer delivery anywhere in the city for
an additional fee.
Kassir.ru The only comprehensive website that offers
their event listings in English. Payment options include
cash (when picking up the tickets or if delivered) or
credit card (MC/V).
Bileter.ru This site has the most comprehensive listings available, but is only in Russian. Payment options
include cash (when picking up the tickets or if delivered) or credit card (MC/V).
17.02 Tuesday
20:00 Laura Pausini
One of the more unexpected pleasures for Anglophone
music lovers in Moscow is the wide range of Europop acts
that continue to tour here. Russians, unlike their Englishspeaking contemporaries, have never been daunted by
listening to songs in foreign languages and that means a
wealth of artists from France, Germany and, in this case,
Italy, have achieved success here. Laura Pausini wraps up a
two-year World Tour that marks 20 years since her breakthrough triumph at the Sanremo festival; in that time she’s
performed with the likes of Kylie Minogue, Andrea Bocelli
and Charles Aznavour, bringing her trademark style to a
host of ballads and love songs. Despite her fame on the
continent, though, she has seldom managed to attract
English-speaking audiences: her one English-language
release struggled for sales.QCrocus City Hall, MKAD
65-66 Km, MMyakinino, tel. (+7) 499 550 00 55, www.
laurapausini.com. Tickets 2,000 - 6,000Rbl.
23.02 Monday
19:00 Lyube
Defenders of the Fatherland Day is one of Russia’s most
patriotic celebrations, so what better way to spend it
than in concert with President Putin’s favourite band? The
group, renowned for its rousing ditties inspired by Russia’s
military power, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year,
and at a time when popular patriotism is at a rare peak in
the country it’s a fair bet there will be plenty of airtime
devoted to their music. Priding themselves on unpretentious lyrics that speak to the hard of those who have
served in Russia’s armed forces, the band blends rock and
folk motifs, the band moved away from its military image
with the release of 2009’s ‘Our People’, but in the current
political climate it’s likely that this gig will have them back
at their patriotic best.QCrocus City Hall, MKAD 65-66
Km, MMyakinino, tel. (+7) 499 550 00 55, www.lubeh.
matvey.ru. Tickets 900 - 14,000Rbl.
For all the latest concert, event and
exhibition news follow us on facebook at
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
February - March 2015
11
Culture & Events
russian rock
20.03 Friday
20:00 Vezhlivy Otkaz
Vezhlivy Otkaz have spent three decades treading the
more remote byways of contemporary avant-garde
rock, building up a cult following for their artsy, jazzinflected sound. These days they’re taking life a bit
easier - they’ve not released a new album since 2010’s
‘Gusi-Lebedi’ (Geese and Swans), and have focused on
a diverse range of solo projects including a series of
songs to commemorate the bicentenary of the battles
with Napoleon in 1812. Back in harness to celebrate
their 30th anniversary, this gig is a rare arena show
for a band more commonly found in smaller venues,
straddling the barriers between rock, jazz and contemporary classical.QYotaspace (Glavclub), Ul. Ordzhonikidze 11, MLeninsky pr., tel. (+7) 495 230 10
30, www.otkaz.ru. Tickets 100 - 2,500Rbl.
21.03 Saturday
19:00 Chaif
Another long-serving band celebrates its 30th birthday this year, but if Vezhlivy Otkaz’s artsy Petersburg
sound represents Russia’s intelligentsia, the old-school
blue-collar rock of Chaif! comes straight from the
factories of the Urals. And the band’s roots in Sverdlovsk, as Yekaterinburg was still known when Vladimir
Shakhrin and the boys first strummed a chord, are the
inspiration for the anniversary show at Olimpisky. The
evening promises a run-down of greatest hits and an
authentic singalong for fans of one of Russia’s most
enduringly popular acts; it might not be the high of
fashion, but for a bit of raucous good fun it’s hard to
beat.QSK Olimpisky (SKO), Olimpisky pr. 16, MPr.
Mira, tel. (+7) 495 786 33 33, www.otkaz.ru. 1,000
- 8,000Rbl.
12Moscow In Your Pocket
march events
01.03 Sunday
20:00 De Phazz
This German cutting-edge jazz group are frequent visitors
to Moscow, and their 2011 New Year’s Eve gig at 16 Tons
was one of the most talked about events of that winter.
But the appeal of this band never gets stale: founder and
producer Pit Baumgartner constantly rotates the line-up
of musicians with each passing album, guaranteeing an
ever-evolving sound that encapsulates the band’s determination to deliver futuristic jazz at every turn. The most
recent release, 2013’s ‘Naïve’, was something of a Greatest
Hits affair, reworking several popular classics into mellower, more jazzy versions. For a smooth evening of laid-back
lounge, De Phazz is hard to beat.QYotaspace (Glavclub),
Ul. Ordzhonikidze 11, MLeninsky pr., tel. (+7) 495 230
10 30, www.dephazz.com/. Tickets 2,000 - 10,000Rbl.
14.03 Saturday
19:00 Leonid Agutin
The presenter of the Russian edition of ‘The Voice’ is one
of the most influential figures in the country’s pop music
scene and his live shows are renowned for a glittering cast
of special guests. As one of the most popular singer-songwriters on the Russian pop scene, Leonid Agutin boasts an
extensive back catalogue of hits; although surprisingly his
one big international release, ‘Cosmopolitan Life’ in collaboration with Al di Meola, was largely overlooked in Russia
despite selling well around the world. Much of the music
in tonight’s show is to be performed by Esperanto, Agutin’s latest group of prodigies, and while the list of guest
stars is a closely guarded secret it is likely to an impressive
assortment of chart-toppers.QCrocus City Hall, MKAD
65-66 Km, MMyakinino, tel. (+7) 499 550 00 55, www.
agutin.com. Tickets 1,200 - 18,000Rbl.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Culture & Events
Exhibitions
Through 01.03 Sunday
PROzavod
Russia’s rapid industrialization in the early 20th century
transformed every facet of the country - including its artistic life. Magazines like ‘Constructing the USSR’ sent out
the leading photographers of the day to collect dramatic
images of vast projects - huge skeletal buildings going up,
roads and railways spreading out across the country. These
pictorial odes to the modern age forged the reputations of
several of the great photographers of the pre-war years,
before the lens was refocused by some of the independent
cameramen of the 70s and 80s stagnation era. This comprehensive exhibition explores how industry moved from
avant-garde to decadence over the course of a century,
and looks at the role of industrial art in a modern age when
many of Moscow’s factories are turning into cultural powerhouses.QC-4, Brothers Lumiere Center of Photography,
Bolotnaya nab. 3, bldg. 1, MKropotkinskaya, tel. (+7)
495 228 98 78, www.lumiere.ru. Tue - Fri 12:00 - 21:00, Sat
- Sun 12:00 - 22:00, Mon closed. Admission 190 - 350Rbl.
Through 08.03 Sunday
Classical French Art at Arkhangelskoe
Imperial Russia’s love affair with all things French
is well-known: time was
when fashion dictated even
princely underwear should
be sent to France to be laundered. But the legacy of that
entente cordiale offers more
than mere Parisian pampering, as a blockbuster new
art show at Arkhangelskoe is
out to prove. The aristocratic estate to the north-west of the
capital was home to the Yusupov family, and Prince Nikolay
was one of the most enthusiastic collectors of French art. His
legacy includes a collection of more than 100 works from
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the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Frequent trips to the
salons of Paris saw him become the first man to introduce
the works of Horace Vernet and Marguerite Gerard to Russian
audiences. Those works form the centrepiece of the Arkhangelskoe show, which includes 50 prime cuts from Yusupov’s
galleries.QState Museum-Estate Arkhangelskoe, 5km Ilinskoe Shosse, MTushinskaya, tel. (+7) 498 653 86 60, www.
arhangelskoe.su. Exhibition open 10:00 - 16:00, Sat, Sun
10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue and last Wed of the month.
Admission park 150Rbl, exhibition 150Rbl, with excursion
200Rbl. AUW
Through 12.04 Sunday
The Magic of the Body
The Tretyakov Gallery continues its exploration of
the nude with an exhibition devoted to the works
of 20th century artists.
The wide-ranging collection surveys many different approaches to drawing and painting a nude
model, ranging from the
dream-like beauty of Zinaida Serebryakova to the deliberate coarseness of the artists from the ‘Jack of Diamonds’
school, with its emphasis on brute force and physical
strength. Representatives of Russian Realist art and the
cult of physical fitness promoted by the USSR also feature in this large-scale retrospective that delves deep into
the vast storerooms of the largest collection of Russian
art.QB-5, Tretyakov Gallery at Krymsky Val, Krymsky
Val 10, MPark Kultury, tel. (+7) 499 238 13 78, www.
tretyakovgallery.ru. Open 10:00 - 19:30. Closed Mon.
Admission 100 - 360Rbl. English audio guide 250Rbl.
Through 12.04 Sunday
The Silver East
The treasures of Central
Asia go on display at Tsaritsyno with a glittering
display of jewelry from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan. Throughout
this region, made wealthy
by the trade routes linking east and west, master
craftsmen prided themselves on creating intricate pieces
full of tiny parts, matching the colorful and elaborate national costumes of these countries. Regional variations
can also be seen; Kyrgyz jewelers tend to a simpler, more
archaic style while Turkmen designs often have a monumental shape. The collection brings about 150 samples for
19th and early 20th century work, showing off the region’s
traditions prior to the interruption of creative life brought
by the 1917 Revolution.QTsaritsyno, Dolskaya ul. 1,
MTsaritsyno, tel. (+7) 495 321 63 66, www.tsaritsynomuseum.ru. Admission 80 - 350Rbl.
February - March 2015
13
Culture & Events
Traditional craft
from past to present
Painted lacquer snuffboxes became hugely
fashionable in the late
18th century, and quickly
evolved into a celebration of traditional Russian
cultural themes. The dark
backgrounds gave rise to
a host of brightly-colored
fairytale scenes, some
inspired by folk tales,
others by literary classics. It’s a snapshot of the Russian
landscape, its dense forests, mighty rivers and mythical
lost cities, and it’s a tradition which survived the Soviet
era without being pressed into propaganda service.
Russian masters of lacquer painting have shaped the
development of this medium all over the world. To
celebrate this rich tradition, the All-Russian Decorative
Art Museum is staging a special exhibition. More than
300 works by masters from Palekh, Fedoskino, Mstyora
and Kholui form the basis of the display, which includes
several items never seen before by the general public.
An important part of the show focuses on contemporary lacquerwork, showing how this tradition continues
to thrive and develop in the 21st century. QC-1, AllRussian Decorative Art Museum, Delegatskaya ul.
3, MTsvetnoy Bulvar, tel. (+7) 495 609 01 46, www.
vmdpni.ru. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Thu 10:00 - 21:00, Sat
11:00 - 19:00, Sun 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Tue and last
Mon of the month. Admission 20 - 200Rbl.
31.01 Saturday - 28.02 Saturday
Notation at Fabrika
The Fabrika art centre
celebrates its 10th anniversary with a musicallythemed exhibition, drawing art out of musical
notation. Attempting to
pin down the ephemeral
nature of music in the permanence of visual art is a
challenge that curators
Sergei Khachaturov and
Assi Philippi have met with what they describe as the
‘rustling of real and virtual scores’. Exploring the aesthetics and symbolism of stave, clef and quaver, a host of
artists from the Russian avant-garde and contemporary
traditions turn viewers into listeners and vice versa with a
range of works from traditional sculpture and painting to
multi-media installations.Q Fabrika art centre, Perevedenovsky per. 18, MBaumanskaya, tel. (+7) 499 265
39 26, www.fabrikacci.ru. Open 12:00 - 20:00. Closed
Mon. Entrance free.
14Moscow In Your Pocket
01.02 Sunday - 31.12 Thursday
Samovars of the 18th-20th centuries
Few things are as redolent
of Russia as a piping hot
samovar steaming away at
the table, dispensing limitless hot water for cups of
tea. This exhibition brings
many of the highlights of
the Lobanov family collection, covering the many
shapes and sizes of samovar that have been developed over the years including
the famous ‘cockerel’ design that won a gold medal at the
1873 World Expo in Vienna. There are also a few celebrity
urns. Perhaps the most intriguing is the samovar set that
the future Tsar Nikolai II was supposed to present to the
Emperor of Japan, while other figures from Russian history
including Alexander Blok, Vera Komissarzhevskaya and
Denis Davydov also feature in this extensive survey of the
samovar.QState Museum-Estate Arkhangelskoe, 5km
Ilinskoe Shosse, MTushinskaya, tel. (+7) 498 653 86 60,
www.arhangelskoe.su. Exhibition open 10:00 - 16:00,
Sat - Sun 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue and last Wed of
the month. Admission park 150Rbl, exhibition 150Rbl,
with excursion 200Rbl.
26.02 Thursday - 12.04 Sunday
David LaChapelle
He’s been called the Fellini of photography and his career
has seen him taking portraits of generations of celebs
since the 1980s. David LaChapelle started out working
for Andy Warhol’s ‘Interview’ magazine, where he developed the high-octane hyperrealism that has become his
trademark. But aside from the glitz and glamour of portrait
work, LaChapelle also has a keen interest in art history, often sneaking references to past classics into his prints or
using them to share a social message. This show at Moscow’s Multimedia Art Museum is one of the first events
of 2015’s Fashion and Style in Photography biennale.
QB-4, MAMM (Multimedia Art Museum Moscow), Ul.
Ostozhenka 16, MKropotkinskaya, tel. (+7) 495 637 11
00, www.mamm-mdf.ru/en. Open 12:00 - 21:00. Closed
Mon. Admission 50 - 400Rbl.
David LaChapelle, 2014
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Sport
Hockey season hots up
The KHL play-offs get underway at the end of February
with two of Moscow’s ice hockey teams gunning for glory
in the quest for the Gagarin Cup.
CSKA look to have the best chance; after several years
among the also-rans, the most successful club team in
hockey history has a competitive roster once again and is
powering through its regular season campaign. The Army
Men were so impressive that they secured a play-off spot
before the Christmas decorations came down, inspired by a
run of 19 wins in 20 games that recalled the all-conquering
swagger of their Soviet antecedents in the 70s and 80s.
This season’s team, under the guidance of head coach
Dmitry Kvartalnov, has been led by Alexander Radulov, the
KHL’s leading point scorer at the time of writing. Always a
volatile talent, Radulov’s career has been a mixture of stunning goals (check out his 2009 World Championship winner) and ill-disciplined disasters (remember his needless
and damaging penalties during the Olympic defeat to the
USA last year). Under Kvartalnov, though, he seems to be
reveling in the chance to play the high-tempo, passionate
hockey that he thrives upon, even if he still occasionally
picks up a ban for badmouthing the officials.
Other players to watch for include Stephane da Costa, the
first Frenchman to play in the KHL, and Evgeny Artyukhin,
a rugged ‘love-to-hate’ kind of forward whose contribution
is measured less in goals and assists and more in his ability
to intimidate opponents. It all adds up to potent attacking
force that is capable of going all the way this year and winning its first title since 1989, a fitting tribute to coaching
legend Viktor Tikhonov who died earlier this season.
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
Across town Dynamo will still fancy its chances despite a
slightly underpowered campaign. The Blue-and-Whites
were regular season champs last time around following
back-to-back Gagarin Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2013. That
success saw Oleg Znarok promoted to coach team Russia
and his long-serving assistant Harijs Vitolins has needed
a little time to adjust to life in the hot seat. This is a team
without stars; Vitolins has maintained the Znarok tradition
of well-drilled, hard-working line-ups that tend to be resilient, hard to score on and capable of blunting the liveliest
opponent. If defenses win championships, Dynamo can
hope to be in the frame as the post season gets underway.
The play-offs begin on Feb. 27 and 28 with CSKA almost
certain to be seeded at home in those games and Dynamo
likely to start with home ice advantage as well. There’s a
chance to check out both teams as the regular season
draws to a close – the pair face off at CSKA’s Leningradsky
Prospekt home on February 15 at 17:30. For full fixture details visit en.khl.ru.
Belgian test in Europa
League
Dynamo Moscow are the city’s sole survivors in European
competition after powering through the group stage in
style to reach the last 32 of the Europa League. The Blueand-Whites will face Anderlecht in the knock-out phase,
traveling to Brussels on February 19 before staging the
return leg at Arena Khimki on the 26th. Tickets should be
available via the club website, www.fcdynamo.ru, from
early February.
In the Russian Premier League, which is scheduled to restart on March 7, CSKA and Dynamo are both in pursuit of
runaway leader Zenit St. Petersburg. Improving Lokomotiv
are gunning for a European spot after the arrival of experienced Montenegrin head coach Miodrag Bozevic while
Spartak remain an enigma, the more so after reportedly
parting company with big summer signing Roman Shirokov. At the foot of the table Torpedo face a battle to avoid
returning to the second tier but will be hoping for a return
to their traditional Streltsov Stadium home as they fight for
the points to keep them up. Fixture details have yet to be
confirmed for the second half of the campaign; information
will appear in due course at www.rfpl.org.
February - March 2015
15
Features
Alexander Borisovich Titel, Artistic Director and Chief Director
of Opera in the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko
Moscow Music Theatre
Moscow is rightly renowned for its wealth of theatres, so if
the snow and slush are starting to get you down, why not
take refuge from the cold and warm your cultural cockles
with an evening of high drama. Should you be bored of the
Bolshoi, or think the MKhAT is old hat, you may want to take
a look at a couple of other venues on offer, one of them
bang in the centre, the other out towards Moscow State
University. Music, Maestro!
in London for the opera Oscar: the first ever international
opera award for best opera theatre. The Stanislavsky theatre
itself is beautifully decorated, with wide open spaces and a
gorgeous museum showing the history of the theatre, the
costumes used in the performances staged there, and the
spectacular stage sets.
As if classical music lovers needed an extra reason to
visit the world famous Stanislavskiy Theater, on February
18, 19, 21 and 22 the repertoire will feature the great
opera masterpiece “Khovanshchina” of the celebrated
Russian composer - a national treasure, really – Modest
Mussorgsky for the very time in its history. Mussorgsky
began composing this “national musical drama”, as he
often referred to it, at the relatively young age of 33 and
never managed to complete it before his death, though
he worked on it during 9 long years. Emotions that are
characteristic of youth remarkably intertwine with the
deep ponderation of a more wise and mature soul in
“Khovanshchina”.
In a grandiose historical fresco, the composer enriches real
historical events and people with those he concocted himself. The aim is not only to rationalize but also to feel, live
and emotionally undergo the epoch that saw one of the
greatest schisms in Russia’s history.
STANISLAVSKY
music THEATRE
and Khovanshchina
Dating back to 1918-1919, the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre is one of the
largest and most successful theatres of Russia. The opera
and ballet performances are well known to Moscow audiences, and attract more and more international visitors.
The theatre takes part in many international projects and
is nominated every year for the Golden Mask national
theatre award. In 2013 the theatre was even nominated
Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko
16Moscow In Your Pocket
Two of the most prominent masters of Russian musical
theater were in charge of the opera’s epic production:
Alexander Lazarev, an outstanding conductor, and
Alexander Titel, one of the Russian titans who specializes
in directing historic operas. These men were the ones who
put on Mussorgky’s “Boris Godunov” and S.S. Prokofiev’s
“War and Peace”. In 2012, their production of “War and
Peace” became one of Moscow’s most important opera
events. Titel and Lazarev have a long creative history with
one another – together they worked on N.A. RimskiyKorsakov’s “The Night Before Christmas” and P.I. Tchaikovsky’s “The Enchantress”.
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre
QC-2, Ul. Bol. Dmitrovka 17, MPushkinskaya, tel. (+7)
495 629 28 35, stanmus.ru.
Dva bileta pozhalusta –
two tickets, please
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Features
NATALIA SATS children’s
MUSIC TheatrE
AND Oliver twist
Once upon a time, there was little girl Natasha. Her mother
was a singer and her dad was a very famous composer.
When that little girl grew up, she set out to present the classics in a way that made them accessible to children.
Now, thanks to this little girl, there’s a very special place in
Moscow for young theater lovers and that place is The Natalia Sats Children’s Music Theatre specializing in opera, ballet and dramatic productions for children. The world’s first
professional theatre for children, it is famous worldwide as
the birthplace of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.
The theatre opened its doors to the young ones back in
1965 and by 1979 the Children’s Music Theatre moved into
the Palace of Children’s Opera, which was designed especially for the company. To celebrate and kick off its new
chapter, the theatre put on Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly”
which, by the way, was hugely successful in Albany, New
York as part of a 1986 cultural exchange of theatre troupes.
And it’s very hard to miss as it stands out from all other
theatres in town thanks to the “bluebird of happiness” the theatre’s symbol and a true monument to the best of
constructivist architecture – donning the roof. Once inside,
children will never want to leave this palace of costumed
characters, real birds singing in the aviary, decorative fish
swimming in the aquariums and story-books painted on
the walls in beautiful murals.
Last November was a very magical time for the theatre
as it celebrated the 50th anniversary of its very first performance (M. Krasev’s Morozko) which took place on November 21st, 1965. A very happy belated 50th birthday! In
these 50 years, the Sats theatre not only delighted children
at home but also abroad, in countries such as Belgium, Austria and former Yugoslavia.
Having such a rich past, the Sats theatre has a lot to offer
in the present, too! Nowadays, the theatre stages approxiwww.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
mately 30 operas and ballets a year. Natalia Sats’ educational philosophy is reflected in the repertoire and, alongside
new versions of fairytales such as Puss in Boots, Snow White
and The Frog Princess, there are also productions of “adult”
operas like Madama Butterfly and Eugene Onegin, as
well as more contemporary ballets like the Snow Maiden.
Fine, young talents work in the theatre and often go on to
achieve real fame after their time at the Sats theatre.
One of the newest and most exciting additions to the repertoire is a take on one of Charles Dickens’ most prominent
works, Oliver Twist! In the musical “The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Oliver Twist” we will once again
meet Oliver, the charming little rascal from London and his
buddies.
For those who are not too familiar with the plot, the story
follows an orphan, Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable
existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. Not keen on being constrained, he soon escapes
and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger,
leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets. That’s where naïvely unaware of their unlawful activities, Oliver is led to the
lair of their elderly criminal trainer Fagin…
His adventures will combine the best of Natalia Sats’ traditions with modern day broadway and theatre trends.
Alexander Tchaikovsky was responsible for the music and
children with serious theatrical training act out the roles of
Oliver and his little partners in crime. Kids and adults alike
would be missing out on first class entertainment if they
don”t make it to this production!
NatalIa Sats
CHILDREN’s Music
Theatre
QPr.
Vernadskogo
5, MUniversitet, tel.
(+7) 495 930 70 21,
(+7) 965 302 27 80,
www.teatr-sats.ru.
February - March 2015
17
Culture & Events
CELEBRATING
RUSSIA‘S WINTER
As you still reel from the festive onslaught
of Christmas, New Year, Christmas again - oh,
and Old New Year - Russia steps in with the
jab, uppercut and haymaker of Maslenitsa,
Defender’s Day and Women’s Day. Read our
guide to the pre-Spring holiday season, and
you may not need to throw in the towel.
Seconds out, round two...
18Moscow In Your Pocket
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Features
February is the coldest month in Russia, and after three or
four months of dark days and cloudy weather, we all need
a reason to celebrate. Fortunately in Russia there are plenty
of reasons to gather together with friends and celebrate
life in general. The season kicks off in romantic style with
Valentine’s Day, a time for couples to celebrate their love
and for singles to make the most of being single. This is
followed nine days later by Defender of the Fatherland day,
a great excuse for the girls to celebrate the courage and
fearlessness of their man, and for the lads to get together
and just celebrate being blokes with vodka, beer and the
sorts of stories they wouldn’t dare tell the girls, brave as
they are. If and when you survive these two celebrations,
it’s time to kick back and relax with a pancake or five
through the week of Maslenitsa, and once this marathon
effort is over, you’re ready for The Big One – International
Women’s Day. Roses are red, violets are blue, if you don’t
buy her flowers, that’s the end of you…
Defender
of the Fatherland Day
Defender of the Fatherland Day (it sounds just as longwinded in Russian) was originally a holiday to commemorate the
formation of the Red Army in 1918, and is still celebrated in
many former Soviet republics. In 1995 it became known
as the Day of the Military Glory of Russia, during a trend
for changing Soviet names, although it’s most commonly
known simply as Men’s Day. Although technically it is still
a military holiday, it’s also a public holiday, so all men are
celebrated, whether they’ve ever worn khaki or not, and
has in effect become the male counterpart (or perhaps pale
shadow) of International Women’s Day. February 23rd is
therefore accompanied by a host of beer and other alcoholrelated festivals to help the day go with a bang.
Russian Wide Maslenitsa in Pskov
Located just a few hours southwest of St. Petersburg, near
the Estonian border, Pskov is a great place to get away
from the city for a day, breathe some fresh air and enjoy
a walk back in time to mediaeval Russia. Dotted all over
the city are squat little domed churches, most dating from
the 15th and 16th century, and the oldest continually functioning monastery, the Monastery of the Caves, can also
be found here. Many features peculiar to Russian architecture originate in Pskov, and considering the violence to
which the city has been subjected over the centuries, it is
astonishing that so much of it remains. The crown jewel of
the city is and always has been the Kremlin, locally known
as the Krom. In its 1000-plus years, the Krom has been besieged 42 times, attacked by Teutonic knights, Muscovites
and Poles, but it was stormed only twice until the modern
era when German forces from both World Wars occupied
the city. Given the strength of its defences, it isn’t surprising that culture and the arts flourished within the city. Masons, icon painters and writers all developed and refined
their crafts here, and Pushkin himself spent considerable
time writing on his family’s estate just outside the city.
Steeped in history and rich in tradition and culture, there’s
no better place to experience the particularly Russian holiday of Maslenitsa than Pskov.
Festivities during Maslenitsa usually include a bustling
crafts fair, folk songs and dances, troika-racing through the
snow, ice sculptures, pole-climbing displays of strength
and virility by the gents, doll-making from the ladies and
did we mention bliny? Oh, the bliny. Stacks and stacks of
pancakes bought, sold and devoured, which culminate in
a contest whereby participants have 10 minutes to prepare the largest number of blini their hot little frying pans
can handle. The delectable results are then auctioned off
to benefit the Church of the Holy Martyr of Faith, Hope and
Charity. Don’t forget to stay for the burning of Kostroma
and cheer on the end of winter!
GETTING THERE: Train number 10 to Pskov departs daily
from Moscow at 16:55 from Leningradsky Vokzal (metro
Komsomolskaya). Buses depart on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays at 20:00 from Tushinskaya bus station (metro
Tushinskaya). A bus ticket to Pskov costs around 1000Rbl.
With the exception of Tuesdays and Sundays, you can fly
from Moscow to Pskov from Domodedovo Airport. Various
airlines fly between the two cities and an average ticket
costs between 4000-6000Rbl.
Maslenitsa
Maslenitsa is an ancient pagan festival which has been absorbed into Orthodox tradition and celebrates the end of
winter and the arrival of spring. Running from February 16th
to the 22nd, and known in other countries as Mardi Gras or
Carnival, In Russia it celebrates the last week before Lent with
a massive, knock-down drag-out pancake-fest designed to
carb load the faithful in preparation for 40 days of abstinence.
On the last day of Maslenitsa, there’s usually a union of pagan
and Christian traditions when a huge effigy - representing
winter – is set ablaze with true mediaeval pyromaniac glee.
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February - March 2015
19
Features
Wait For Me by
Konstantin Simonov
Wait for me, and I’ll come back!
Wait with all you’ve got!
Wait, when dreary yellow rains
Tell you, you should not.
Wait when snow is falling fast,
Wait when summer’s hot,
Wait when yesterdays are past,
Others are forgot.
Wait, when from that far-off place,
Letters don’t arrive.
Wait, when those with whom you wait
Doubt if I’m alive.
Wait for me, and I’ll come back!
Wait in patience yet
When they tell you off by heart
That you should forget.
Even when my dearest ones
Say that I am lost,
Even when my friends give up,
Sit and count the cost,
Drink a glass of bitter wine
To the fallen friend Wait! And do not drink with them!
Wait until the end!
Wait for me and I’ll come back,
Dodging every fate!
“What a bit of luck!” they’ll say,
Those that did not wait.
They will never understand
How amidst the strife,
By your waiting for me, dear,
You had saved my life.
How I made it, we shall know,
Only you and I.
You alone knew how to wait We alone know why!
Konstantin Simonov said
of his own masterpiece,
“There is no special story
to ‘Wait for me’. I was just
going to war, and the
woman I loved was staying behind. And I wrote
her a letter in verse.” Yet
the words that follow
were to be engraved in the hearts of countless Russians during the Great Patriotic War: it was cut out of
the paper, copied out, learned by heart, and sent back
in letters to wives and sweethearts. Not even originally intended for publication, in the history of Russian poetry it would be hard to find a poem which
had such an impact.
20Moscow In Your Pocket
Valentine’s Day
Few countries seem to
ooze romance the way
Russia does and it is surprising that Valentine’s
Day is a relatively recent
import. However, it is now
widely celebrated and if
you intend to go out this
Valentine’s, be prepared
to book in advance: restaurants are crowded and bars
are packed on the night of February 14 as couples dine
together to commemorate their love, and singles flock
to clubs offering special programmes to bring the lonely,
unattached, or just plain frisky together. The traditions are
similar to those in other countries, couples give each other
flowers, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, greeting cards,
and merry hell if either one forgets.
it’s all about love
In Russia when it comes to love, dating and letting someone know that you like them, the situation can seem for
foreigners, simultaneously complicated and simple. The
simple part is that Russia is a very direct culture, people like
you to say what you are thinking so asking a stranger out
need not be a frightening experience. You can simply approach someone and say ‘mozhnо s vami poznakomitsa?’
Can I make your acquaintance? If they’re not interested
then they will tell you something like ‘ostavte menya v pokoe’, essentially meaning, ‘leave me alone!’ And if they’re
interested it will be obvious. On the female front, the Russian woman needs constant compliments, she craves the
attention that is due her. So when dating you may want
to opt for saying something like ‘klassno vyglyadish’ (you
look great) or tell her that she’s ‘krasavitsa’ (a real beauty).
Women are not expected to be doling out compliments
so if you want to show him that you like him, smiling and
saying thank you is enough and letting him ‘zaplatit za
vsyo‘ (paying for everything), and allowing him to hold the
reigns in the choice of where to go and what to do will
please him more than enough.
Once you are ‘vmeste’ (together) as a ‘para’ (couple) both
sides can really get into using those sweet diminutives for
names so beloved of Russians. Your boyfriend Alexander
will then become Shurik, Sashulya or Sashenka and Olga
will become Olichka, Olyushka or Lyolya. Making sweet
names for the other usual top Russian names is just as easy.
Katya becomes Katyusha, Elena - Lenochka and Tanya Tanyusha. Misha can become Mishanya and perhaps Vladimir Putin gets called Vovchik! If it doesn’t work out you
may be hearing the words ‘my dolzhni rastatsa‘ (we need to
break up) or the more harsh ‘nasha vstrecha byla oshibkoy‘
(our meeting was a mistake). On the other hand if it’s really
‘lyubov‘ (love) then it’s probably expected that you will be
getting married. For a man this is ‘zhenitsa‘, literally getting
wifed, while a woman goes behind her man - ‘vykhodit zamuzh‘. And hopefully then you face the happily ever after
scenario ‘i zhili oni dolgo i shchastlivo’.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Features
Russian Women
On March 8, Russia celebrates International Women’s Day.
One of Russia’s biggest public holidays, it is second only
to New Year and Russians go all out to congratulate their
women. It’s impossible to ignore the infectious spirit of this
holiday. Beaming men wait with red roses at metro exits and
happy couples linger about in the streets. See them drinking champagne, while the first sunshine after many dark
winter months warms their hearts and their relationships.
Employers would be fools to forget to give gifts to their female staff. Many clubs and restaurants celebrate this special
day the evening before, so be sure to mark your calendar
and visit one. Women’s Day is has its roots in the (pre)revolution days. It was first celebrated in Russia on the last Sunday
of February 1913, in conjunction with the peace movement
on the eve of the First World War. The demonstrations marking International Women’s Day in Russia proved to be the
first stage of the Russian Revolution. In 1917 Russian women
rallied on the last Sunday of February for their right to bread
and peace. This demonstration was part of the movement
that led to the February Revolution. Four days later the last
tsar was forced to abdicate and women won their right to
vote. After converting the date to the Gregorian calendar,
March 8th became International Women’s Day. It is celebrated in every nook and cranny in Russia and flowers are
sold by the dozens. Following the October Revolution, the
Bolshevik feminist Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to
make it an official holiday, and during the Soviet period it
continued to celebrate ‘the heroic woman worker’. In the
West, International Women’s Day was commemorated during the 1910s and 1920s, but dwindled. It was revived by the
rise of feminism in the 1960s. In 1975, the United Nations
began sponsoring International Women’s Day. The general
idea of having an international women’s day worldwide was
first put forward at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid
world industrialization and economic expansion that led to
protests over working conditions.
Not so much the pillars of society as its elegant, yet steadfast Ionic columns, a veritable host of remarkable women
have helped shape Mother Russia over the centuries. To
mark International Women’s Day, we have selected just
a few of the most influential, illustrious and illuminating
female figures ever to have graced Russian history. You
should never forget your granny on March 8th, so nor will
we: in fact, we’ll kick off our list with Vladimir the Great’s.
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Olga of Kiev
A convert to Christianity at
least 30 years before Kiev
Rus’ followed suit, Olga was,
by all accounts, not someone to be trifled with. In
945, her husband Igor, son
of Rurik, was killed by the
Drevlians while attempting to collect tribute – it
was apparently the second
collection within a month,
hence their ire. In response, Olga had various Drevlian envoys buried or burned alive, before inviting another 5,000 to
a feast, who were also slaughtered. She then sent an army
to raze their city to the ground with the aid of – we kid you
not – incendiary-equipped birds. Most likely of Varangian
descent, her name is a derivation of the Old Norse Helga,
meaning “holy”, and is of course still in common use today.
Upon conversion to Christianity she took the name Elena,
and ruled as regent until her son, Svyatoslav the Brave,
reached maturity in 963. In fact she ran domestic matters for
a good few years after that, as Svyatoslav was much happier
waging war on neighbouring fiefdoms. Mindful no doubt
of her husband’s fate, Olga made changes to the tribute system in accordance with which appointed officials, and not
the ruler himself, did the collecting. She is thus credited with
making the first recorded legal reform in Eastern Europe.
Nadezhda Durova
The daughter of a Russian
army officer, Nadezhda Durova was raised in the care of
her father’s subordinates following a near-death experience in her early years when
her unstable mother, who
had wanted a son, snatched
her from the arms of her
nanny and threw her out
of the window of a moving
carriage. It is said that her favourite childhood toy was a gun,
and she wrote in her own memoir The Cavalry Maiden that
her “first cradle was a horse’s saddle”. The call of the army did
not leave Durova when her father retired, and in 1807 she absconded from home, disguised herself as a boy and joined up,
fighting with distinction in the Prussian campaign of 1806-7.
When she finally wrote home from the front, her family used
their connections to try to locate her, and word that a woman
was serving in the Imperial Army eventually reached an intrigued Alexander I. When she was summoned to court, Durova so impressed the Tsar that he awarded her the Cross of
St George and promoted her to the rank of lieutenant. In 1812
she saw action at both Smolensk and Borodino, sustaining a
leg injury at the latter from a cannonball. The Cavalry Maiden,
considered one of the earliest autobiographies written in Russian, may never have come to light at all had Durova not been
persuaded many years later to publish her war diaries by a
certain Alexander Pushkin.
February - March 2015
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Features
Catherine the Great
Alexandra Kollontai
Born Sophia Augusta Frederica, Catherine took her
more familiar name upon
conversion to Orthodoxy
at the age of 15. Her zeal
to be accepted in the Russian court was such that
the young princess very
nearly died of pneumonia
a few months previously
as a result of walking barefoot round the palace at night reciting her Russian lessons.
But although Catherine did not inherit Peter the Great’s
genes, she certainly fell heir to his expansionist instincts,
rapidly augmenting her empire to the west, south and east.
She also opened up Russia’s second route to the open sea
through the Bosphorous following her emphatic victory
over the Ottomans in 1774. At home, Catherine presided
over a flourishing of social and cultural life, although the
path she trod between autocratic ruler and enlightened
thinker was not always smooth: an enthusiastic correspondent with the leading intellectuals of the day, shortly before
the Pugachev rebellion she famously stated to Voltaire, “no
single peasant in Russia could not eat chicken whenever he
pleased”. Undoubtedly one of the central architects of Russia’s rise to the status of global power, Catherine may have
been a conflicted character, but her legacy is beyond doubt.
Probably the most prominent woman in the Soviet
administration following
the October 1917 Revolution, Alexandra Kollontai
was the first People’s Commissar for Social Welfare,
and during her relatively
brief spell in governnment,
founded the Zhenotdel
(“Women’s Department”),
which worked to improve the lives of women under the
new regime. Born in St Petersburg in 1872, Kollontai (she
retained her surname from her brief first marriage) had become interested in radical political thought while studying in Switzerland. Originally from the Menshevik faction,
she went across to the Bolshevik’s in 1915, but after the
revolution became increasingly critical of Lenin’s policies,
and she was ultimately sidelined into a diplomatic career.
Appointed Soviet Ambassador to Norway in 1923, and
later serving in Mexico and Sweden, she was to remain in
post in Stockholm until the end of the Second World War.
An unflinching advocate of free love, Kollontai’s death in
the early 1950s, just short of her 80th birthday, meant that
she did not live to see the wider embracing of her ideas in
the decades that followed. Her second marriage, to fellow
Communist Pavel Dybenko, was also not to last, although
Leningrad’s town planners have had the last word: Ulitsa
Kollontai and Ulitsa Dybenko run parallel in the eastern
part of the city, aptly connected by Prospekt Bolshevikov!
Sofia Tolstaya
Behind every great man,
and all that, but this literary giant’s devoted spouse
must really be put in a category of one. If you want
evidence, look no further
than the fact that she is
said to have copied out
– and edited – the manuscript of War and Peace
not once, but seven times.
Sofia was introduced to her husband’s writings at an early
stage in their relationship: on the eve of their wedding he
is said to have given her his diairies, which detailed, among
other things, his “idiscretions” with female serfs, one of
whom had borne him a child. Undeterred (although presumably more than a little miffed), Sofia added another 13
official offspring to the Tolstoy total, although “only” eight
were to survive childhood. Tolstaya can also lay claim to
being one of history’s first social photocorrespondents,
having taken up photography in 1887: she left a collection
of over 1000 photographs depicting not only her husband
and life on the Yasnaya Polyana estate, but also more generally the last days of tsarist Russia. She also left her diaries,
and a memoir simply entitled My Life. Sofia’s 48-year marriage ended on a sour note: after continual conflict over
Toltsoy’s stated determination to relinquish all his worldly
possessions, Leo abruptly left his wife at the age of 82, and
died less than two weeks later.
22Moscow In Your Pocket
Sofia Kovalevskaya
Born in 1850, Kovalevskaya was a renowned
mathematician,
writer
and advocate of women’s
rights in the 19th century.
Her struggle to obtain the
best education possible
forced her to study overseas, and she entered the
University of Heidelberg
in 1869. Dedicated to social reform, Kovalevskaya
made a key contribution
to opening university doors to women in Russia. In 1883
she lectured at the University of Stockholm and was
made Professor of Mechanics, becoming the first female
professor in Northern Europe. In 1888 she was awarded
the coveted Prix Bordin by the French Academy of Sciences for a pioneering paper on the motions of bodies,
and the following year, after vociferous lobbying by her
peers, was granted a Chair at the Russian Academy of Sciences, although she was never to receive a full professorship. In addition to her mathematical writings, Kovalevskaya also published her memoir A Russian Childhood,
co-wrote a number of plays, and authored the semiautobiographical novel Nihilist Girl.
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Features
Anna Pavlova
Marina Raskova
Born in Ligovo, St. Petersburg in 1881, Anna Pavlova’s passion for ballet
was ignited at an early age
when her mother took her
to see Sleeping Beauty at
the Mariinsky. Perhaps best
known for her creation of
the Dying Swan, Pavlova’s
rise was by no means a
steady one, and it was only
her extraordinary dedication that enabled la petite sauvage to become one of the greatest prima ballerinas of
the 20th century. Her unique, expressive style thrilled audiences all over the world, in fact it is said that no dancer,
before or since, has travelled as extensively: 350,000 miles
in 15 years. In order to better support her frail, rigid feet,
Pavlova added a wooden block to her ballet shoes in what
was considered a cheat at the time, but gave rise to the
now universal pointe shoe. She moved to London in 1912,
where she went on to become a major force in the development of British ballet. In 1931 Pavlova contracted pneumonia while on tour in The Hague, refusing a remedial
operation that might have meant she would never dance
again. Succumbing to pleurisy shortly afterwards, her last
words were said to be “Get my Swan costume ready.”
On a lighter note, in 1938
Marina Raskova took part
in the first non-stop flight
from Moscow to the Russian Far East. With an all-female crew, the flight lasted
26 hours and 29 minutes,
but for Raskova the journey
was to last a great deal longer: in poor visibility they
lost their bearings to the
landing site, and with her navigators’ compartment nonsurvivable in the event of a forced landing, she was forced
to bail out in mid-air. Armed with only a revolver and two
chocolate bars, it was another 10 days before she found
the plane in the wilderness. Following the outbreak of the
Great Patriotic War, Raskova formed three women-only
air regiments, evidently using her personal connections
with Stalin to overcome both bureaucratic and chauvinistic hurdles. The most famous of these was undoubtedly
the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment,
nicknamed die Nachthexen (“Night Witches”) by the Germans, which flew over 24,000 sorties during the course of
the war in antiquated bi-planes, and produced a remarkable 24 Heroes of the Soviet Union. Raskova herself, whose
childhood ambition was to be an opera singer, perished in
1943 attempting a forced landing near Stalingrad. The first
Soviet combatant of the war to be given a state funeral,
her ashes were interred in the Kremlin walls.
Marina Tsvetaeva
Were you to compile a list
of countries producing
tragic literary geniuses,
Russia would probably be
right near the top. If you
then made another list just
for Russia, then Marina Tsvetaeva would most likely
be at or near the top of that
one. Born in Moscow in
1892, Tsvetaeva’s family left
Russia for warmer climes during her early teens in a futile
attempt to prevent her mother from succumbing to tuberculoisis, and in 1910, aged just 18, she published her first collection of poems to considerable acclaim. Having returned
to Russia after the revolution, with no financial support, and
her husband Sergei Efron fighting with the White Army, in
1919 she placed both their daughters in a state orphanage,
where the youngest died a year later aged just 3 years old.
In 1922 Tsvetaeva went into political exile, living in poverty
in Paris, Berlin (where she was reunited with Sergei, who
she thought had been killed) and then Prague. In 1939 she
went back to the Soviet Union where both Sergei and her
surviving daughter Ariadna were arrested as spies. In 1941,
Sergei was executed, Ariadna imprisoned, and Tsvetaeva
hanged herself not long afterwards. Boris Pasternak wrote:
‘The greatest recognition and reevaluation of all awaits Tsvetaeva, an outstanding twentieth century poet.’ Tsvetaeva
left an immeasurable literary legacy, but her rehabilitation
was not to begin until the 1960s.
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Valentina Tereshkova
Not only the first woman
but also, as her enrolment
in the Soviet Air Force was
purely a formality for her
to officially become a cosmonaut, the first civilian in
space, Valentina Tereshkova
is the first great woman on
our list to still be alive today.
A textile worker by trade, it
was her weekend hobby,
skydiving, that led to her advancement into the fledgling
Soviet space programme. Selected from over 400 applicants, Tereshkova blasted off on her first (and only) flight on
16 June 1963, completing 48 earth orbits in just under three
days, in the process notching up more space time than the
entire US manned space programme had up to that point. Ha!
Tereshkova’s post-cosmic career took her first into engineering, thence into politics, where she became a high-ranking
member of the Supreme Soviet and the Central Committee.
Nor did her star fade with the collapse of the Soviet Union –
Tereshkova remains a revered figure in Russian public life, and
was one of the flag-carriers at the opening ceremony of the
2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. At one time a member of the
research team looking into the feasibility of going to Mars, in
2013 Tereshkova, then 76, was quoted as saying that she’d still
be prepared to go, even if it ended up being a one-way trip.
February - March 2015
23
Pokrovka
Walking tour Pokrovka
Basmanny district is one of Moscow’s most beautiful and
historically significant areas, closely associated with Peter I of Russia, Matvey Kazakov and Alexander Pushkin.
It extends northeast from Kitay-gorod, within the radial
boundaries of Yauza River, contains historical areas of Khitrovka, Clean Ponds, Red Gates, the German Quarter and
Basmannaya Sloboda and boasts memorial buildings of
Petrine Baroque, Neoclassicism and Art Nouveau periods.
It is indeed a glimpse into the Moscow of days past and
no street better represents the history, culture and life of
then and now than Pokrovka Street. It is mentioned in Griboedov’s “Woe from Wit”, Alexey Tolstoy’s “Peter the First”
and its perfect embodiment of historical Moscow made it
extremely popular among Russia’s cinematographers. For
example, a famous Soviet cult classic comedy film “The
Pokrovsky Gate” (directed by Mikhail Kozakov) is set in the
area around Pokrovsky Gate, which is a square situated
roughly midway down Pokrovka.
Lets begin with a little background of the origins of Pokrovka. This street got its name from the Church of the Intercession first mentioned all the way back in 1488. In 1778
the church was demolished but Pokrovka remained.
As with anything that bore any kind of religious connotation, the Soviets renamed Pokrovka to something more socialist sounding. The new name - Chernyshevskogo Street
- was an homage to Nikolay Chernyshevsky, a Russian
democrat and utopian socialist who was widely regarded
as the chief inspiration for Russia’s revolutionary movement
in the 19th century. To immortalize his actions and deeds,
a statue was erected in his honor in 1988 and remains on
Pokrovka 16 until this day.
And as with many central streets that were renamed by the
Soviets, Pokrovka got its original name back after the fall of
the USSR and, ironically, embraced capitalism as luxurious
hotels and apartments, modern business centers and posh
restaurants started popping up.
That is not to say that Pokrovka has lost its classic Moscow
feel. For example house number 1/13/6 is a residential
house designed in 1871, which is now a cultural heritage
site. Several beautiful churches, cathedrals and other reli24Moscow In Your Pocket
gious places line the street making it a highly important
area in Moscow for spirituality and Russian Orthodox Christianity. Mansions that belonged to Moscow’s merchants
of the 19th century are beautiful site to behold, especially
now that many of them have undergone much-needed reconstruction. One of these mansions (house number 22/1)
was even frequented by Alexander Pushkin and Olga Pushkina for dance lessons. House number 38A was the main
city residence of nobles families like the Shuvalovs and
later Golitsyns (duchess Natalia Petrovna Golitsyna was the
inspiration for Pushkin’s “Queen of Spades”) and is one of
the most significant buildings in Moscow embodying the
period of early classicism.
Apart from soaking in history, Pokrovka is a street wellknown for culture, art and entertainment. For example, at
the very end of the street (house number 47/24) you will
find 35mm, Moscow’s premiere cinema for foreign language movies, art house films and festivals. Children and
adults alike would certainly enjoy a trip to the Museum of
Unique Dolls (house 13/2), where the art of doll making in
Russia, Germany and England over the last two centuries
receives special attention: glass cabinets are packed with
more than 6,000 wax, plastic and cloth figures as well as
English doll houses.
No one can ever go hungry or thirsty here, either. If you’re
looking for simple Russian fare in original and quirky surroundings, go to Dacha na Pokrovke (house 18/15), a
café/restaurant spread over the upper floor of a crumbling
medieval mansion with its collection of Soviet and preSoviet armoires, radios, telephones and crockery of the
type you’d usually find at a flea market. The menu focuses
on simple Russian classics while in the summer months a
barbeque grill kicks off in the leafy garden out front with
succulent shashlik.
For a quick tasty breakfast pastry or lunchtime snack, pop
into Bulka (house 19) where everything laid out in the endless display counter is as good as it looks. To sink your teeth
into contemporary Georgian goodness in contemporary
surroundings – and at very reasonable prices – Saperavi
would be our pick on Pokrovka (house 5). The menu does
hold good classics like an excellent meaty take on the clasmoscow.inyourpocket.com
Pokrovka
sic red bean lobio and a very cheesy khachapuri (stuffed
cheese bread), but also adds its own twists on things, as
for example with the mint and cheese khachapuri - add in
thirst-quenching homemade lemonades and reasonably
priced wines and you are on to a winner! Nearby, you can
also find Dolma (house 16) in case you want a broader
selection of various Caucasian cuisines. It doesn’t have the
fake foliage and costumed waiters so typical of Caucasian
restaurants until recently, but rather the laidback comfort of
a stylish armchair and an exposed brick urban vibe.
The best beer spot on Pokrovka would have to be Pilsner
(house 15/16) Already seeing almost three million people
through its doors since its founding in 2005, the chain has
sold a staggering 3,000 tons of local Czech beer. Although
situated on a main road, once inside a friendly traditional
pub atmosphere will make you think you’re in Prague, and
the menu’s reasonable prices allow you to sample a wide
array of Czech cuisine.
Partying is another thing that Pokrovka is absolutely suitable for. Krizis Zhanra (house 16/16 bld. 1) is a longtime
favorite that never ceases to get old - or popular! Known
for its popular lunch specials, Krizis Zhanra is also an excellent selection for dinner, before it then turns into a nightclub (could be best described as a hipster disco) starting at
about 22:00. This is where the “crisis of genre” comes in: this
place changes its format multiple times throughout the
day. It is absurdly affordable for its location.
Another noteworthy place that you won’t find anywhere
else in town is Tsiferblat, café turned common room. It
works on a unique concept whereby you pay for the time
you spend here and everything else (provided they have it)
is complimentary. When you arrive you select a clock and
your name and time is written on a board, when you leave
you pay for each minute you stayed - 3Rbl per minute for
the 1st hour, and 2Rbl per minute after that. You can help
yourself to tea, coffee and biscuits from their little kitchen
and you are welcome to bring in your own sandwiches etc
too. Dozens of board games, chess and backgammon sets
are available and there’s also free wi-fi and large tables for
working or studying. Warning: no alcohol.
If your budget permits and you’d like to make Pokrovka
your temporary home while on holiday or business in Moscow, the Mamaison All-Suites Spa boutique design hotel (house 40/2) is a fantastic option. The cigar lounge and
the restaurant are stellar, created from the excitable minds
of Russia’s best designers. An abundance of French furniture turns the hotel into a gallery. The Mamaison Pokrovka
has only suites and apartments (no standard rooms) and
all are filled with hip 1930s and 1950s design features and
modern kitchenettes. The small foreign literature library
suffices, should you get bored with the state-of-the-art
televisions, wireless Internet and luxury spa complex with
hydromassage pool.
Obviously, there are plenty more cafes, restaurants, bars
and places of interest on Pokrovka that suit absolutely all
tastes and interests but we would have to fill this entire issue with their descriptions so it would be if you went to
discover this fascinating, historically significant part of Moscow for yourself!
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Cosy Russian restaurant
Traditional Russian cuisine
Pokrovsky Boulevard 18/15
+7 499 764 99 95
www.dacha-na-pokrovke.ru
DON GIULIO
Salumeria
Formaggeria
Prodotti Italiani
a Mosca
This unusual little shop
marks out its own Italian
territory in the unfamiliar
Moscow surroundings.
The combination of the
most traditional Moscow
architecture in the centre
of the city and the powerfully beating Italian heart
inside makes this little shop a truly inimitable environment. The owner himself, Giulio Zompi, will be happy
to use his expertise of selling Italian wines to advise
you on what to drink with your fresh assortment of
Italian goods. They also opened a shop at Mal. Bronnaya ul. 22/15 (entrance via tea house Le Voyage du
Thé, metro Tverskaya) and Presnenskaya nab. 10 (Moscow City, tower B, metro Vystavochnaya). Don Giulio’s
latest venture is La Scarpetta, a restaurant that takes
its Italian roots just as seriously as do the shops. It is
located on pereulok Kholzunova 9/1, just a short walk
from Frunzenskaya metro station. QE-2, Ul. Pokrovka
27, MChistye Prudy, tel. (+7) 926 666 33 70. Open
10:00 - 21:00. A
February - March 2015
25
Where to eat
Within the same Moscow city block you can find both good
and bad service, five-star fine dining and hot dog snack vans.
Muscovites love going out, so most restaurants tend to fill
up quickly. To be sure of getting a table, make sure to book
in advance. Be aware that many restaurants morph into bars
and clubs in the later hours of the evening, so make early reservations if you want some peace and quiet. Tipping is one
Western tradition that Russians are making their own. Tip for
good service only - around ten percent is considered fair.
Our price guide is based on the average price of
a main course:
€ - 0 - 400Rbl
€€ 400 - 800Rbl
€€€ 800 - 1,200Rbl
€€€€ 1,200Rbl plus
Russian and Ukrainian
Cafe Chekhov
Set right next to the Chekhov theatre, the interior here is
inspired by the great playwright’s era. The dining room
is decorated in beautiful bright white with art nouveau
cornices, stained glass lamps and even the waitresses
wear contemporary costume. Chekhov boasts to serve
‘new Russian cuisine’, although in our book there’s nothing Russian about pasta and ruccola. Their version of
borsch with apples in it is however a welcome innovation.QKamergersky per. 3, MTeatralnaya, tel. (+7)
495 629 06 16, www.cafe-chekhov.ru. Open 12:00 24:00. €€. PAGSW
SYMBOL key
P Air conditioning
A Credit cards accepted
E Live music
S Take away
T Child-friendly
U Facilities for the disabled
G Non-smoking areas
L Guarded parking
V Home delivery
W Wifi
26Moscow In Your Pocket
Cafe Pushkin
This aristocratic restaurant is extremely famous and just as
popular with local business men as passing tourists. Diplomats, bankers and Moscow’s rich and famous now frequent
it, but at one time it was the city’s only upper class restaurant
where you could eat European standard food. The Russian
and French cuisine recalls Tsarist times and on the first floor
there is a sophisticated 24-hour café and a restaurant called
the Library Room, which has a splendid view of Tverskoy Bulvar.QB-2, Tverskoy bul. 26a, MTverskaya, tel. (+7) 495 739
00 33, www.cafe-pushkin.ru. The first floor open 24hrs,
the second floor 12:00 - 23:30. €€€€. PAVEGW
Dacha na Pokrovke
The Dacha on Pokrovka is the place if you are looking for
simple Russian fare in original and quirky surroundings.
Spread over the upper floor of a crumbling medieval mansion this café/restaurant with its collection of Soviet and
pre-Soviet armoires, radios, telephones and crockery of
the type you’d usually find at a flea market, certainly has a
special kind of charm. The menu focuses on simple Russian
classics while in the summer months a barbeque grill kicks
off in the leafy garden out front with succulent shashlik. Live
music most evenings.QE-3, Pokrovsky bul. 18/15 (entrance from Podkolokolny per.), MKitay Gorod, tel. (+7)
499 764 99 95, www.dacha-na-pokrovke.ru. Open 12:00
- 04:30. €€. PAEGSW
Odessa Mama
Drawing inspiration from the slightly raffish Ukrainian port
that launched a thousand summer holiday memories, it
presents a range of childhood favorites in an atmosphere
that has had crowds flocking to the large dining hall near
Chistiye Prudy. Meanwhile, a nod to Odessa’s Jewish heritage brings a couple of items that you won’t find in your
staff canteen - the hummus, currently Moscow’s most fashionable dish, is worth a look. If you grew up in the USSR, this
is like going back to your carefree childhood; if you didn’t
it’s maybe a bit difficult to see what the fuss is about.QD-2,
Krivokolenny per. 10, bldg. 5, MChistye Prudy, tel. (+7)
964 647 11 10, www.cafeodessa.ru. Open 12:00 - 23:00.
€€. PTAVEGSW
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Where to eat
Asian and Indian
Aozora
You know how people often tell you that once you’ve
eaten sushi in Japan you can’t really go back to eating it
anywhere else? Well, what about when you are in Moscow
and find yourself in a restaurant full of Japanese people
eating sushi - must be a good sign, right? We freely admit that Aozora is located in a large hotel, but don’t let
that put you off.The interior here is an effective mix of
gold leaf, samurais and steely grey, and the menu doesn’t
disappoint. As well as sashimi and sushi/rice boxes, there
are great udon soups, grilled fish, tempura and for the fat
wallets - real Kobe beef.QHotel Sputnik, Leninsky pr. 38,
MLeninsky prospect, tel. (+7) 495 930 58 30, www.
aozzora.com. Open 12:00 - 23:00. €. PAVW
Bely Zhuravl
Possibly the best Korean food in Moscow is served up at this
simple restaurant, and the portions are huge! Plenty of complimentary Korean pickled delights (including kimchi) are
provided to tide you over until the main dishes arrive. The
idea here is to bring a group of friends and share things out
between you as the soups, noodles and meat dishes come
by the kilo. Unfortunately the lack of English menu can make
it difficult to order if you are not familiar with Korean cuisine,
although there are at least pictures.QFrunzenskaya nab.
14, MPark Kultury, tel. (+7) 495 775 06 56, www.beliyjuravl.ru. Open 12:00 - 23:00. €€. PAVSW
Darbars at Starosadsky
Darbars is known for the authentic fresh Indian food which
at one time could only be found in the hotel Sputnik. Since
they took over the famous and popular Maharaja restaurant,
you can now find them in the centre too. The chef and staff
are the same as in the Maharaja and continue their tradition of renowned Indian hospitality, welcoming you with a
complimentary crispy papadum starter. Follow this with a
wide choice of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes all prepared
according to traditional methods, and to whatever level of
spiciness takes your fancy.QD-3, Starosadsky per. 1, MKitay Gorod, tel. (+7) 495 963 757 02 90, www.darbar.ru.
Open 12:00 - 24:00. €€. PAVGS
Tan
Sometimes it can be hard to find a really good Chinese
restaurant, and not just in Moscow, but anywhere. Tan,
however, just off Triumphalnaya Square, bucks this trend.
The menu boasts a huge choice of high quality traditional
Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese dishes, more modern
adaptations and as a vast selection of teas. The service is
impeccable, the decor is oriental but comfortable, and
the sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere is enhanced by
the house pianist. This is the perfect venue to go to with
a group of friends, either after work, on the weekend or
to celebrate a special occasion and sample as many of
the dishes as possible.QB-1, Oruzheiny per. 13, bldg.
1, MMayakovskaya, tel. (+7) 495 787 51 88, www.
restorantan.ru. Open 24hrs. €€. PAGSW
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russian cuisine
Traditional Russian food is rich and stodgy peasantfare with a dash of French inspired creamy sauces and
other scrumptious flavours. If you are wondering what
that green grass stuff is, it’s dill (ukrop) and it usually
finds its way into everything.
Bliny and snacks
Snacks (zakuski) are very popular and include all
manner of pickled things as well as small open sandwiches (buterbrod). Pancakes (bliny) are very popular and may come with savoury fillings such as ham
(vetchina), caviar (ikra), cheese (syr), mushrooms (griby) or sour cream (smetana) or with sweet filling such
as honey (myod) or condensed milk (sgushchonka).
Soups and salads
Russians are big on soup and there are literally hundreds of different kinds. The quintessential Russian
soup is of course the beetroot and beef based borsch.
Ukha a fish soup often made with salmon or trout is
another favourite as is the heavy meaty ‘hunters’ soup
Solyanka.
Russian salads invariably have mayonnaise in them
and are a permanent feature on any menu. The classic
Russian salad is Olivye - boiled potatoes, carrots, peas
and eggs, pickled Cucumbers with either cheap spam
ham or something luxurious like lobster, sturgeon or
crayfish. Selyodka pod shuboy which translates as
‘herring under a fur coat’ is another popular salad consisting of layers of pickled herring, boiled potatoes and
beetroot.
Main dishes
Pelmeni - boiled dumplings stuffed with meat and
served with sour cream. Varenki are the same but
stuffed with vegetables or sweet fillings. Uzbek versions (manty) are slightly bigger and often steamed,
while the Georgian versions (khinkali) are huge and
eaten with the hands.
Beef stroganoff - a Russian classic, famous across the
world. Kotlety - little meat patties usually made with
minced beef (govyadina) or pork (svinina). Frikadelki
are meatballs and similar in taste but made with rice
and meat and usually served with a sauce.
February - March 2015
27
Where to eat
Beer Restaurants
Kozlovica
Keep an eye to the sky to spot this traditional Czech pub
from the street. In this medieval hall with carved wooden
furniture, you will find no nonsense wholesome Czech
food, including the famous beer sausages, accompanied
by top quality authentic Czech beer, Velkopopovicky
Kozel, served at the optimum temperature of 10-12 degrees, at which the locals say it releases its true flavour.
QD-4, Pyatnitskaya ul. 29, MNovokuznetskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 258 28 23, www.kozlovica.ru. Open 12:00 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 01:00. €€. PAVSW
Pilsner Paveletskaya
Already seeing almost three million people through its
doors since its founding in 2005, the Pilzner chain has
sold a staggering 3,000 tons of local Czech beer. Head
chef, Robert Masopust, brings traditional meat heavy
Czech cuisine straight from Prague, where classic beer
sausages dominate the menu, although a fine choice
of other specialties and large salads are on offer as well.
Also at Pokrovka 15/16 (Chistye Prudy), 1-ya TverskayaYamskaya ul. 1 (Mayakovskaya), ul. Bol. Polyanka 44/2
(Polyanka), Presnensky Val 4/29 (ul. 1905 goda).QD-5,
Ozerkovskaya nab. 56, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7) 495
951 86 33, www.pilsner.ru. Open 12:00 - 01:00. €€.
PAGSW
Cafes and Bakeries
Bublik
Set in the bright surroundings of a 19th Century house on
one of the city’s most verdant boulevards, this delightful deli-style bakery is an inviting place to sit and enjoy
a coffee and a pie or a real sandwich (as opposed to the
slice of bread and salami combo that sometimes passes
for sandwiches in Russia). The staff work well and with
grace, despite having to wear bizarre giant chef’s hats,
and everything is fresh. The only thing they need is more
cushions for the hard wooden chairs.QB-2, Tverskoy bul.
24, MPushkinskaya, tel. (+7) 495 629 13 42, www.
ginza.ru. Open 08:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 02:00. €€.
PAGSW
Bulka
Although the staff are smiling away and the interior is a
fashionable minimalist leather and brown, full glass frontage affair, you may prefer just to pop in here and take
something to go, given that with the ovens and glass
surround it has the potential to get very stuffy. If it isn’t
too hot though, by all means settle in and enjoy a fantastic range of pastries - the fruit pies are incredibly rich,
and neither the tartly sweet creations nor the fresh bread
that goes into the sandwiches can be faulted. In fact everything laid out in the endless display counter is as good
as it looks. QE-2, Ul. Pokrovka 19, MChistye Prudy, tel.
(+7) 495 624 95 57, www.bulkabakery.ru. Open 08:00 23:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 24:00. €. PASW
28Moscow In Your Pocket
Coffee Pyu
One half beauty salon, one half café - for manicures turn
left and for coffee turn right. In addition to the aromatic
coffee brews there’s also a wide range of teas as well as
delicious cakes and homemade main meals to enjoy. In a
confident move ‘I drink coffee’ has an open kitchen, which
is so low and open you could almost pull up a stool and
sit at the counter and start pestering the chef - in fact
the place is so laidback, you almost get the feeling they
wouldn’t even mind if you did.QD-2, Chistoprudny bul. 9
bldg.1, MChistye Prudy, tel. (+7) 495 624 29 83, www.
coffee-piu.com. Cafe 08:00 - 23:00. Sat. and Sun. 10:00
- 23:00. Beauty Salon 10:00 - 22:00. €. PAGW
Khleb and Co
This swanky little bakery, near the Church of Christ the
Saviour is just the spot to pick up a lunch time snack,
breakfast croissant or a crusty fresh loaf to go with that
soup you’re planning for dinner. The entrance way is the
same door as for Restaurant Vertinski. Service is accommodating, packaging is slick and everything is baked
according to the French bakery tradition. Also at ul.
Tverskaya - Yamskaya 12/14 (metro Mayakovskaya) and
Chistoprudny bul. 12/4 (metro Chistye Prudy).QB-4, Ul.
Ostozhenka 3, MKropotkinskaya, tel. (+7) 962 091 15
98, www.eatout.ru. Open 08:00 - 23:00, Sun 09:00 22:00. €€. PASW
Caucasian
Gayane’s
An informal restaurant serving real Armenian home food.
Great examples of the region’s specialities can all be tasted here, like for example the flat stuffed breads zhingalov
khats and the delicious lamadjo as well as filling spiced
minced meatballs (kyufta). Matsoni (a kind of fermented
yoghurt sauce) is an essential accompaniment. The presence of numerous expatriated Armenians kicking back
and relaxing with fine cognac is a sure sign of Gayane’s
authenticity. Adventurous diners may want to test themselves on the unusual khash soup made from various cow
bits and said to be the ‘food of heroes’. The street is located directly across the Garden ring from Smolenskaya (dark
blue line) metro station.QA-3, 2-y Smolensky per. 1/4,
MSmolenskaya, tel. (+7) 499 795 11 60, www.gayanes.
ru. Open 12:00 - 24:00. €€. PTAVSW
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Where to eat
Khachapuri
An inexpensive little Georgian café with a minimalist
interior that shuns the usual plastic grapes and kitschy
music in favour of bright New York loft style surroundings. The khachapuri (cheese bread) after which it
is named, is quite OK and in our book any place that
will serve you Georgian cheese bread with an egg on
top for breakfast will always get a big thumbs up. The
shashlik (shish kebabs) comes accompanied by plenty
of greens and onions and is washed down nicely with
homemade fruit drinks.QB-2, Bol. Gnezdnikovsky
per.10, MTverskaya, tel. (+7) 495 629 66 56, www.
hacha.ru. Open 10:00 - 23:00. Sat, Sun 11:00 - 23:00.
€. PAVEGSW
food from former
republics
Noev Kovcheg
The rich traditional Armenian décor, low lighting, and
even a pond of tropical fish Noev Kovcheg as a destination of Moscow’s finest. The venue was opened on the
17th of the 7th month - the day when Noah’s ark is said
to have ran aground. The menu offers many classic shish
kebab dishes, backed up by a plethora of fine wines.QD-3,
Maly Ivanovsky per. 9, MKitai Gorod, tel. (+7) 495 917
07 17, www.noevkovcheg.ru. Open 12:00 - 24:00. €€.
PAVGSW
One of the unquestionable pluses of Russia’s Soviet
past is the popularity of restaurants serving cuisine
from former Soviet republics. Of these the most popular both with locals and visitors is probably Georgian,
but there are also Armenian, Uzbek, Azeri and Kazakh places, as well as generalised ‘Caucasian’ cuisine
which appears all over the place. Although generally
quite meat-heavy - a staple of Caucasian cuisine is the
fabulous shashliky (grilled kebabs) which appear on
every menu - food from this part of the world is also
a good option for vegetarian visitors, making use of
the vegetables and pulses native to that part of the
world. Particularly popular dishes include Georgian
khachapuri (cheese-stuffed bread), satsivi (chicken
in walnut sauce), khinkali (giant meat-filled dumplings) and lobio (red bean stew with spices, herbs and
pomegranate seeds), Uzbek plov (rice with lamb) and
lagman (thick noodle and meat soup and Armenian
dolma (stuffed grape-leaves).
Saperavi
Saperavi deals in contemporary Georgian cuisine in contemporary surroundings. No tacky water features here,
thank you very much: instead it’s bright colours, stylish lighting, comfy chairs and a little light house music.
The menu does feature good, solid fare like an excellent
meaty take on the classic red bean lobio and a very cheesy
khachapuri, but also adds its own twists on things, as for
example with the mint and cheese khachapuri. They also
do an great job of explaining the ins and outs of all the
exciting dishes on offer.QА-1, 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya
ul. 27, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 499 623 89 93, www.
saperavicafe.com. Open 11:00 - 24:00, Thu - Sat 11:00 01:00. €. PAVGSW
European
Björn
The moment the the doors of Björn were opened to the
Moscow public, word spread like wildfire. In the evening
this laconic, nature-inspired and utterly Scandinavian
place has very few free tables. The secret to Björn’s success is, of course, the typical contemporary Scandinavian
approach to food: an abundance of rich, imaginative
flavours in tune with nature and none of your pretentiousness. The Danish head chef ensures that everything
guests taste is in complete accordance with the best
northern cuisines have to offer. Scandinavian specialties such as venison, salmon, herring and cod taste even
better with friendly staff and a delightful northern drinks
menu!QD-4, Pyatnitskaya ul. 3, MNovokuznetskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 953 90 59, www.bjrn.ru. Open 12:00 23:00. €€€. PAGW
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Brix
If it is fine wine you seek, look no further. There are few
better bars where you can sip a good wine in good company than at Brix 2. Whilst the bar’s chic character may
match its classy customers - neither reflect its modest
prices. With wines so well-selected and well-priced,
what’s the catch? We haven’t found one yet!QB-2, Maly
Kozykhinsky pereulok 10/1, MTverskaya, tel. (+7)
495 925 95 94, www.brix-bar.ru. Open 12:00 - 24:00.
PAW
Coin
Despite its name, this former printhouse offers a very
reasonably priced varied menu of fantastic European
food, and boasts a drinks menu for any occasion. Owner Alexander Shikin has plans to introduce concerts
and exhibitions to this vast, stylishly renovated industrial space where there are already multiple screens
for sports viewing. Be sure to check the restaurant’s
Facebook page for updates.QD-5, Pyatnitskaya ul.
71/5, bldg. 2, MDobryninskaya, tel. (+7) 495 227 67
80, www.coin-hall.ru. Open 12:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun
closed. €€. PTAGW
February - March 2015
29
Where to eat
Funky Lab
Popcorn with hot chilli sauce might sound like a strange
combo, but not at Funky Lab. What’s really in a name? This
restaurant serves food in a funky way, with a lot of attention
being placed on how it is presented to you. Why read from
a menu when there is a tablet available with pictures of all
the dishes? Don’t be surprised when you pick out a dish here
just because of the way it looks. But the best thing about
Funky is that, while presented in a beautiful and funny way,
the food is just plain good. A relaxed atmosphere, friendly
service and very reasonable prices in a down-to-earth location – this restaurant deserves its visitors.QC-4, Ul. Bolshaya Polyanka 7/10, bldg 1, MPolyanka, tel. (+7) 495 951
06 07, www.funkylab-bar.com. Open 12:00 - 24:00, Sat,
Sun 14:00 - 02:00. €€. PAEGSW
Red Pepper
This unpretentious restaurant with its inviting open kitchen offers a very pleasant introduction to Bulgarian cuisine,
with the chefs preparing a wide range of delicious Bulgarian meat dishes. For those who are not up for an East European culinary adventure, there’s plenty of antipasti, pizza,
pasta, risotto and even very good fish dishes to choose
from. With a low-key interior, this place focuses on what
is important, and you will certainly be more than satisfied
after they have brought you the food. Fresh ingredients,
professional service, surprisingly good wines, and just a
few minutes from Tsetnoy Bulvar metro, this restaurant
is certainly worth a visit.QC-1, Tsvetnoy bul. 2, MTrubnaya, tel. (+7) 495 507 73 74. 10:00 - 22:00 (until last
guest). €€. PAGW
Scandinavia
An icon of Moscow’s expat scene, Scandinavia has provided service with a smile for almost two decades now.
This restaurant offers a simple menu of Swedish goodies
such as gravadlax, baltic herring and meatballs. Not everything is from the north, though: the bar menu also boasts
a hefty and popular burger. The central location and calm
international atmosphere mean there are more than a few
suits and ties dropping in after work and especially on Fridays service can get slow.QB-2, Maly Palashevsky per. 7
(enter from Tverskaya ul.19 ), MTverskaya, tel. (+7) 495
937 56 30, www.scandinavia.ru. Open 12:00 - 24:00. €€.
PTAGSW
Lucien
Lucien recreates the style, sophistication and tastes of the
Russian nobility in the 19th and early 20th Century. The
story starts as soon as you enter the door and are greeted
by elegantly dressed waiters who lead you into a gorgeous
Victorian style parlour scattered with palm trees and pristine white table-clothed tables. Open the menu and you are
met by classic French, Russian and Jewish inspired cuisine.
Don’t miss out on the signature Olivier salad with smoked
fish for starters and then follow it up with quail, duck confit,
sturgeon, veal, beef tenderloin or a classic Stroganoff… the
mouthwatering list goes on. All the mains are matched with
exquisite garnishes depending on the dish such as warm
beetroot-apple pie or Russian pancakes stuffed with porcini mushrooms.QUl. Gilyarovskogo 65, bldg. 1, MRizhskaya, tel. (+7) 495 997 76 65, www.lucienrest.ru. Open
12:00 - 24:00. €€€. PTAGW
Art Clumba
Right at the hub of this art and design complex, Art Clumba
is a restaurant-café-concert space which sets everything
at the right level. The soundtrack is their own carefully
selected mix, the menu covers a wide range of cuisines
and manages to serve them up with a simple twist that
lets the well-sourced ingredients shine. The whole layout
itself is a gently subdued blonde-beige combo highlighting the building’s unique architectural features.QArtPlay
na Yauze, Nizhnaya Syromyatnicheskaya 5/7, bldg. 10,
MKurskaya, tel. (+7) 499 678 02 25, www.art-clumba.
ru/. Open 10:00 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 23:00. €€.
PTAEGSW
Molon Lave
A new Greek restaurant is now serving Moscow’s discerning foodies and gourmands. The brainchild of “Sovietproduced Greek” Alexey Karolidis, Molon Lave serves
up the most authentic tzatziki, horiatiki, moussaka and
kolokithokeftedes that the capital has to offer. And it’s no
wonder, after all the head chef Stamatis Tsilias was invited
to Russia especially for this delicious project. Those who
really know their Greek specialties will be delighted to find
real, traditional retsina (white/rosé resinated wine), as well
as other wines from Greece and further afield, Greek ouzo
and metaxa.QA-1, Bol. Gruzinskaya ul. 39, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 495 272 00 47. €€. AEGSW
Delicatessen
Delicatessen definitely falls into the category of hidden
treasure. Go in to the courtyard of building 20, veer left
and you will find a colourful entrance way announcing
‘thank you for finding us’. Down in this bustling basement
with its gorgeous antique bar, enthusiastic foodies dig into
an array of the chef’s favourite things. Ceviche, chocolate
puddings, homemade pasta and more - the menu is a
success. Some say the pizzas are the best in town, others
say it’s the nicoise salad.QC-1, Sadovaya-Karetnaya ul.
20, bldg. 2, MTsvetnoy Bulvar, tel. (+7) 495 699 39 52,
www.newdeli.ru. Open 12:00 - 24:00. Closed Mon, Sun.
€€. PAEGW
30Moscow In Your Pocket
International
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Where to eat
Deti Raika
It’s hard to miss this place just off the Arbat and close to
the conservatory and theatres. The colourful exterior with
a terrace outside is inviting to many musicians, actors and
journalists who make this their favourite hangout. Deti Raiki
or Children of Paradise is a French film directed in 1945 and
the owner’s favourite film. The varied menu offers anything
from pizzas to steak, sandwiches, salads as well as some
tasty fish dishes. QB-3, Nikitsky bul. 25, MArbatskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 697 19 42, www.detirayka.ru. Open 12:00 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 06:00. €€. PTAEW
Funny Cabany
The lively atmosphere and a deceptively simple yet modest, vintage interior decor compliments the extensive
barbecue and grill menu, which features everything from
homemade sausages and burgers, to succulent tender
steaks. A delicious fish menu is also available for the non
meat eaters. Add friendly, welcoming staff, very generous
portion sizes and if you’re lucky, a visit from the resident
micropig, Funny Alexandrovich, Funny Cabany is not a
restaurant to miss out on.QB-1, Ul. Mal. Dmitrovka 5,
bldg. 9, MPushkinskaya, tel. (+7) 495 220 25 02, www.
funnycabany.ru. Open Ma - Thu 12:00 - 24:00, Fri and
Sat until last guest. €€. PTAEGW
Izia Grill
What started as a hipster craze seems to be going mainstream. Falafel and hummus are the new sushi, and Izia
Grill, recently opened on Bol. Lubyanka, is embracing the
trend. It’s a loosely Jewish-themed restaurant on the site
of a much-loved Italian place, and while the new décor
is hardly revolutionary, the change in cuisine is striking.
Aside from the falafel, a wide range of hot dogs also get
a thumbs-up. Most dishes come in snack-sized portions,
but usually have snack-sized price tags attached.QD-2,
Bol. Lublyanka ul. 24, MLubyanka, tel. (+7) 495 623 08
48, www.izia-grill.ru. Open 12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 06:00. €. PAEGSW
Kon-Tiki
The younger sister of the Tiki Bar (the first Hawaiian bar in
Moscow), although Kon-Tiki is more of a restaurant than
a bar, it is still definitely one of the more exotic places in
Moscow. So if you are looking for a bite to eat and a bit
of fun, look no further than Kon-Tiki and it’s island grill.
Guests are surrounded by typical Hawaiian wooden carvings and an impressive aquarium that runs the length of
the wall - this is truly Hawaii in Moscow. During the weekend the restaurant is always buzzing with the music and
energy from Caribbean and Latino themed parties.QC-2,
Ul. Rozhdestvenka 5/7, bldg. 2, MKuznetsky Most, tel.
(+7) 495 767 87 20, www.kontiki-cafe.ru. Open 24hrs.
€€. PTAEGSW
Reserve a Table
Have you ever wished you
could reserve a table at
popular Moscow restaurants
more easily and conveniently? Moscow In Your Pocket and
company Leclick have made the perfect solution for you.
You can now make restaurant reservations direct from our
website. Click on the blue “Reserve a table” button when
you open up a restaurant page for Moscow In Your Pocket
and quickly fill out the form. It only takes a few seconds
to click a couple of buttons and send the reservation
through. The booking system will then reserve the table
for you (if available) and send you confirmation of the reservation via an SMS text message in English!
Laffa Laffa
Laffa Laffa is the latest addition to Moscow’s burgeoning
gourmet street food scene. Two branches opened almost simultaneously in October 2014, and have quickly established
a reputation for elevating the humble ‘shaurma’ wrap into
a culinary treat. The Middle-east themed cafes pride themselves on preparing fresh food fast - bread is cooked to order
and tender meat and fresh vegetables are always to hand.
As Moscow steadily falls in love with falafel, this is definitely
a spot worth checking out - and for vegetarians struggling
to find reliable options in a notoriously carnivorous city, this
is definitely a spot worth checking out for its impressive array of tasty meat-free dips as well as its veggie falafel dishes.
QB-2, Mal. Bronnaya 4, MTverskaya, tel. (+7) 495 975 55
45. Open 11:00 - 23:00. €€. PAGW
Poekhali
A recent addition to Moscow’s growing list of chic eateries, Poekhali differentiates itself with an unpretentious yet
sophisticated vibe. The concept is in the name: let’s go
and explore different areas of the world and their cuisines.
Middle-eastern, Scandinavian, Italian, Asian and traditional Russian motifs inspire the menu. The interior is modern
and eclectic but not kitschy, the lighting dimmed to create
a more intimate atmosphere.To avoid disappointment it’s
best to make a reservation, especially on weekend nights.
QC-1, Petrovka 30/7, MChekhovskaya, tel. (+7) 495
419 00 88, www.poexa.li. Open 11:00 - 24:00. €€.
To read about even more restaurants
in Moscow and find out about all the latest gigs
check out our website moscow.inyourpocket.com
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
February - March 2015
31
Where to eat
Sky Lounge
Fantastic! This restaurant is worth visiting just to experience the view alone. Perched up on the 22nd floor you
can gaze over the whole of Moscow and admire the iconic
seven sisters skyscrapers spreading out into the distance.
Sky Lounge really has the monopoly on the one-of-a-kind
panorama. The menu lives up to the general experience,
filled as it is with well-crafted dishes that deftly cover a
wide range of cuisines. Many of the dishes are truly delightful and the portions are more generous than you will
see almost anywhere else.QLeninsky pr. 32a, 22nd floor,
MLeninsky prospekt, tel. (+7) 495 781 57 75, www.
skylounge.ru. Open 13:00 - 24:00, Thu - Sat 13:00 01:00. €€€. PAEGSW
Townhouse
A welcoming interior, unpretentious European chic and
a menu borrowing something from the cuisines of every
continent make this restaurant a must for hotel guests and
locals alike. The head chef has a special knack for everything grilled so a steak or grilled fish/seafood is not to be
missed. The warm octopus salad is the most delightful
starter for any meal. An après lunch or dinner coffee/tea
can be best enjoyed in the bar area with its dimmed down
lights, extra comfortable arm chairs and a growing library
in the upstairs area.QD-5, Mercure Moscow Paveletskaya Hotel, ul. Bakhrushina 11, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7)
495 720 53 01, www.mercure.com. Open 12:00 - 23:00.
€€€. PTASW
Bring on the Bliny
From February 23 until April 11 (Orthodox Easter) don’t
be surprised if most restaurants you visit have a special
post or lent menu for the period of fasting before Easter.
In the Russian Orthodox Church Lenten requirements
are very strict. On the dietary front all kinds of meat,
poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, alcohol and most
types of oil are off the menu. So what can you eat then?
Shellfish, fruits, vegetables and grains are all thankfully allowed, so no-one starves. However, the period
before post, known in Russia as Maslenitsa is a feeding
and partying frenzy. Everyday from February 16 - 22
Russians stuff themselves with pancakes (bliny) and a
festive atmosphere generally takes over the whole city.
Typically the largest epicenter of activities is the area in
and around Red Square. Read more on page 19.
32Moscow In Your Pocket
Italian
Flotilla Radisson restaurant
One of the easiest and most appetizing ways to get to
know Moscow is to take a dinner cruise with Flotilla Radisson Royal. Whatever the weather, this fleet of comfortable
vessels offers an attractive menu with a slight Italian accent as it plies its route along the Moskva, taking in a series
of key city sights. Having invited many guests to Moscow
to join us on the route, it’s regularly got the thumbs-up,
and with winter it’s time to start thinking about breaking
the ice - literally and figuratively - over a tasty risotto on
the water.QA-3, Flotilla Radisson Royal Moscow, Taras
Shevchenko nab., Hotel Ukraina pier, MKievskaya,
www.radisson-cruise.ru. €€€. PAEGW
MoMo
Named as an amalgamation of mozzarella and Montasia
in Northern Italy, Momo proudly promises the best of
Italian food, offering many meat and fish dishes alongside the classic pizza and pasta, and a selection of French
and Italian vintage wines. Its business class clientele are
spread across three main rooms, the largest of which
resembles a summer conservatory complete with cushioned wicker chairs.QD-5, Pyatnitskaya ul. 66, bldg.
2, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7) 495 953 95 20, www.
momorest.ru. Open 11:00 - 24:00. €€€. PAG�
SW
Osteria della Piazza Bianca
A relaxed Italian atmosphere combined with European
comfort makes the Osteria della Piazza Bianca a special
place in Moscow. The panoramic views and open kitchen
- where Italian chefs prepare your meal right in front of
you - create an inviting ambience. Choosing between the
various fresh Italian dishes can be hard enough, but luckily
the sommelier will be on hand in case you hesitate about
the wine.QA-1, Ul. Butyrsky Val 10, MBelorusskaya,
tel. +7 495 508 25 17, www.osteriabianca.ru. 24hrs.
PAVGW
Tarantino
Looking for an unpretentious place where it’s all about the
food and a down-to-earth atmosphere? Tarantino restaurant offers just that: Italian and American cuisine at its best
with a spectacular view over the glitzy Novy Arbat Street
but without the extortionate prices characteristic of other
Moscow eateries. The portions are generous, the interior is
homey which makes for a very pleasant and low key meal
with friends or family. And especially for mozzarella lovers there’s an extensive “mozzarella bar” where you can
choose what you’d like on your plate or in a doggy bag.
QB-3, Ul. Novy Arbat 15, MArbatskaya, tel. (+7) 495
764 35 35, www.tarantinorest.ru. Open 12:00 - 24:00,
Fri, Sat 12:00 - 06:00. €€. PAEGW
Ya vegetarianets – I am a vegetarian
Bez myasa – without meat
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Where to eat
Steak Houses
Butchery Bar and Grill
A leather bound menu offering platters to share, steaks
and other cuts of meat all cooked to tender perfection
leaves you in no doubt as to the restaurant’s culinary focus.
The shadowy interior with minimalist decoration has the
feeling of a sophisticated living room, albeit one complete
with a large bar, and indeed the customers here seem to
happily relax as if at home.QBaumanskaya ul. 54, bldg. 1,
MBaumanskaya, tel. (+7) 495 229 06 05, www.rmcom.
ru/page-butchery. Open 06:30 - 4:00. €€. PAGW
GOODBEEF
This steak cafe is a great choice for those who want their
meat fast and red. There’s no messing about here, you simply go to the counter and choose a rib-eye, sirloin or fillet
mingon and some garnishes (the baked potatoes are particularly good), tell them how you want it made up and it
arrives at your table within minutes. With fussy service and
overstyled interiors not part of the game here, the prices
are low, but as the concept is from down under, you can be
sure the meat is a healthy slab of Australian goodness. The
business lunch is particularly good value for money.QD-2,
Bol. Cherkassky per.15-17, bldg.1, MLubyanka, tel. (+7)
495 220 13 20, www.goodbeef.ru. Open 11:00 - 23:00.
€€. PAEGSW
Gastronomica-Fish
If you love fish, once you step off chaotic Leninsky prospekt and pass through the door of the cool, calming
Gastronomica, you’ll be glad you made the effort. This is
definitely one of the best fish restaurants in Moscow, with
a main menu featuring Chilean sea bass, turbot and sole,
as well as trout and salmon from closer to home. All of the
above can be cooked any number of ways, from baked
in a coal stove to steamed with wine - delicious! There’s
also a good range of seafood salads, soups, pastas and
risottos - we particularly liked the sterlet consomme - as
well as mouthwatering mussels to start. It is a bit of a
trek from the metro, so it may be wise to come by car.
In summer, take a seat on the terrace.QLeninsky pr. 57,
MLeninsky prospect, tel. (+7) 495 641 11 43, www.
gastronomicafish.ru. Open 12:00 - 23:00, Sat 12:00 23:30. €€€. PAVGSW
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
Sunday Brunch
AZIMUT Moscow
Olympic Hotel
Looking for a brunch
place in Moscow? Look
no further! Azimut Moscow Olympic Hotel on
Olimpiyskiy Prospekt is
continuing this wonderful tradition throughout the winter. Every Sunday
guests can lounge around and socialize with family and friends while enjoying a late breakfast. The
menu changes every week so you’ll never get bored
of the selection of traditional Russian dishes at the
generous buffet table, which consists of cold starters
and salads, a caviar station with blini, a wide assortment of French and Spanish cheeses, meat and fish
dishes, delightful desserts and fresh fruit. The price of
the buffet also includes alcoholic and non-alcoholic
beverages. To get a 20% discount, book 72 hours in
advance!QOlimpiysky pr. 18/1, MProspekt Mira,
tel. (+7) 495 931 90 00, www.azimuthotels.com.
Sunday 12:30 - 16:00. Brunch 3,200Rbl and 2,600Rbl
in case of booking 72 hours in advance. Children till
6 years free of charge and children from 6 till 12
years receive 50% discount.
Porto Maltese in Vegas Crocus City
Ceilings decked with sail cloth that looks like it’s moving in
the wind, ropes instead of regular rails, walls adorned with
paintings of maritime settings: you’ll certainly feel all at sea
- in a good way - when you step into this restaurant. This is
a perfect place to wind down after a long day’s shopping
with family or friends. Fish and all sorts of seafood are laid
out on a bed of ice next to the kitchen for guests to pick and
choose. Exceptional service, an original and exclusive approach to seafood and a lengthy wine list are sure to impress
even the most experienced haute cuisine connoisseurs.
QVegas Crocus City, MKAD 65-66 km, 4th floor, MMyakino, tel. (+7) 495 236 10 15, www.portomaltese.ru. Open
10:00 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 24:00. €€. TNGW
Sirena
Ahoy there matey - welcome aboard Moscow’s most established seafood restaurant, serving wealthy Moscow diners
since 1992 and still maintaining a high reputation for flying
in some of the freshest fish available. The interior is very
much new Russian opulence, with a fish tank floor, a wood
paneled interior resembling a ship’s cabin and staff dressed
in naval outfits. Admire the day’s catches in the ice beds before the chef grills them up to perfection, or pick out a live
lobster for the pot. Sirena’s menu also features a long list of
top quality European dishes made from fabulous crab, sturgeon and scallop and more, as well as fresh oysters.QD-1,
Bol. Spasskaya ul. 15, MSukharevskaya, tel. (+7) 495 608
14 12, www.novikovgroup.ru/restaurants/sirena/. Open
12:00 - 24:00. €€€€. PAESW
February - March 2015
33
Nightlife
The original city that doesn’t sleep, Moscow has everything
going on under those bright neon signs. Whether you’re after
an elite nightclub with a pyrotechnic show and a face control
policy to strike fear into the hearts of grown adults, a dingey
dive or a comfortable English style pub where you can hole
up til the wee small hours, you won’t be disappointed.
live music CLUBS
DeFAQto
This third venue in the FAQ chain of alternative bars is a
bit of a jumble of styles and ideas. Like a strange cross between an English pub and an American bar, with a stage
that would suit stand-up comedy well, you get the feeling
that something is about to happen here, although it never
actually does. The music is similarly confused, although
the food is reliable and the booth seating in particular is
nice for smaller groups.QD-2, Ul. Bol. Lubyanka 30/2,
bldg. 1, MTurgenevskaya, tel. (+7) 495 624 44 97,
www.defaqto.ru. Open Mon - Thu 12:00 - 06:00, Fri, Sat,
Sun 24hrs. PAEGW
Duma
This place is not merely literally underground, it’s also
through a couple of courtyards and hidden down an alley.
Down in this large round cellar they play quality funk music to a cool youngish crowd who know their stuff. Some
decent live bands also often drop in to crank up the tempo.
The interior oozes groovy 1970’s Soviet chic - old sewing
machines, samovars and radios abound whilst classic art
films and Soviet retro clips are projected on to the walls.
In the summer the cellar bar empties as the large courtyard terrace and its ping pong table becomes the place
to be.QC-3, Mokhovaya ul. 11, bldg. 3V (entrance from
Nikitsky per. 2), MOkhotny ryad, tel. (+7) 495 692 11
19, www.clubduma.ru. Open 12:00 - 06:00. AEW
Kitaisky Lyotchik Jao Da
Dzhao Da is a bizarre fusion of restaurant, bar and club,
attracting a younger and older crowd in equally large
numbers. With live music and drinks flowing, you’ll inevitably stumble across a drunk chat or even a Russian toast;
it all adds to the atmosphere. Their salty snacks really hit
the spot so don’t worry about that hunger craving after a
few drinks, they have the perfect cure!QD-3, Lubyansky
proezd 25, bldg.1, MKitay Gorod, tel. (+7) 495 624 56
11, msk.jao-da.ru. Open 11:00 - 06:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 08:00. PAEW
Krisis Zhanra
Krizis Zhanra is a longtime favorite in the centre that never
seems to get old or lose its appeal. Known for its popular
lunch specials, Krizis Zhanra is also an excellent selection for
dinner, before it then turns into a nightclub (could be best described as a hipster disco) starting at about 22.00. This is where
the “crisis of genre” comes in: this place changes its format
multiple times throughout the day. It is absurdly affordable
for its location.QE-2, Ul. Pokrovka 16/16, bldg.1, MChistye
Prudy, tel. (+7) 495 623 25 94, www.kriziszhanra.ru. Open
11:30 - 05:00, Fri, Sat 11:30 - 06:00. PENGW
Bars
Bar Is
On a rainy, cold night there is no better place to escape for a cozy warm evening with a friend or two. In a
dimmed basement setting with high stools and red walls
(closely resembling a hip joint somewhere in Brooklyn),
Bar Is serves up its new and refreshing version of classic
cocktails, an assortment of fine wines and spirits from all
corners of the world and a delectable menu of modern
European food. Very friendly staff, relaxed jazz and Frank
Sinatra softly playing in the background and surprisingly
decent prices all add to the pleasant atmosphere. With
a very central location, Bar Is makes for a perfect spot to
catch up with friends or enjoy the company of your special
someone.QB-2, Mal. Palashevsky per. 6, MPushkinskaya, tel. (+7) 495 739 10 45. Open 17:00 - 01:00, Thu,
Fri, Sat 17:00 - 05:00. PAW
La Bottega Wine Bar and Cafe
Located in amongst the big banks and consultants of
the White Square skyscraper cluster, the market for this
upscale wine bar is obvious. The wine selection is extensive, albeit mostly European in focus and prices cross the
whole gamut from 1,500 a bottle to 15,000 for the most
exclusive vintages from the cellar. The lighting is dim
and the combination of floor-to-ceiling windows, aged
36Moscow In Your Pocket
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Nightlife
leather sofas and bare brick walls certainly add the right
kind of understated atmosphere to those sophisticated
deal-breaking drinks. La Bottega also serves various
French and Italian snacks to accompany the wine.QA-1,
Lesnaya ul. 5B, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 495 213 30
88, www.labottega.ru. Open 09:00 - 24:00, Thur, Fri,
Sat 09:00 - 02:00. PAGW
MyBar
This is not another ‘elitny’ hangout with generic Moscow
cocktails and pounding music. My Bar’s philosophy is to
create a welcoming venue for friendly people who are
looking for a relaxed hangout and down-to-earth staff.
MyBar is well and truly a dive bar; especially popular with
expats and local office workers looking for a post-work
drink and some fun, it offers a refreshingly laid-back alternative to Moscow’s glamour dominated nightlife scene.
The music selection varies vastly, but is usually a good mix
of golden oldies, with some great pop and rock classics to
dance to at the weekend. Thursdays are live music nights
with free concerts from rock and blues bands.QC-2, Ul.
Kuznetsky Most 3, bldg. 2, MTeatralnaya, tel. (+7) 916
583 52 79, www.mybar.su. Open 18:00 until 06:00.
PAEG
The Hudson Bar
This smart American bar brings some much needed attention to the after work drinks crowd of the big money
White Square business centre. The expat owner has thankfully held back from hiking up the prices and trying to
instill some elitism and instead has created a bar that’s
great for those arriving alone to perch at the long bar or
with a gang to colonise one of the booths - regardless of
their budget and dress code. This ‘democratic’ approach
spurs great results. The crowd is mixed and friendly and
the hostess is there to help not hinder. A myriad of sports
channels (including US ones) and happy hour deals are
yet more bonuses, although unfortunately for inexplicable reasons the sports channels sadly don’t always work.
QA-1, Ul. Butyrsky Val 10, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7)
495 212 04 54, www.hudsonbar.ru. Open 12:00 - 06:00.
PAEGW
Clubs
Club Garage
One of Moscow’s longest-running clubs (open since 1998),
Garage packs in the crowds for its legendary Wednesday
/ Sunday R’nB nights, and Friday / Saturday after parties.
Open 24 hours with a full bar, restaurant and hookah
menu, Garage has something going on at all hours. The
crowd tends to be young and Russian (although some of
the fashion tastes can be a little extreme), but the friendly
atmosphere and relaxed “face control” makes it a fun night
out for those who don’t want to deal with the attitude of
Moscow’s glamour clubs. Summer terrace is open from
the end of April until October.QС-4, Brodnikov per. 8,
MPolyanka, tel. (+7) 499 238 70 75, www.garageclub.
ru. Open 24hrs. PAEW
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Club Roxbury
In this newly-opened Moscow outpost of the mega-successful Los Angeles chain, you’ll be amazed by the luxury
and scope, unlike any gentleman’s club in Europe! Guests
sink into the comfortable sofas surrounded by the most
beautiful girls in Moscow in this classy environment. International DJ’s, amazing costumes, arial acrobatics, and
sensory overload.QUl. Butyrsky Val 5, MBelorusskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 532 79 52, www.clubroxbury.ru. Open
22:00 - 07:00. PAW
Coyote Ugly
Part of the international chain that inspired the film of the
same name, this is a bar where the girls rule the roost and
you’d better beware, these are no mere go-go dancers, they
have attitude. Yes they can squeeze a lemon for your tequila
from their cleavage, but they also have plenty of personality. Girls are allowed to dance on the huge American style
bar, security make sure the men keep their hands in their
pockets and the soundtrack is danceable and fun rock and
pop. Happy hours bring in a mixed crowd and if it’s too loud
upstairs there’s a friendly little bar hidden down in the basement.QC-2, Ul. Kuznetsky Most 6/3, MKuznetsky most,
tel. (+7) 495 692 03 97, www.coyoteugly.ru. Open 19:00
- 06:00, Fri, Sat 18:00 - 06:00. PA
Tyomnoe – Dark
Svetloe – Light (for beer)
February - March 2015
37
Features
Bogdarnya
If you think you need a break from constant meetings,
traffic, calls, emails, car alarms going off, drilling and everything else that big city life entails regardless of the
season, then maybe it’s time to consider a little trip about
120km east of Moscow. There you will find Bogdarnya, a
beautiful and welcoming agricultural and tourist complex
that lets big city dwellers get back to nature, breathe
some fresh country air and try a taste of agritourism.
This 400-hectare riverside property - founded by an
Englishman, John Kopiski, and his Russian wife Nina - is
located in the picturesque countryside and forest. The
Kopiski’s are devoted Orthodox Christians with a mission to promote a healthy lifestyle. Here, everyone and
anyone can experience life on a real, working farm that
supplies meat to its own farm shop in Moscow. Here,
everyone and anyone can learn all about meat production from paddock to plate, watch cheese making, milk
the cows, pet the goats, feed Boris the boar and engage
themselves in other forms of educational “agritainment”.
Here, everyone and anyone is made to feel welcome in
the true traditions of Russian hospitality.
Eating, drinking and relaxing are not the only things
guests can do during their stay at Bogdarnya. Plenty of activities to suit just about anyone’s taste can be organized
no matter what time of year you plan your visit. Now that
winter is here and the snow is deep and crisp and even,
you can skate on the ice rink, take a ride on the ice slide,
go cross-country skiing, ice-fishing, or just take a horsedrawn sled for a Doctor Zhivago-style picnic in the forest.
38Moscow In Your Pocket
Forest rides on horse back are a wonderful way to see
the nature and be one with yourself and your thoughts.
If you’ve never ridden a horse but would like to learn,
why not take a lesson? Don’t feel like being at the reins
but still fancy a romantic ride through nature? No problem! The experienced and friendly staff at Bogdarnya is
always delighted to take guests around in horse-drawn
carriages or sleds. When the horses get tired Bogdarnya also has a nice selection of quads and jeeps for
adrenaline-filled forest exploration – all with a possibility of overnight camping somewhere tranquil and far
removed from civilization.
Thrill-seeking aside, the complex also hosts children’s
camps, career guidance programs for school students,
plus corporate events and banquets for up to 150
people, training and seminars. Russian holidays are celebrated in fairytale folksy fashion with traditional costumes, music, dancing and much good old-fashioned
merriment - samovar, gluxvin and shashlik being at the
heart of many such festivities. A 19-room on-site hotel
is available for those who just don’t want to leave (and
rightfully so!). All rooms have a private WC and shower.
Bogdarnya also offers accommodation for students and
backpackers in their 64-bed hostel housed in the former village school, or you can rent one of their lakeside
chalets. A visit to Bogdarnya is an entirely wholesome
retreat that benefits both body and soul.
QVladimir Oblast, Petushki, Krutovo Village 22B (121km
from Moscow), tel. (+7) 903 961 58 80, www.bogdarnya.
ru. Getting there: take a train from Kursky railway station to Petushki. From Petushki take a taxi to Bogdarnya.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
What to see
The Kremlin
Inside the Kremlin
The street plan of central Moscow forms an impressively
ordered pattern of concentric circles, clearly marking
the city’s development outwards over the centuries. In
the middle of this great Catherine wheel is the Kremlin,
the fortified hill which formed the heart of the ancient
city, and which to this day houses the political HQ of
the planet’s largest nation. Within the world-famous red
walls nestles a collection of buildings of various architectural styles, ranging from ancient Russian ecclesiastical,
through Romanov imperial classicism, to 1960s Soviet
modernism. While much is out of bounds to tourists, being part of the Government and Presidential estate, there
are easily enough treasures open to the public to make the
citadel an essential conquest.
Unlike Napoleon, who stayed here after his forces took
Moscow in 1812, you will need a ticket to enter. There are
a number of ticket booths, the most important being located in Alexandrovsky Sad (on the west side of the Kremlin), which in itself is a great people watching place. Having
bought your tickets, leave any large bags in the cloakroom
located near the ticket office, under the gate.
A ‘Kremlin Territory’ ticket gets you into the site itself,
along with all of the cathedrals and the more ancient
buildings. To visit the Kremlin Armoury (where all the sparkly diamonds, jewels and so on are stored) you must buy a
separate - and considerably more expensive - ticket, which
will have an entrance time on it. This ticket can only be
purchased before you enter the Kremlin.
Note that some buildings - in particular the Patriarch’s
Palace - sometimes host special exhibitions, entrance for
which you must pay extra. The tickets for special exhibitions can usually be bought at the entrance to the buildings in which they are held, although it is advisable to
check before you enter the Kremlin.
Cathedral of the Archangel Michael
A relative youngster on the Kremlin church scene, this cathedral was erected in 1505 and holds the tombs of Russian
rulers from Ivan I to Tsar Ivan V. It also has more of an Italian
renaissance feel to it with its Corinthian gables and turrets
and white stonework.
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Annunciation Cathedral
This imposing cathedral, where Russia’s Tsars were christened and married, was built by Pskov architects in 1482.
The frescoes inside are considered to be some of the most
valuable in Moscow given that prominent artists of the time
including Andrey Rublyev (also buried here), Theophanes
the Greek and Prokhor of Gorodetz all worked on them.
Church of the Deposition of the Robes
Taking its name from an ancient festival where the Virgin’s
robes are transferred from Palestine to Constantinople
(now Istanbul), this is a more modest cathedral nestled
in a corner. Built in 1484 - 1485 by artists from Pskov, this
church notably has stained glass windows. Along with
some fine icons, inside you can also find wooden sculptures from the 15th century.
Cathedral of the Assumption
The grandfather of all the Kremlin churches, the Assumption
Cathedral is the oldest and the biggest. Built in 1475 by Italian architect Aristotle Fiorovanti, this is where Ivan the Terrible was crowned Emperor in 1547 before becoming a stable
for Napoleon’s horses in 1812. Their soldiers made off with
the chandeliers now hanging overhead, some weighing
over 5 tonnes. The cossacks brought them back after they
caught up with the light-fingered Frenchmen. In 1918 the
last Easter service was held here. Services resumed in 1990.
February - March 2015
39
What to see
NEXT TO RED SQUARE
Alexandrovsky Gardens
The gardens in front of the Kremlin walls are an excellent to
take a stroll and get down to some serious people watching as well as admire the sheer scale and immense size of
the Kremlin walls and towers. The biggest essential sight
of the gardens is the tomb of the unknown soldier near to
the entrance to Red Square. A high-kicking guard change
ceremony takes place here every hour in front of the eternal
flame.QC-2, Alexandrovsky sad, MAlexandrovsky Sad.
worth a visit inside. Visitors used to the vast open spaces
of Western European cathedrals will be shocked to find a
stone warren of small, intimate chapels, each decorated
with countless icons and engravings and soaring in one
direction only: upwards, to the height of the onion domes
above. Russia’s history is all about a country being simultaneously tugged towards the west and the east. A visit
inside St Basil’s gives an invaluable lesson on the importance and undoubted attractions of the latter.QC-2, Red
Square, MOkhotny Ryad, tel. (+7) 495 698 33 04, www.
saintbasil.ru. Open 11:00 - 16:00. Admission 250Rbl.
Churches
and Monasteries
Kremlin Armoury
You need a separate ticket for the Armoury, the 19th
Century museum purpose-built to house the nation’s
gob-smacking collection of gold, silver, arms and imperial clothes and carriages. Highlights of the collection are
the giant Orlov diamond and the infamous and rarely
glimpsed Faberge eggs. To prevent overcrowding, Armoury tickets can only be used after the time printed on
them. They do not give access to the rest of the Kremlin.
QС-2, MAlexandrovsky Sad, tel. (+7) 495 697 03 49,
www.kreml.ru. Open 10:00 - 17:00 Closed Thu. The
Armoury Chamber has seances at 10.00, 12.00, 14.30,
16.30. Admission 200 - 700Rbl. Tickets can be purchased an hour before the seance at the Kremlin ticket
office in Alexandrovsky sad.
Lenin Mausoleum
On display in various incarnations of his mausoleum since
1924, this is where the waxy, bald and embalmed body of the
founder of the Communist Party is. Visiting here is a no-nonsense event with guards posted at each corner to prod you
forward should you halt at any stage during the viewing. No
bags. No cameras. They’ll search your pockets to make sure
you don’t sneak anything. Leave bags in the storage lockers
before going through the metal detectors, he may be dead
but you can’t mess with him.QC-2, Red Square, MOkhotny
Ryad, tel. (+7) 495 623 55 27, www.lenin.ru. Open 10:00 13:00. Closed Mon, Fri. Entrance is free.
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
This is what a new Russian Orthodox church ought to
look like. It is so immense you’ll be wondering how many
blocks of dynamite the Soviets needed to get rid of the
thing the first time around. That was in 1931. This newly
restored example came into being from 1994 until 2000
and is a shiny beacon for the Russian Orthodox Church at
home and a close replica of the original 19th Century cathedral built in honour of the victory over Napoleon. The
sprawling cathedral houses a museum on the history of
the site where you can see pictures of the giant swimming
pool the Soviets built here and the huge Lenin topped
skyscraper they had originally planned for. QB-3, Ul.
Volkhonka 15, MKropotkinskaya, tel. (+7) 495 637 28
47, www.xxc.ru. Open 10:00 - 18:00. Mon 13:00 - 18:00.
Admission free. Guided tours in English for groups for
up to 10 people 6,000Rbl.
Novodevichy Monastery
Monastery or convent, this place occupies a very specific
place in Russian history. On the grounds surrounded by
the Kremlinesque walls, which were built to act as a fortress, are four cathedrals including the majestic four-onion
globes of Smolensky Cathedral which dates back to 1524.
It was at Novodevichy that Peter the Great imprisoned
his sister Sophia and executed her supporters from the
Streltsy rebellion. Today it is a magnificent and peaceful
cloister with an impressive icon collection.QNovodevichy
proezd 1, MSportivnaya, tel. (+7) 499 246 85 26. Open
09:00 - 17:00. Admission 250Rbl.
St. Basil’s Cathedral (Pokrovsky Sobor)
Standing magnificent at the head of Red Square is St. Basil’s Cathedral. Russia’s most recognisable building was
built in 1561 to celebrate Ivan the Terrible’s crucial defeat
of the Khan of Kazan, a victory which secured Moscow’s
position as the region’s dominant city. While the view from
outside is spectacular and rightly famed, it is certainly also
40Moscow In Your Pocket
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What to see
Spaso-Andronikov Monastery
Originally founded in 1320, this monastery is famous for its
icon painting monk, Andrei Rublyev who lived and died
here in the early 14th century. Rublyev is the poster boy of
Russian icon painting having worked on the icons of the
Kremlin’s Cathedral of Annunciation and other churches.
Today there is the Cathedral of the Saviour, and the museum named after Rublyev is housed in the adjacent
Chapel of St. Michael Archangel. It’s about half the size
of Novodevichy and it has a quarter of its crowds.QAndronevskaya pl. 10, MPloshchad Ilyicha, tel. (+7) 495
678 14 67, www.rublev-museum.ru. Open 11:00 - 18:00.
Closed Wed and last Fri of the month. Admission free.
Museums
All-Russian Decorative Art Museum
Hidden in a courtyard, this
museum maintains more
than 200 000 pieces of
decorative and folk art from
all over Russia. There are
several beautifully decorated tea sets, plates and
figurines - the porcelain
from the post-revolutionary
Soviet period is especially interesting. Also featured are some
traditional Russian clothes, toys, intricate wood baskets, embroidery and linens. The wood figurine carvings are diverse
and mind-blowingly detailed. The museum also displays
interiors and antique furniture taken from the apartments
of the old Russian nobility in the 18th to 20th centuries. Various workshops for children and excursions in English are also
available. The museum’s frequent temporary exhibitions are
also worth checking out.QC-1, Delegatskaya ul. 3, MTsvetnoy Bulvar, tel. (+7) 495 609 01 46, www.vmdpni.ru. Open
10:00 - 18:00, Thu 10:00 - 21:00, Sat 11:00 - 19:00, Sun 10:00
- 18:00. Closed Tue and last Mon of the month. Admission
100 - 200Rbl. Children till 7 years old free entrance. NK
Great Patriotic War Museum 1941-1945
Dedicated to the Great Patriotic War or World War II
as it is known in the west,
this museum opened in
1995 on the 50th anniversary of the Great Victory.
The museum houses a set
of evocative battle dioramas on the ground floor,
with excellent explanations of the scenes in English. Immediately as you enter, you see the Commanders Hall and
Grand Staircase leading up to the Hall of Glory, a solemn
memorial space. Further along there is the exhibition
hall with exhibits about the different battles and parties
involved.QUl. Bratyev Fonchenko 10, MPark Pobedy,
tel. (+7) 499 142 41 85, www.poklonnayagora.ru. Open
10:00 - 19:30. Thursday 10:00 - 20:00. Closed Mon and
last Thu of the month. Admission 200 - 250Rbl. N
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ride an icebreaker
Equipped with ice-breaking technology, these huge
fancy yachts are the only river cruisers running all year
around. The round trip journey takes two and a half
hours and floats past all the big sights like the White
House, Novodevichy monastery and the Kremlin. There’s
a large open air observation deck up top, while the main
body of the ship houses a restaurant with a dance floor
for a romantic post dinner dance. For a particularly romantic experience take one of the evening boats and
admire the bright lights of the city skyline at night.
Note that you can also join and depart the cruise from
the pier in Gorky Park (metro Park Kultury), although it
is advisable to check the departure times first.QA-3,
Taras Shevchenko nab., Hotel Ukraina pier, MKievskaya, tel. (+7) 495 228 55 55, www.radisson-cruise.ru.
From pier hotel Ukraina boats leave: Mon - Wed 15:00,
17:00, 20:00, Thu - Fri 15:00, 17:00, 20:00, 21:00, Sat Sun 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00 (2,5 hrs). From
pier Gorky Park boats leave: Mon - Fri 16:00, 20:00 (2,5
hrs), Sat 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00 (2,5 hrs) and
Sun 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00 (2,5hrs). It is advisable
to book tickets well in advance (tickets can also be
bought online). Tickets for 2,5 hrs boat trips 900Rbl,
children from 6 till 12 years old 650Rbl and children
till 5 years old free of charge. Tickets for 1,5 hrs boat
trips (only from pier Gorky Park) 650 Rbl, children
from 6 till 12 years old 450Rbl, children till 5 years old
free of charge. First class 2,000Rbl. PAUKW
State Central Museum of Contemporary
history of Russia
Start early in the day with this one. There’s a whole century
of the most turbulent, convoluted, well documented history
to be seen and absorbed. Housed in a 1780s mansion and
former premises of the Moscow English Club, this grand
dame was also the former Museum of Revolution. Now that
history has moved on, so has the museum, covering all aspects of Russia’s recent history. English texts are sporadically
situated in the rooms to make more of the experience. Don’t
linger too much in the Revolutionary phase or you’ll be too
tired by the time the Space Race starts, and Perestroika and
the great music section dedicated to Russia’s answer to the
Beatles.QB-2, Tverskaya ul. 21, MTverskaya, tel. (+7) 495
699 67 24, www.sovr.ru. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Thu 12:00 21.00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 19:00. Closed Mon. Admission 100
- 250Rbl. Children till 6 years old free. N
February - March 2015
41
What to see
Icons
No Russian church is complete without its icons –
but what do these ancient images mean, and why
are they there? The tradition came to Kievan Rus following the conversion to Christianity in 988. Little is
known about the artists who painted them – with
a few notable exceptions, such as the great Andrei
Rublev, these were considered works to glorify God,
not celebrate the talent of their makers. At a time
when literacy was unusual, strong visual images
played a vital role in the ritual. These painted icons,
following from Byzantine tradition, were introduced
as a focal point for prayer. Even today, believers continue to address prayers to specific icons, choosing
an image that matches the problem they wish to
share with God. That’s why, for example, icons depicting Prince Pyotr and his peasant bride Fevronia
are associated with prayers concerning family life.
Some of Russia’s most venerated icons have legends
attached to them: they accompanied great armies
into battle and are credited with inspiring victories
and defending the Orthodox faith of the Russian
people. The icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir is
believed to have spared Moscow from invasion on no
less than three occasions. The monastery on Sretenka
was built on the site where, in 1395, Prince Vasily of
Moscow spent the night praying over the icon after it
arrived from the ancient city of Vladimir. The next day
the Mongol Armies of Tamerlane retreated from the
city. Learn more about Russian icons in the Andrey
Rublyev Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art
or in the Tretatyakov Gallery.
Andrey Rublyev Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art
Housed in the grounds of Andronikov Monastery, this museum is dedicated to the art of the Russian icon throughout the ages. Although none of the famed Rublyev’s work
is here, the icons in the collection are still beautiful. Preservation is paramount for icons and many are still shining
brightly despite their age. Spread out over three floors of
the restored St. Michael’s chapel, a ghostly feeling still inhabits the place.QAndronevskaya pl. 10, MPloshchad
Ilyicha, tel. (+7) 495 678 14 67, www.rublev-museum.ru.
Open 11:00 - 18:00, Thu 14:00 - 21:00 Closed Wed and
last Fri of the month. Admission 350Rbl.
Tretyakov Gallery
For visitors anxious to uncover the mysteries of the famous ‘Russian soul’, the Tretyakov Gallery is the place to
start. Founded in 1856 by influential merchant and collector Pavel Tretyakov and presented as a gift to the city
in 1892, it is the world’s number one museum of Russian
art. Ranging from exquisite and mysterious 12th century
icons to the politically charged and prescient canvases of
Russia’s favourite realist master, Ilya Repin, the collection is
a rich and revealing insight into the history and attitudes
of this long suffering yet inspired people. All pictures are
labeled in English. Be sure to make use of the A3-size
laminated information sheets found throughout the museum; there is always at least one English version hidden
amongst the Russian ones. The gallery does not include
the museum’s 20th Century collection, which is kept at a
separate site a kilometre away.QC-4, Lavrushinsky per.
10, MTretyakovskaya, tel. (+7) 495 951 13 62, www.
tretyakovgallery.ru. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Thu, Fri 10:00
- 21:00. Closed Mon. Admission 250 - 400Rbl. PU
Take note that most museum ticket offices
close one hour before the official closing time.
Also remember most museums ask you to buy
an extra photography ticket if you would like
to take photos or videos
42Moscow In Your Pocket
moscow.inyourpocket.com
What to see
State Historical Museum
Right on Red Square, this museum consists of two floors
offering an extensive foray into Russian history from the
ice ages of the mammoths right up to the 19th century.
The first floor which runs up to the beginning of Peter
the Great, and the 17th century holds many relics and
artifacts of historical interest. Not just the exhibits are of
interest, each individual hall complements its in-house
exhibition, such as the Novgorod and Vladimir Halls with
their vivid reconstructions. The atmosphere is conducive
to both wandering and musing as the museum guides
are, lets say, a little less protective than usual. Upstairs
while it lacks any English explanation, has an abundance
of cool historical tit bits. Like the boots big enough to
hide a small child which are worn to get through a swamp
and were worn in Peter the Great’s day, and a great portrait gallery to set you straight on who exactly was who
in the Russian aristocracy. The elegant side of Russian life
is given slightly more space than the peasantry but their
role in history garners them several rooms toward the end
demonstrating Russian customs and revolutionary activists such as the Decembrists. There are English leaflets
that you can request from the counter as you enter that
cover the first floor, but not unfortunately the second.
There is a 2hr audio guide (one hour for each floor) at a
cost of 300Rbl. The small café serves basic Russian snack
food, inexpensive tea and coffee and butterbrodi (Russian
open sandwiches).QC-3, Red Square 1, MOkhotny
Ryad, tel. (+7) 495 692 37 31, www.shm.ru. Open 10:00
- 18:00, Thu 11:00 - 21:00. Closed Tue and first Mon of
the month. Admission 60 - 440Rbl. U
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artistic places
Dostoevsky Memorial Museum
Dostoevsky is usually associated with St. Petersburg but in
fact he grew up in Moscow. His father was posted to the city’s
hospital for the poor and this small apartment, attached to
the hospital, was given to him and his family. The austere
rooms are demonstrative of Dostoevsky’s lower middle class
upbringing and are carefully tended to by the museum staff. If
you have the time they can philosophise about the great writer for hours. The second undecorated wing of the flat houses
a collection of banned illustrations made for his books in the
1930s as well as the desk, where he wrote the novel Brothers
Karamazov.QUl. Dostoevskogo 2, MMendeleevskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 681 10 85, www.goslitmuz.ru. Open 11:00 - 18:00.
Wed, Thu 14:00 - 21:00. Closed Mon and last day of the
month. Admission 70 - 100Rbl. N
Lev Tolstoy Museum
Dedicated to the life of
the man behind War and
Peace and Anna Karenina,
this is a reverential place
packed with personal and
literary material. A complex and conflicted individual, the exhibits trace
his life from childhood to
death and the emergence
of his major works. Easy to follow due to some great
carded English translations, this is a good introduction to
Tolstoy.QB-4, Ul. Prechistenka 11, MKropotkinskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 637 74 10. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Thu 12:00
- 20:00. Closed Mon and last Fri of the month. Admission 100 - 200Rbl. N
February - March 2015
43
What to see
Parks and Gardens
Gorky Park
The immortal Gorky Park has had a complete makeover in
2011 and gone are the garish rides and rollercoasters as the
park has gone back to being a wholesome place to picnic
or jog and enjoy an ice-cream. Bikes are available for rent
near the entrance, there are pedalos on the ponds, picnic
areas are scattered throughout and near the Andreyevsky
bridge where salsa classes gather in warm weather, there’s
even an artificial beach. In addition to all that you’ll find
regular open-air concerts and cinema, flea markets, yoga
classes, great places to eat and drink, ping pong tables and
the contemporary art space Garage CCC. There’s usually
something special happening every weekend, with many
events especially marketed at kids.QB-5, Krymsky Val 9,
MOktyabrskaya, tel. (+7) 499 237 35 24, www.parkgorkogo.com. Open 24hrs. W
Izmailovsky Park
Izmailovo Park is one of the largest parks in Moscow, at
more than 300 hectares. The area was once located on the
estate of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and was established as
a culture and recreation park in 1931. The many attractions
include the Round Pond with the man-made island, a memorial area, a Ferris wheel, sports and playgrounds, shooting galleries, cinemas, a skate park, Wi-Fi, and cosy cafes.
Various festivals, concerts, theatrical performance, exhibitions, folk festivals, dance parties, and fireworks displays
come to the park. Entrance to the park and all programs
is free - so have fun!QAlleya Bol. Kruga 7, MPartizanskaya, tel. (+7) 499 166 61 19, www.izmailovsky-park.ru.
Open 24hrs. Admission free. L
44Moscow In Your Pocket
State Museum-Estate Arkhangelskoe
This sprawling 18th Century countryside estate once belonged to the exceptionally rich Prince Yusupov and is one
of the quietest stately parks within a reasonable distance of
the city. The buildings themselves usually house historical
and contemporary exhibitions from the local scene. In the
winter it‘s a romantic setting for that quintessential Russian troika (sleigh) ride and there’s also plenty of stall selling
hot drinks. The formal gardens, which offer excellent views
towards the surrounding countryside, are dotted with neoclassical sculptures, hidden summer pavilions, while the
forested area leading to the small river is lovely for a lazy
stroll.Q5 km Ilinskoe Shosse, MTushinskaya, tel. (+7)
498 653 86 60, www.arhangelskoe.su. Park open Mon
- Fri 10:00 - 18:00, Sat and Sun from 10:00 - 19:00. Museum open Mon - Fri 10:00 - 16:00, Sat and Sun and holidays10:00 - 17:00. Closed on Mon and Tue and last Wed
of the month. Admission park 150Rbl. Ticket for park and
museum 400 Rbl. For temporary exhibitions you need to
pay seperately. UNK
Tsaritsyno
Commissioned by Catherine the Great as an out of town
palace in 1775, Tsaritsyno is the poor cousin of the Moscow
estates and palaces. Early construction didn’t meet with the
Empress’s approval and by 1795, after dismissing the main
architect, the complex was already lying in ruins. Over the
ensuing years it became a fashionable country estate and a
particular favourite place for locals to enjoy picnics amongst
the ruins. Since the 1980s the estate has been undergoing
renovations and the gothic style palace at its heart is now
looking brighter and more elaborately decorated than at
possibly any other time during its history. The huge gardens,
meadows and woods surrounding the palace are a tranquil
and nature-filled retreat.QDolskaya ul. 1, MTsaritsyno,
tel. (+7) 495 321 63 66, www.tsaritsyno-museum.ru. Park
open 06:00 - 24:00. Museums 11:00 - 18:00, Sat 11:00 20:00, Sun and holidays 11:00 - 19:00. Closed Mon. Admission park free. Museums 80 - 650Rbl. UK
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What to see
Gogol House
Nikitskiy Boulevard 7A, in
the very centre of Moscow near Arbat Square,
with its stone arcades and
balconies, may seem like
your average merchant’s
mansion but there is a lot
more to it than meets the
eye. This house has a very
rich history dating back
to the early 17th century
and had belonged to families of boyars, courtiers,
royal councilors, government officials, army generals
and even the members of the Tolstoy family.
However, the most famous resident to have ever inhabited
this manor was none other than Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol,
one of the most preeminent figures of the natural school of
Russian literary realism and author of such classics as “The
Nose”, “Viy”, “The Overcoat”, “The Government Inspector”
and, of course, “Dead Souls”. Welcome to the Gogol House
Memorial Museum Science Library!
Although he had only spent the last four years of his life
here, this is the place where the writer worked on the
second volume of Dead Souls. It was here that he burnt
the manuscripts of the poem, and in this very house, on
February 21, 1852 that the writer died. The Gogol House
is the only place in Moscow that keeps these momentous
memories alive by combining a research library of over 250
000 volumes, an exhibition hall and a memorial museum.
The museum itself is located on the first floor, which Gogol
occupied, and is broken up into several rooms. Gogol’s
study was a special room where he could enjoy some
peace and quiet while he put his timeless words down on
paper.
The living room is almost an exact replica of the one where
the author entertained his guests. The “Government Inspector” room tells visitors about Russian theatre of the
1830s and 1840s, as well as Gogol’s Theatre and plays based
on his works. The Room of Remembrance is where Gogol
stayed when his health began to fade in 1852, purely because it was warmer than the other rooms.
Although special attention is given to the works of Gogol
and other material relating to his life, visitors also have access to a large selection of books dedicated to psychology,
art, philosophy, literary studies and theology. The library
also has a hall devoted specifically to music, where anyone
from novices to professionals can browse through music
books and even have a go on the electric piano with special
headphones to better hear how they sound.
The Gogol House also hosts a number of events, ranging
from literary readings to plays and concerts dedicated to
the works of Gogol and other prominent Russian authors.
QB-3, Nikitsky bul. 7A, MArbatskaya, tel. (+7) 495 690 58
81, www.domgogolya.ru. Open 12:00 - 19:00, Thu 14:00 21:00, Sat and Sun 12:00 - 18:00. Closed Tue and last day of
the month. Admission 40 - 120Rbl.
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
«Дом Гоголя» — государственное учреждение
культуры многофункционального
типа объединяющее
типа,
Gogol
House
мемориальный музей
писателя,
научную библиотеку,
исследовательский центр и выставочный зал.
зал Первый и
единственный
вmuseum
России мемориальный
музей Н.В.
Memorial
and
science
Гоголя расположен в историческом зданииlibrary
старинной
городской усадьбы XVIII – XIX вв.
вв в самом центре
Москвы, на Никитском бульваре. В этом особняке
провёл писатель последние годы своей жизни: здесь он
работал над вторым томом поэмы «Мёртвые души»,
души»
духовной прозой, готовил к изданию собрание
сочинений и перед кончиной сжёг почти все свои
бумаги. Во дворе усадьбы установлен памятник Гоголю
работы Н.А.
Н А Андреева,
Андреева созданный скульптором к 100
летию со д
дня р
рождения
д
писателя и имеющий
щ
свою
непростую, очень интересную и драматическую
историю Экспозиция,
историю.
Экспозиция в которой гармонично сочетаютсочетают
ся традиционные музейные приёмы и использование
современных аудиовизуальных и мультимедийных
средств, включает в себя шесть залов, объединенных
темой «Гоголь — загадка третьего тысячелетия. ЖизненЖизнен
ный и творческий
р
путь
у писателя». Коллекция
ц
музея
у
насчитывает несколько тысяч экспонатов: книги,
предметы
еты дворянского быта, гравюры, ли
литографии
Moscow, Nikitsky bul. 7a, +7 (495) 690-58-81
www.domgogolya.ru
A duck, or a rabbit?
There’s a curiously
titled exhibition happening at the moment that is bound
to provide some food
for thought. “A duck,
or a rabbit?” - named
after the ambiguous
image in which a rabbit or a duck can be
seen - explores the
boundaries of perception among fans
of modern art and
seeks to answer a highly debated question: who
has more influence on making sense of the symbols
- the artist or the audience? The exhibition features
several prominent Russian artists to put this to the
test. Protey Temen’s “Visual Karaoke” installation
invites the viewers to become co-authors, while
Zhenya’s Mironov’s photo series “Building Metaphors” instantly beckons visitors to search for a visual rhythm within simple forms. So is it a duck or a
rabbit? You decide. The exhibition is open till March
15. Admission free.
February - March 2015
45
Hidden museums
Moscow is a thriving cultural capital that has so much to
offer visitors and locals alike. Locals, however, will tell you
that there’s more to Moscow than Tretyakovskaya Gallery
or the Pushkin Museum. Sure, these are a must but there
are many other fascinating museums and galleries that
are definitely worth a visit but have remained somewhat
underrated.
Literature buffs will be especially pleased with how Moscow commemorates the Russia’s greats. A favorite of Joseph Stalin, Maxim Gorky was a writer and revolutionary
who was proclaimed the founder of the new, officially
sanctioned socialist realism after the Russian Revolution.
His former home, the Ryabushinsky Mansion (designed
by one of Russia’s most celebrated art nouveau architects
Fyodor Schechtel in 1900), is open to visitors free of charge.
This magical building is full of beautiful stained glass windows, a spectacular marble ‘wave’ staircase and exquisite
carved oak paneling and is worth visiting just for aesthetic
reasons. There is extensive written material available in
each room giving insight into Gorky’s life in the house, his
tastes in décor and ornaments and there are some stories
about the famous contemporaries who sat and talked
about the Russian soul there. Considering Gorky was the
head of the Writer’s Union, that list includes everyone from
Mayakovsky to Tolstoy.
The most famous resident of 7A Nikitskiy Boulevard was
none other than Nikolay Gogol. The Gogol House is the
only place in Moscow that keeps many momentous memories alive by combining a research library of over 250,000
volumes, a research center, an exhibition hall and a memorial museum. The museum is broken up into several rooms
(his cabinet, the living room, the “Government Inspector”
room and the “Room of Remembrance”). In the library,
visitors have access to a large selection of books dedicated
N.V. Gogol, psychology, art, philosophy, literary studies
and theology. The Gogol House also hosts a number of
events, ranging from literary readings to plays and concerts
dedicated to Gogol’s and other prominent Russian authors’
works. Read more on page 45.
The Chekhov house honors another titan of 19th century
Russian literature and sheds light on his life. The museum
opened here in 1953 and underwent a spring clean in
2003. The objects remain authentic, a little too authentic
when you see the tiny metal bed he slept on. It was from
this red castle-like house that he left to go on his epic jaunt
to Sakhalin, at that time the journey took around three
months. It was also here that the music lover received pa46Moscow In Your Pocket
tients, continuing his work as a doctor. Tchaikovsky came to
thank him for the personal dedication in his book Gloomy
People. Also upstairs there are exhibitions following the life
of the great writer, a surprising number of photos and a
display showing different dramatic productions of his plays
around the world.
Art and music aficionados will surely find the Central Museum of Musical Culture as well as the Institute of Russian
Realist Art to their liking. The Central Museum of Music’s
permanent exhibition is an impressive journey through
musical instruments of the past and from all corners of the
world in all their weird and wonderful diversity. Take a trip
through Russian musical history from giant balalaikas to
the famous and eerie theremin, passing on the way hefty
early record players and novelty music boxes. The global
collection includes crazy-looking instruments from Cuba to
Korea - who knew you could make guitars from armadillos?
As well as the permanent exhibition there’s always another
temporary one on a subject of Russian or international music and a whole host of events throughout the year which
you can find out about on their website.
The Institute of Russian Realist Art may be a little out of
the way but if you decide to make the trek then you will get
to see Russia’s single largest private collection of realist art.
Located in a former cotton print factory the massive collection spreads over four floors. There are great examples of
the huge scale classic Soviet realism of Stalin’s time featuring works by masters of the genre such as Deneika and Serov, collections inspired by Cubism as well as new themes
of despair, poverty and decay brought up by perestroika
and the fall of communism.
If history and anthropology are more your thing, then the
next couple of museums should go straight on your to-visit
list. The Nikolay Roerich Museum: Nikolay Roerich and
his family are possibly some of the most important Russian
anthropologists of the past 100 years. Travelling all over
Asia in the early 20th century, Nikolay and his clan recorded
the beliefs, life and art of various different nationalities hoping to preserve their way of life, describe it to the world and
also learn from it. This fantastic museum is dedicated not
only to Nikolay’s priceless paintings, but also the people he
met during his many years of tough travel. Music, lights and
themed exhibits add great atmosphere to the huge collection of artworks and artifacts from the Roerich family, whilst
extensive English descriptions add depth to the work on
display. Above all it is Nikolay Roerich’s magical and mystical imagination and painterly skills that shine through - the
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Hidden museums
most impressive works depicting the remote and romantic
beauty of the steppe, the Himalayas and the religious mysticism of the east stay in your memory long after leaving.
Even if you aren’t a fan of stuffed animals and taxidermy,
the Darwin Museum is still an interesting place to check
out. It consists of three floors that fit into the theme of evolution. The first floor touches on the history of the Darwin
Museum and biological diversity. Although there are few
signs in English, the exhibitions are fairly straight-forward.
The first floor also showcases many of the world’s ecosystems and recreations of some extinct animals. The next two
floors deal with micro- and macroevolution, zoogeography
and the development of scientific thought. There are hundreds of stuffed animals set up in their natural habitat as
well as an interesting look at how humans evolved.
A slightly different kind of history, the Vodka History Museum (located inside the Izmailovo Kremlin) gives you the
detailed and fun history of vodka in Russia and tells you
about the role it plays in Russian society. The museum only
has one floor, and it’s not very big but you should still expect to spend about an hour and a half looking around.
You will learn that it has changed the course of history in
Russia on more than one occasion. The museum boasts
700 different small exhibits and the collection of different
vodka brands is quite impressive, plus with the regular tour
a complimentary shot is of course included! After the tour
you can also arrange to attend a vodka tasting session and
buy your favorite brands. All information and signs are in
Russian and English.
Thought provoking and contemplative, the Sakharov
Center should be on the list for those interested in the life
of Sakharov, Russia’s Nobel Peace Prize winning physicist
and human rights campaigner. The upstairs museum room
hosts five informative displays discussing the establishment of the Soviet regime, the beginning of dissent, the
repercussions, the results (GULAG) and the aftermath. The
displays are mainly photographic but there is some installation. While all information is original and therefore in
Russian, the museum provides extensive descriptions for
each display in English as well as an additional guidebook.
Downstairs is a library and reading room.
And last but by no means least, something slightly quirky:
the Lights of Moscow Museum - a museum about
street lamps! Sounds dull? Not when you are controlling
the lighting effects yourself! This small and eccentric little
place devoted to the history of Moscow street lighting is
as interactive as it is unusual. Using the nifty little remote
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
control, you can see first hand just why people complained
about the first gas lamps, saying the moon shone brighter,
and experience how the discovery of the electric lamp was
such a world changing event. There’s also a big collection of
clocks in the end of the exhibition, which amounts to only
four rooms in all.
Go out, explore and enjoy!
Chekhov Museum
QB-2, Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya ul. 6, MBarrikadnaya,
tel. (+7) 495 691 61 54, www.goslitmuz.ru. Open 11:00 18:00, Thu 14:00 - 20:00. Closed Mon and last day of the
month. Admission 50 - 150Rbl. Fourth Fri of the month
entrance free. N
Darwin Museum
QUl. Vavilova 57, MAkademicheskaya, tel. (+7) 499
783 22 53, www.darwin.museum.ru. Open 10:00 18:00, Thu 13:00 - 21:00. Closed Mon and last Fri of the
month. Admission 100 - 300Rbl. PUK
Gorky Memorial Museum
QB-2, Mal. Nikitskaya ul. 6/2, MArbatskaya, tel. (+7)
495 690 05 35, www.imli.ru. Open 11.00 - 17.30. Closed
Mon, Tue, last Thu of the month. Admission free. N
Institute of Russian Realist Art
QNovospassky Dvor Business Centre, bldg. 31, Derbenevskaya nab. 7, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7) 495 276
12 12, www.rusrealart.ru/en. Open 11:00 - 20:00, Thu
11:00 - 21:00. Closed Mon. Admission 50 - 150Rbl, Family tickets 200 - 350Rbl.
Lights of Moscow
QD-2, Armyansky per. 3, bldg. 1, MLubyanka, tel. (+7)
495 624 73 74, www.moscowlights.ru. Open 10:00 18:00, Thu 10:00 - 20:00. Admission 30 - 70Rbl. N
Nikolay Roerich Museum
QB-3, Maly Znamensky per. 3/5, MKropotkinskaya,
tel. (+7) 499 271 34 17, www.icr.su. Open 11:00 - 19:00.
Closed Mon. Admission 100 - 220Rbl. N
Sakharov Сenter
QE-3, Ul. Zemlyanoy Val 57/6, MKurskaya, tel. (+7) 495
623 44 01, www.sakharov-center.ru. Open 11:00 - 19:00.
Closed Mon. Admission free.
The Central Museum of Musical Culture
QB-1, Ul. Fadeeva 4, MMayakovskaya, tel. (+7) 495
739 62 26, www.glinka.museum. Open 11:00 - 19:00,
Thu 11:00 - 21:00, Sun 11:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Admission 175 - 275Rbl. Temporary exhibitions 50 - 250Rbl.
Children till 6 years old free. TNKW
The Gogol House
QB-3, Nikitsky bul. 7A, MArbatskaya, tel. (+7) 495 695
92 56, www.domgogolya.ru. Mon, Wed and Fri 12:00
- 19:00, Thu 14:00 - 21:00, Sat and Sun 12:00 - 18:00.
Closed on Tue and last working day of the month. Admission 40 - 120Rbl. NW
Vodka History Museum
QIzmailovskoe shosse 73 G, MPartizanskaya, tel. (+7)
499 166 50 97, www.vodkamuseum.ru. Open 10:00
- 20:00. Admisson 100 - 180Rbl. Guided tours 240 300Rbl depending on amount of people. Excursion in
English should be booked in advance. AK
February - March 2015
47
Where to stay
Whether you are visiting Moscow for a night or a month,
you want to be able to stay in a hotel which enables you to
get the most out of your visit. We have a selection of hotels
ranging from luxury five star hotels to boutique mini-hotels
filled with charm. You can find out where these hotels are
located and what market they cater for.
5 stars
Ararat Park Hyatt
QC-2, Neglinnaya ul. 4, MLubyanka, tel. (+7) 495 783
12 34, www.moscow.park.hyatt.com. 206 rooms (Room
prices start at 16,000Rbl).
Crowne Plaza Moscow WTC
QKrasnopresnenskaya nab. 12, MVystavochnaya, tel.
(+7) 495 258 22 22, www.cpmow.ru. 724 rooms (Room
prices start at 6,200Rbl).
Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya
QE-1, Kalanchevskaya ul. 21/40, MKrasnye Vorota,
tel. (+7) 495 627 55 50, www.moscow.hilton.com. 273
rooms (Room prices start at 6,000Rbl).
Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow
QD-3, Ul. Baltschug 1, MNovokuznetskaya, tel. (+7)
495 287 20 00, www.kempinski.com/en/moscow. 227
rooms (Room prices start at 12,000Rbl).
Hotel National
QC-3, Mokhovaya ul. 15/1, bldg.1, MOkhotnyy Ryad,
tel. (+7) 495 258 70 00, www.national.ru. 202 rooms
(Room prices start at 8,500Rbl).
Hotel Savoy Moscow
QC-2, Ul. Rozhdestvenka 3/6, bldg. 1, MKuznetsky
Most, tel. (+7) 495 620 85 00, www.savoy.ru. 67 rooms
(Room prices start at 37,760Rbl).
48Moscow In Your Pocket
Lotte Hotel Moscow
QA-3, Novinsky bul. 8, bldg. 2, MSmolenskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 745 10 00, www.lottehotel.ru. 300 rooms
(Room prices start at 15,000Rbl).
Marriott Moscow Grand Hotel
QB-1, Tverskaya ul. 26/1, MMayakovskaya, tel. (+7)
495 937 00 00, www.marriott.com/mowgr. 386 rooms
(Room prices start at 8,000Rbl).
Marriott Moscow Royal Aurora
QC-2, Ul. Petrovka 11, MKuznetsky Most, tel. (+7) 495
937 10 00, www.marriottmoscowroyalaurora.ru. 231
rooms (Room prices start at 9,500Rbl).
Metropol
QC-2, Teatralny proezd 2, MTeatralnaya, tel. (+7)
499 501 78 00, www.metropol-moscow.ru. 388 rooms
(Room prices start at 9,440Rbl).
Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow
QA-3, Kutuzovsky pr. 2/1, bldg. 1, MKievskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 221 55 55, www.ukraina-hotel.ru.
497 rooms (38 apartments, Room prices start at
19,000Rbl).
Renaissance Moscow
Monarch Centre Hotel
QA-1, Leningradsky pr. 31a, bldg. 1, MDinamo, tel.
(+7) 495 995 00 09, www.renaissancemonarchmoscow.
com. 366 rooms (Room prices start at 8,024Rbl).
Sheraton Moscow Sheremetyevo
Airport Hotel
QMezhdunarodnoye shosse 28B, bldg. 5, MPlanernaya, tel. (+7) 495 229 00 10, www.sheratonmoscowairport.
com. 342 rooms (Room prices start at 5,000Rbl).
Sheraton Palace
QA-1, 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul. 19, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 495 931 97 00, sheratonpalace.ru. 212 rooms
(Room prices start at 5,500Rbl).
The Ritz-Carlton
QC-2, Tverskaya ul. 3, MOkhotny Ryad, tel. (+7) 495
225 88 88, www.ritzcarlton.com. 334 rooms (Room
prices start at 15,000Rbl).
The St. Regis Moscow Hotel Nikol’skaya
QD-2, Nikolskaya ul. 12, MLubyanka, tel. (+7) 495 967
77 76, www.hotelnikolskaya.com. 210 rooms (Prices
start at 11,000Rbl).
4 stars
Adagio Moscow Paveletskaya
QD-5, Ul. Bakhrushina 11, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7)
495 720 53 01, www.accorhotels.com. 94 rooms (Room
prices start at 5,100Rbl).
AZIMUT Moscow Olympic Hotel
QOlimpiysky pr. 18/1, MProspekt Mira, tel. (+7) 495
931 90 00, www.azimuthotels.com. 486 rooms (Room
prices start at 5,500Rbl).
Best Western Plus Vega Hotel
& Convention Center
QIzmailovskoe shosse 71, bldg. 3V, MPartizanskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 956 05 06, www.hotel-vega.ru. 1000 rooms
(Room prices start at 3,600Rbl).
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Where to stay
Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City
Center Hotel
QB-2, Voznesensky per. 7, MOkhotny Ryad, tel. (+7)
495 981 33 00, www.courtyardmoscow.com. 218 rooms
(Room prices start at 4,000Rbl).
Holiday Inn Lesnaya
QA-1, Lesnaya ul. 15, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 495 783
65 00, www.moscow-hi.ru. 301 rooms (Room prices
start at 4,500Rbl).
Holiday Inn Suschevsky
QUl. Suschevsky Val 74, MRizhskaya, tel. (+7) 495 225
82 82, www.holidayinn.com. 312 rooms (Room prices
start at 4,500Rbl).
Marco Polo Presnja
QB-2, Spiridonovsky per. 9, bldg. 1, MMayakovskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 660 06 06, www.presnja.ru/eng. 73 rooms
(Room prices start at 5,890Rbl).
Marriott Moscow Tverskaya
QB-1, 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul. 34, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 495 258 30 00, www.marriott.com/mowtv.
162 rooms (Room prices start at 6,000Rbl).
Mercure Moscow Paveletskaya
QD-5, Ul. Bakhrushina 11, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7) 495
720 53 01, www.mercure.com. 149 rooms (Room prices
start at 4,800Rbl).
Novotel Moscow Centre
QNovoslobodskaya ul. 23, MMendeleevskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 780 40 00, www.accorhotels.com. 255 rooms
(Room prices start at 4,602Rbl).
Novotel Moscow City Hotel
QPresnenskaya nab. 2, MMezhdunarodnaya, tel. (+7)
495 664 89 89, www.novotel-moscow-city.com. 360
rooms (Room prices start at 6,000Rbl).
3 stars
Azimut Moscow Tulskaya Hotel
QVarshavskoye shosse 9, MTulskaya, tel. (+7) 495
987 22 22, www.azimuthotels.com. 144 rooms (Room
prices start at 3,500Rbl).
Ibis Moscow Centre Bakhrushina
QD-5, Ul. Bakhrushina 11, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7) 495
720 53 01, www.accorhotels.com. 190 rooms (Room
prices start at 3,990Rbl).
Ibis Paveletskaya
QUl. Shchipok 22/1, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7) 495 661
85 00, www.ibis.com/ru. 147 rooms (Room prices start
at 3,900Rbl).
Warsaw
QC-5, Leninsky pr. 2/1, MOktyabrskaya, tel. (+7) 499
238 41 01, www.hotelwarsaw.ru. 135 rooms (Room
prices start at 4,600Rbl).
Zolotoy Kolos
QYaroslavskaya ul. 15/3, MVDNKh, tel. (+7) 495 617
63 56, www.zkolos.ru. 331 rooms (Room prices start at
2,400Rbl).
Hostels
Comrade Hostel
QD-2, Ul. Maroseyka 11, 3rd floor, MKitay Gorod, tel.
(+7) 495 628 31 26, www.comradehostel.com. 9 rooms
(Prices per bed start from 600Rbl).
Godzillas
QC-1, Bol. Karetny per. 6, MTsvetnoy Bulvar, tel. (+7)
495 699 42 23, godzillashostel.com. 23 rooms (Room
prices start at 864Rbl).
iVan Hostel
QC-2, Petrovsky per.1/30, app 23, MChekhovskaya,
tel. (+7) 916 407 11 78, www.ivanhostel.com. 9 rooms
(Prices per bed start from 700Rbl).
Registrations: all foreign visitors to Russia are obliged to register within seven
working days (this excludes weekends and public holidays). Remember your hotel
is obliged to register you as staying in their hotel. If a hotel refuses to register you
make sure you complain – the registrations is their responsibility, not yours!
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
February - March 2015
49
Where to stay
Ask the Concierge
Please tell us something
about yourself. My name
is Gleb Kryuchkov, and I
am 28 years old. I am the
Chief Concierge at Four
Seasons Hotel Moscow.
I was born in Moscow,
since childhood, I was interested and influenced
in history, and foreign
languages, and I was very
communicative and amicable. When I turned 17, I got
into college in the sphere of Hospitality Industry in
Tsaritsyno. At the same time, I worked at the Marriott
Renaissance Olympic Hotel as a bellman. Before I became a concierge, I gained experience in other positions, which were as a night-auditor, front desk clerk,
and as a marketing coordinator. In the year 2009, I finally reached the position as a concierge at the Marriott Grand Hotel. After 5 years, I had received a job offer
at the InterContinental as the Chief Concierge. A year
and a half past and I joined the family of Four Seasons
Hotels and Resorts as a Chief Concierge.
Can you tell us something about Four Seasons Hotel Moscow? It has just been opened. What makes it
special? What do you like best about this hotel? We
opened our hotel on the 25th of October 2014. We are
located right in the heart of the city, in the historical
building built by Alexander Shusev, the legendary Hotel Moskva. We say in our hotel, “History meets luxury”.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is a well-known
brand consisting of 95 hotels around the globe. Our
hotels are located in different unique locations, with a
unique service, and with a unique historical and cultural background. Our “Hotel Vision” is what makes us
special: We will be the friendliest hotel in town. What
inspires me the most is the spectacular view from our
rooms. That is what I like best about this hotel.
50Moscow In Your Pocket
What can you tell us about your favorite places in
Moscow? To be frank, it is hard to point out one or two
specific locations. Because Moscow is a huge metropolitan city, and there are a few streets, which I really
love, such as Leninsky Prospekt, Kutuzovsky Prospekt,
the Garden Ring Road, but what steals my heart is
the site at the Patriarshy Ponds. This area has a lot of
energy, and has a romantic and mystical view. Beside
the fact that this area is located at the city center, you
could find yourself escaping the noisy traffic if the city.
Moscow has changed a lot over the last years, what
do you like best about this? What I have noticed
is that, Moscow is transforming itself more tourist
friendly. How? By putting up different signs, billboards, advertising different products, tourist centers
etc. in English. Moscow’s memorable sites like, VDNH,
Park Gor’govo, and Sokol’niki, now renovated, people
see these places with a different view. There has been
a major addition to the Moscow’s Metro, where the
names of the stations are in English as well; directions
have been painted/posted to make it easier for travelers; and new trains, where the map of the Moscow
metro now displays the route digitally on the screens
in the train, in English.
What hidden gem in Moscow can you recommend to
our readers? There is a place in Moscow, and few have
heard of it. It is the homestead of Russia’s very own
Father Frost (in Russia called as Ded Moroz). This site
is such a wonderful, memorable, and unique place for
everyone, especially children! One can engage in so
many activities in this magical winter village. There is
an ice rink where many dance festivals are organized.
This is a very good opportunity to spend time together as a family, where you could take ice-skates on rent
and spend an hour on the rink. Ded Moroz’s granddaughter, Snegurochka, has her home for all to visit.
In her home, children can engage in coloring, baking,
knitting, and create a little souvenir that they could
take along with them.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Shopping
shop in the museum
Are you always at the lookout
for these Soviet souvenirs, but
want to make sure you find
the right ones, then this is your
place. Rare items from back
when the country was hidden
behind an Iron Curtain are on
sale here, including stamps,
postcards and posters with the
popular Soviet – we can do it –
slogans. Next to the fun items, such as fridge magnets,
tea spoons and calendars, there is a large collection with
scientific literature about Russian history and on the museum of Contemporary Russian History too, with which
it shares the entrance by the way. If you are a professional
collector, make sure to have a look at their extensive online shop!QB-2, Tverskaya ul. 21, MTverskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 699 16 95, www.philatelist.ru.
Gifts and Souvenirs
Art Lebedev
You won’t find your usual Russian Matryoshka dolls here
but rather new-age, byte-inspired ones. This small nook
is full of trendy design gifts with a hint of the traditional
thrown into the mix. QC-2, Galereya, Tverskaya ul. 9,
MOkhotny Ryad, tel. (+7) 495 772 96 84, www.store.
artlebedev.ru/offline/psm/. Open 12:00 - 21:00. AW
Dulyovsky farfor
The shop of this porcelain factory has some really nice
crockery in unique designs, tons of different great tea sets
designs ranging from more conservative and traditional to
1960s inspired pieces and then a load of just downright
wacky looking stuff. QShcherbakovskaya ul. 57/20,
MPartizanskaya, tel. (+7) 499 166 76 43, www.dulevo.
ru. Open 10:00 - 20:00, Sun 10:00 - 19:00. A
Gallery Mikhailov
For lovers of ancient fine Russian jewellery made with
the tastes of Russia’s lavish old Orthodoxy in mind a visit
to this shop is well worth the time. As well as intricate
jewellery, Mikhailov also produces elaborate candlestick
holders, decorative items and baroque Easter eggs in the
finest traditions of Orthodox art.QС-2, Ul. Bol. Dmitrovka 16, MTeatralnaya, tel. (+7) 495 692 44 12, www.
vmikhailov.ru. Open 11:00 - 21:00. A
Russian gifts
This huge arts and crafts shopping centre has everything
you could think of from traditional matryoshkas, khokhloma and samovars to beautiful rustic table cloths, exquisite
jewellery from across Russia, ceramics and more. QUl.
Zorge 9A bldg. 2, MPolezhaevskaya, tel. (+7) 495 984
71 54, www.russiangifts.ru. Open 09:30 - 18:00. Closed
Sat, Sun. ALK
Shaltai - Boltay
The name means Humpty Dumpty, but don’t let the quaint
fairy tale title fool you. Located in the Novinsky Passazh,
the shop features all manner of designer and handmade
goodies for the modern sophisticate or contemporary
rebel, including jewellery, clothing, magnets and more
for just a bit of avant-garde flair in the home or on the
body. QA-2, Novinsky bul. 31 (in shopping center Novinsky Passazh), MBarrikadnaya, tel. +7 (495) 768 78
50, www.shaltai-boltai.ru. Open 10:00 - 22:00. AL
Markets
Danilovsky
QUl. Mytnaya 74, tel. (+7) 958 17 25, www.danrinok.ru.
Open 08:00 - 20:00.
Dorogomilovsky
QUl. Mozhaisky Val 10, MKievskaya, tel. (+7) 499 249
55 53, www.tkdor.ru. Open 07:00 - 22:00. N
Leningradsky Rynok
QUl. Chasovaya 11, MAeroport, tel. (+7) 495 151 78 71.
Open 07:00 - 20:00, Mon 07:00 - 18:00. N
Vernisazh in Izmailovo
QIzmailovskoye schosse 73zh, MPartizanskaya, tel.
(+7) 499 166 55 80, www.moscow-vernisage.com.
Open 09:00 - 18:00.
Shopping Centres
Atrium
QE-3, Ul. Zemlyanoy Val 33, MKurskaya, tel. (+7) 495
970 15 55, www.atrium.su. Open 10:00 - 23:00.
Evropeysky Shopping Centre
QА-4, Pl. Kievskogo Vokzala 2, MKievskaya, tel. (+7) 495
921 34 44, www.europe-tc.ru. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat
10:00 - 23:00. AK
GUM
QС-3, Red Square, MPl. Revolutsy, tel. +7 495 788 43
43, www.gum.ru. Open 10:00 - 22:00. AK
Prosto Tak
They say their shop doesn’t sell only gifts, but by the look
of things on offer, there seems not much else to do with
these funny Soviet inspired ashtrays, passport covers and
toilet roll holders than give them away to someone. They
also have an interesting selection of T-shirts, badges and
bags. QD-3, Ul. Zabelina 3/7, MKitay Gorod, tel. +7 499
755 75 29, www.vot-tak.com. Open 11:00 - 21:00. A
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
February - March 2015
51
Shopping
Art salon on
starosadsky
This small gift shop is a veritable
Aladdin’s cave of semi-precious
stones, minerals and amber
handcrafted into unique jewellery, ornaments and decorative
items by talented local craftsmen. If you are looking to take
away an unique little piece of
Russia, rather than another item from the usual tourist conveyor belt then look no further than these cabinets filled
with items made from gleaming Russian malachite, agate,
jasper, the purest Baltic amber and other lustrous precious
stones. For something even more exotic they’re also selling
fragments of the Sikhote-Alin meteorite that fell in Far Eastern Russia in 1947 and of the one that made the headlines
in February 2013 in Chelyabinsk. In addition there’s a large
selection of paintings to be found, hand-painted lacquer
boxes, traditional scarves, Russian dolls and some exclusive majolica crafts created by two famous Russian artists
Natalya Pavlova and Evgeny Shepelev.QD-3, Starosadsky
per. 10, MKitay Gorod, tel. (+7) 495 624 15 83, www.
art-gemstones.ru. Open 11:00 - 20:00, Sun 11:00 - 19:00.
RUSSIAN Souvenirs
Platok
A platok or traditional Russian scarf is both a practical
and beautiful present for any female friend or relative.
These patterned, fringed scarves come in many colors
and can be worn in several ways to add a splash of Russian charm to a winter outfit. Russian women of all ages
wear the scarves around the neck, over the shoulders,
often as an outer layer over a coat, or around the head,
for an adorable babushka look. Another great gift idea is
an orenburgsky platok, which is an over-size scarf/shawl
spun from mohair yarn.
Shapka ushanka
If you want to look as much like a tourist as possible
during your time in Russia, but cool beyond belief back
home, then of course you’ll need to get a Russian fur hat
with ear flaps, called a shapka ushanka. Anything with
red stars on it automatically earns you double spot-thetourist points.
Valenki
Valenki are a unique piece of Russian footware, specially
designed for walking in deep snow. Traditional valenki
are very thick felt boot liners, usually without soles. Made
from sheep’s wool, valenki are said to be so warm and
well insulated that you can wear them without socks. In
fact wearing them without socks is preferred, since the
rough wool is said to exfoliate your skin as you walk.
52Moscow In Your Pocket
Lotte Plaza
QA-3, Novinsky bul. 8, MSmolenskaya, tel. (+7) 495 641
25 00, www.lotteplaza.ru. Open 10:00 - 22:00. LKW
Metropolis shopping center
QLeningradskoye shosse 16A bldg.4, MVoykovskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 660 88 88, www.metropolis-center.ru.
Open 10:00 - 23:00. AULKW
Novinsky
QNovinsky bul. 31, MBarrikadnaya, tel. (+7) 495 797
62 00, www.novinsky.ru. Open 10:00 - 22:00.
Okhotny Ryad
QС-3, Manezhnaya pl.1/2, MOkhotny Ryad, tel.
(+7) 495 737 84 49, www.ox-r.ru. Open 10:00 - 22:00.
AULKW
Tsvetnoy Central Market
QC-1, Tsvetnoy bul. 15, bldg. 1, MTsvetnoy Bulvar, tel.
(+7) 495 737 77 73, www.tsvetnoy.com. Open 10:00 22:00, Sun 11:00 - 22:00. AKW
Bookshops
Bookshop Moskva
QC-2, Ul. Tverskaya 8 bldg. 1, MTverskaya, tel. (+7) 495
629 64 83, www.moscowbooks.ru. Open 10:00 - 01:00.
Business-Centre Bookbridge
QD-4, Ul. Bol. Tatarskaya 7, MNovokuznetskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 786 25 70, www.bookbridge.ru. Open 09:21:00.
Dom Inostrannoy Knigi
QС-2, Kuznetsky Most 18/7, MKuznetsky Most, tel.
(+7) 495 628 20 21, www.mdk-arbat.ru. Open 09:00 21:00, Sat 10:00 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00. A
Respublika
QA-1, Ul. 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya 10, MMayakovskaya, tel. +7 (495) 251 65 27, www.respublica.ru. Open
24hrs. AKW
Torgovy Dom Biblio - Globus
QD-2, Ul. Myasnitskaya 6/3, bldg. 1, MLubyanka, tel.
(+7) 495 781 19 00, www.biblio-globus.ru. Open 09:00 22:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 21:00. AW
Supermarkets
Bakhetle
QА-1, 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya, 21, MBelorusskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 781 73 80, www.bahetle.com. Open 24hrs. A
Gum Gastronom №1
QC-3, Red Square, MOkhotny Ryad, tel. (+7) 495 788
43 43, www.gum.ru/shop/410. Open 24hrs. ALK
Hediard
QC-2, Ul. Bolshaya Dmitrovka 23 bldg. 1, MPushkinskaya, tel. (+7) 495 692 81 66, www.hediard.ru. Open
08:00 - 23:00.
Yeliseevsky
QС-2, Ul. Tverskaya 14, MPushkinskaya, tel. (+7) 495 650
46 43, www.eliseevskiy.ru. Open 24hrs. Open 24hrs. A
Skolko stoit? – How much is it?
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Business directory
Accountants
and Consultants
Awara
QB-2, Bol. Sadovaya ul. 10, off. 12, MMayakovskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 225 30 38, www.awaragroup.com.
Bauke van der Meer Tax & Legal Services
QC-5, Ul. Bol. Yakimanka 31/18, off. 203b, MPolyanka,
tel. (+7) 495 935 76 21, www.bvdmeer.nl.
Deloitte
QA-1, Lesnaya ul. 5b, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 495 787
06 00, www.deloitte.com.
Ernst and Young
QD-4, Sadovnicheskaya nab. 77, bldg. 1, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7) 495 705 97 00, www.ey.com.
KPMG
QPresnenskaya nab. 10, complex Bashnya na naberejnoy, block C, MMezhdunarodnaya, tel. (+7) 495 937
44 77, www.kpmg.ru.
LowLands
QD-3, Khokhlovksy per. 13/1, MKitay Gorod, tel. (+7)
495 625 03 07, www.lowlands.ru.
Mega-Intel
Q1-y Shchipkovsky per. 4, MSerpukhovskaya, tel. (+7)
495 737 00 22, www.mega-intell.ru. Open 10:00 - 18:00,
Fri 10:00 - 17:00.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
QA-1, Business Centre Belaya Ploschad, ul. Butyrsky val.
10, MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 495 967 60 00, www.pwc.ru.
SHR Consulting
QE-4, Ul. Lva Tolstogo 23/7 bldg. 3, MPark Kultury, tel.
(+7) 495 748 55 50, www.senatorcompany.com.
The Lighthouse Group
QMytnaya ul. 3, entr. 2, office 41, MOktyabrskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 980 09 79, thelighthousegroup.ru. Open 09:00
- 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Business associations
Association of European Businesses
QB-1, Krasnoproletarskaya ul. 16, bldg. 3, entry 8,
MNovoslobodskaya, tel. (+7) 495 234 27 64, info@
aebrus.ru, www.aebrus.ru.
Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce
QE-3, Pokrovsky bul. 4/17, bldg. 4b, MChistye Prudy,
tel. (+7) 495 917 90 37, www.svkk.ru.
Hospitality Ideas and Trends Club
QD/E-2, Ul. Pokrovka 9, MChistye Prudy, tel. (+7) 495
623 59 46, [email protected], www.club-hit.ru.
Russian-German Chamber of Commerce
QC-3, 1-y Kazachy per. 7, MPolyanka, tel. (+7) 495 234
49 50, www.vdw.ru.
The American Chamber of Commerce
QB-1, Dolgorukovskaya ul. 7, 14th floor, MMayakovskaya, tel. (+7) 495 961 21 41, www.amcham.ru.
The Russo-British Chamber of Commerce
QС-2, Tverskaya ul. 16, bldg.1, MTverskaya, tel. (+7)
495 961 21 60, www.rbcc.com.
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
Exhibition and
conference centres
All Russian Exhibition Centre (VVTs)
QProspekt Mira 119, VVTs, MVDNKh, tel. (+7) 495 544
34 00, www.vvcentre.ru.
Central exhibition hall Manezh
QC-3, Manezh, Manezhnaya pl. 1, MBiblioteka im.
Lenina, tel. (+7) 495 645 92 77, www.russianmuseums.
info/M419.
Crocus Expo (International Exhibition
Centre)
Q65-66 km Moscow Ring Road (MKAD), MMyakinino,
tel. (+7) 495 727 26 26, www.crocus-expo.ru.
Expocentre
QKrasnopresnenskaya nab.14, MVystavochnaya, tel.
(+7) 499 795 37 99, www.expocentr.ru. Open 10:00 18:00.
Gostiny Dvor
QD-3, Ul. Ilyinka 4, MPloshchad Revolutsy, tel. (+7)
495 698 12 02, www.mosgd.ru/en. Open 10:00 - 22:00.
Sokolniki Culture & Exhibition Centre
(KVTS Sokolniki)
Q5-y Luchevoy prosek 7, bldg. 1, MSokolniki, tel. (+7)
495 995 05 95, www.exposokol.ru. Open 9:00 - 18:00.
World Trade Centre Moscow (WTC)
QKrasnopresnenskaya nab. 12, MVystavochnaya, tel.
(+7) 495 258 12 12, www.wtcmoscow.ru.
Lawyers and notaries
TIM Services & TIM Advisers
QShluzovaya nab. 8, bldg. 1, MPaveletskaya, tel. (+7)
495 989 18 17, www.timservices.ru.
Recruitment
Antal Russia
QB-2, Tryokhprudny per. 9, bldg. 1B, off. 104, MTverskaya, tel. (+7) 495 935 86 06, www.antalrussia.com.
G-Nius Russia - Recruitment & Executive
search
QE-3, Khokhlovsky per. 13/1, MTaganskaya, tel. (+7)
495 665 71 10, www.g-nius.ru.
February - March 2015
53
Expat & Lifestyle
Cultural & Educational
Centres
LEARN russian at the
liden & denz
Dictionary for expats: Curiosity killed the cat
Being curious can get you into trouble. We often tell
people this in an attempt to warn someone not to ask
too many questions about a certain topic, or to stop
prying into the affairs of somebody else. However, Russians have a very different way of portraying the same
meaning. “Lyubopytnoi Varvare na bazare nos otorvali”.
The translation of this peculiar turn of phrase is ‘Nosy
Barbara had her nose torn off at the market’, referring
to the way in which being intrusive and nosy will only
result in an unpleasant situation for you. In other words,
as the proverb goes in English, ‘curiosity killed the cat’.
QA-1, Gruzinsky per. 3 bldg. 1, entr. 6, off. 181,
MBelorusskaya, tel. (+7) 499 254 49 91, www.
lidenz.ru. Open 09:00 - 21:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
International Women´s
Club OF MOSCOW
It’s winter in Moscow
and whether you’re
new to the city or
have been living here
for a while, if you’re
dreading the cold and
short days, why not
get out and socialize?
No need to spend
the white season by
yourself! The International Women’s Club of Moscow
has a busy schedule: great company, useful advice,
and interesting pastimes to get you through the grey
and freezing. Pop by one of their Coffee Mornings and
check out their website www.iwcmoscow.ru to see
what IWC has to offer! And also keep an eye open for
their upcoming big event in March: the Embassies of
the World Dinner & Ball!
54Moscow In Your Pocket
The foreign cultural and educational centres in Moscow
are organising many activities for Russians and foreigners.
The epicentre is the VGBIL building in the city centre, near
Taganskaya metro, the Library for Foreign Literature. Most
of the international centres are located there.
British Council
QЕ-3, Nikoloyamskaya ul. 1, MTaganskaya, tel. (+7)
495 287 18 00, www.britishcouncil.org/russia. Open
13:00 - 14:00, 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Canadian Centre
QЕ-3, Nikoloyamskaya ul. 1, 2nd floor, MTaganskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 915 37 52, www.studycanada.ca/russia.
Open 10:00 - 19:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Goethe Institute/DAAD
QLeninsky pr. 95a, MProspekt Vernadskogo, tel. (+7)
495 936 24 57, www.goethe.de/ins/ru/mos/uun/oef/
deindex.htm. Open 09:00 - 17:00, Fri 09:00 - 16:00.
Closed Sat, Sun.
Institut Français
QЕ-3, Ul. Vorontsovo Pole 16 bldg. 1, MChkalovskaya, tel. (+7) 495 916 37 78, www.institutfrancais.ru/fr/
russie. Open 09:30 - 20:00, Sat 09:30 - 17:00.
Neso Russia
QЕ-3, Nikoloyamskaya ul. 1, 3rd floor, MTaganskaya,
tel. (+7) 495 915 05 25, www.nesorussia.org. Open
14:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
The American Center in Moscow
QЕ-3, Nikoloyamskaya ul. 1, MTaganskaya, tel. (+7)
495 926 45 54, www.amc.ru. Open 11:00 - 19:45, Sat
11:00 - 17:45. Closed Sun.
International Schools
Atlantic International School
QFestivalnaya ul. 7a, MRechnoy Vokzal, tel. (+7) 499
745 62 61.
QSkolkovo Park, MSlavyansky bulvar, tel. (+7) 968
651 72 82, www.atlanticschool.ru.
British International School
QBol. Akademicheskaya ul. 24 B, MVoykovskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 987 44 86, www.bismoscow.com.
Little Angels
QNovocheremushkinskaya ul. 49, office 12, MProfsoyuznaya, tel. (+7) 495 332 16 03, www.littleangels.ru.
Montessori School
QStarovolynskaya ul. 12/3, MSlavyansky Bulvar, tel.
(+7) 495 721 50 04, www.mosmontessori.ru. A
P’tit Cref
QB-3, Bol. Afanasyevsky per. 41, MArbatskaya, tel.
(+7) 495 697 20 06, www.ptitcref.com.
The Anglo-American School of Moscow
QBeregovaya ul. 1, MSokol, tel. (+7) 495 231 44 88,
www.aas.ru.
The International School of Moscow
QKrylatskaya ul. 12, bldg. 5, MKrylatskoe, tel. (+7) 499
922 44 00, www.internationalschool.ru.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Expat & Lifestyle
Expat Contacts
AIESEC
Qwww.aiesec-moscow.org.
American Women’s Organisation
Qwww.awomoscow.org.
Associazione Signore Italiane a Mosca
(Italian Women’s Club)
[email protected]
Australian and New Zealand Social
Group (AUSKI)
Qwww.gdaymoscow.com.
British Women’s Club
Qwww.bwcmoscow.org.uk.
English Language Evenings (ELE)
Qwww.ELEMoscow.net.
Expat Football League
Qwww.moscowfootball.com.
EXPATinRUSSIA
Qwww.expatinrussia.com.
International Women’s Club
Qwww.iwcmoscow.ru.
InterNations
Qwww.internations.org.
Moscou Accueil (French Women’s Club)
Qwww.site-moskva-accueil.org.
Moscow Hash House Harriers
Qwww.moscowh3.com.
Moscow International Choir
Qwww.moscow-international-choir.com.
MosKultInfo (German-Language Community Newsletter)
Qwww.moskultinfo.wordpress.com.
Nederlandse Club Moskou (De Tulpen)
Qwww.nlclubmoskou.nl/tulpen#!tulpen/cpub.
Rotary Club Moscow International
Qwww.rcmi.ru.
SWEA (Swedish Women’s Educational
Association)
Qwww.swea.org/moskva.
The Expat Experience
On 19th February, the Russian Hospitality Awards
ceremony takes place at
Moscow’s Lotte Hotel, with
a total of 20 awards up for
grabs in categories ranging
from Best Eco Hotel to Best
Hotel Restaurant. We got the
host for the evening, Morten
Andersen, General Manager
of the Lotte, to spare us a
few minutes and share his thoughts on the hospitality sector in Moscow and working in Russia in general.
You have spent a lot of your hotel management
career at properties in SE Asia and the Middle East
- what made you make the move to Moscow, and
is it all that you expected it to be? This is one of the
biggest cities in the world. Hotel business is developing very fast, so to work here is a challenge. I like challenges. All the new places can be a surprise but I didn’t
come across anything I couldn’t manage and I enjoy
working here very much.
Can you name for us three things about living and working in Moscow that you enjoy the
most (or least!). I like Moscow, I like walking on the
streets, I like parks. We usually go for a walk to the
parks with my kids, we also go to skating rings during winter time.
Are there any issues you face in your job which are
the same, no matter where in the world you find
yourself? No, not really. I just want to highlight that
in hospitality it is very important to find people with
the right attitude, with a passion to serve. The second
important thing is to pay a lot of attention to training of
the employees in the hotels. It should be a continuous
process in all hotels.
Do you think that the hotel sector in Moscow will
keep growing at the same rate indefinitely? Compare to many world cities Moscow still needs many
more international quality hotels. We will see a lot of
growth and not only in Moscow but in regions within
the next 10 years.
Moscow is one of the most popular
and rewarding expat destinations.
If you would like your expat group to
be featured here, just drop us a line at
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
What would your main piece of advice to someone
relocating to Russia for the first time? If you are relocating to Moscow make sure your accommodation
is near metro station and within a reasonable distance
from your work since getting to your office might be very
time consuming because of the situation with a traffic.
U vas est visitka? –
Do you have a business card?
February - March 2015
55
Expat & Lifestyle
Sanctions:
business as usual?
During 2014, the EU, the US and a number of countries
have imposed sanctions on Russia. The main element
is the so called freeze list which contains the names of
specific persons and organisations. You are not allowed
to do any business with them and their assets must be
frozen. Most people on this list are local or national politicians and the chance you encounter them in a business
transaction is minimal. The sanctions do, however, also
apply to companies which are more than 50% owned
by or controlled by sanctioned persons. Companies resident in the EU as well as branches of EU companies and
EU citizens are obliged to implement the sanctions. Russian subsidiaries of EU companies in principle fall outside
the scope of the sanctions, but if a EU group company
exercises active influence on its Russian subsidiary, this
company should also apply the sanctions.
The idea of these sanctions were to make life difficult for
a few selected persons and let business as usual continue
for everyone else. But West-European and US banks and
insurance companies are very risk averse and may demand documentary evidence that none of the money
you bring home from Russia is “contaminated”. De facto,
this comes down to reversing the burden of proof. But
how do you collect the necessary evidence? The best way
is to simply ask the question and check whether you can
document the answer with publicly available data. Is it appropriate to ask the question “who owns you?” to your Russian business contact? Not so long ago, questions about
the ownership of businesses in Russia were considered
grossly inappropriate. However, KYC (Know Your Client) is
a concept not at all alien to Russian business culture.
In Russia, a limited liability company (OOO) must disclose
its participants in the public register (EGRYuL). Joint stock
companies (AO) have extensive reporting obligations.
They are not only obliged to disclose their shareholders but also their affiliates. “Affiliate” (аффилированное
лицо) is a concept from the Russian anti-trust law and
looks through any layer of legal entities and even nominal shareholders. Finally, the concept of “ultimate beneficial ownership” is not new in Russia. It was introduced in
the beginning of this century when Russia with practically all other countries in the world implemented the
FATF (Financial Anti-money laundering Task Force) 40
recommendations. This all means that asking your potential customer or supplier who owns them is a normal
question which should not come unexpected to any
party acting in good faith. With this information, it is
rather straightforward to rule out that such company or
person is on the EU or US freeze list or related to it.
Written in collaboration with BVDM Tax and Legal
Services. For legal advice visit their website www.
bvdmlaw.nl or call (+7) 495 935 76 21.
56Moscow In Your Pocket
Religious Services
Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception
QA-1, Malaya Gruzinskaya ul. 27/13, MKrasnopresnenskaya, tel. (+7) 499 252 39 11, www.catedra.ru.
Evangelical-Lutheran St. Peter-andPaul’s cathedral
QD-3, Starosadsky per. 7/10 bldg.10, MKitay Gorod,
tel. (+7) 495 628 53 36, www.peter-paul.ru.
Historical Moscow Mosque
QD-4, Bol. Tatarskaya ul. 28 bldg. 1,2, MNovokuznetskaya, tel. (+7) 495 951 84 48, www.manar.ru. Open
12:00 - 00:30.
International Christian Fellowship
QE-3, Nikoloyamskaya ul. 1, 3rd floor (Library of Foreign Languages), MTaganskaya, tel. (+7) 906 093 48
01, www.icfmoscow.org.
Moscow Buddhist Centre
QC-1, Petrovsky bul. 17/1, app.35 (entrance code 35k),
MTrubnaya, tel. (+7) 495 609 03 80, www.mantra.ru/
en. Open 18:00 - 23:00.
Moscow Choral Synagogue
QD-3, Bol. Spasoglinishchevsky per. 10, MKitay
Gorod, tel. +7 (495) 940-55-57, www.jewishcom.ru.
Moscow Choral Synagogue
Moscow Congregation for Progressive
Judaism
QVolochayevskaya ul. 14/1, MPloshad Ilyicha, tel. (+7)
495 632 57 98, www.meodom.ru.
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
QNagatinskaya ul. 9, bldg. 3, MNagatinskaya, tel. (+7)
499 725 51 13, www.moscowchurch.ru.
Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy
QB-2, St. Andrews Church, Voznesensky per. 8,
MOkhotny Ryad, www.mpcrussia.org.
St. Andrew’s Anglican Church
QB-2, Voznesensky per. 8, MOkhotny Ryad, tel. (+7)
495 629 09 90, www.moscowanglican.org.
St. Elisabethgemeinde
QPr. Vernadskogo 103/139 bldg.3, MYugo-Zapadnaya, www.elisabethgemeinde-moskau.de.
Synagogue na Bolshoy Bronnoy
QB-2, Bol. Bronnaya ul. 6, MPushkinskaya, tel. (+7)
495 695 45 30, www.bronnaya.ru.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Expat & Lifestyle
Russian hospitality
If you are ever invited to a Russian’s house for dinner,
this is most certainly an opportunity you cannot refuse! Consider it an honour and you will experience
overwhelming hospitality. Expect to be there for the
entire evening, and preferably don’t schedule anything for early the following morning. Russians don’t
invite people over for a quick cup of tea & biscuits;
they go the full distance and pull out all the stops for
guests.
Moving and Relocations
AGS FROESCH Russia
QProyektiruyemy proezd 4062, bldg. 6, MKolomenskaya, tel. (+7) 495 916 99 61, www.agsfroesch.com.
Allied Pickfords
QVarshavskoe shosse 127a, MYuzhnaya, tel. (+7) 495
796 93 25, www.alliedpickfords.ru.
Corstjens Worldwide Movers Group
QOtkrytoye shosse 48a, 3rd floor, MUlitsa Podbelskogo, tel. +7 (495) 411 96 20, www.corstjens.com. Open
09:30 - 18:30. Closed Sat, Sun. N
Eolia
QUl. Tsandera 4, tel. (+7) 905 551 71 49, www.eoliarelocation.ru. Open 9:00 - 19:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Move One Relocation
QC-7, Ul. Krymsky val 3, bldg. 2, off. 503, MOktyabskaya, tel. (+7) 495 926 01 64, www.moveoneinc.com.
Charities
Children’s Hospital Fund
QShmitovsky pr. 23, bldg. 2, tel. (+7) 499 256 64 44,
www.childhospital.ru.
Marias Children Art Center
QC-2, Dmitrovsky per. 2/10, MOkhotny Ryad, tel. (+7)
495 692 48 70, www.mariaschildren.ru. Open 11:00 19:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
MPC Social Services
[email protected], www.mpcss.org.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Russia
QUl. Matrosskaya Tishina 23 bldg. 1, MPreobrazhenskaya Plozhchad, tel. (+7) 495 500 40 42, www.
bbbsrussia.org.
Nastenka Foundation
QInstitute of Pediatric Oncology RCRC RAMS,
Kashirskoye shosse 23, MKashirskaya, tel. (+7) 495 980
53 77, www.nastenka.ru. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Fri 10:00 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Russian Orphan Opportunity Fund - ROOF
QPorkhovsky region, village Baranovo 4, tel. (+7) 926
072 05 48, www.roofnet.org.
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
It’s polite to bring a gift, such as a bottle of wine or
chocolates (preferably from your home country, but locally purchased is fine) plus a bunch of flowers for the
lady of the house – stalls selling flowers are on almost
every street corner and many are open 24 hours a day,
365 days a year; you can easily buy them on the way.
Do remove your shoes upon entering the home as you
will be offered a pair of slippers.
You arrive to a table groaning under the weight of all
the food on it, usually platefuls of sliced meats, various
salads, cheese, bread and cold vegetables, but before
you get too carried away, this is only the starter! Most
likely vodka will be served (cold, and neat, of course) although women may be offered wine or Russian champagne, which is actually a sweet, sparkling wine, called
‘shampanskoe’. Take it easy! Have a swig of a soft drink
(of which there will be a jug) after each shot, followed
by a little food, but avoid the temptation of stuffing
yourself!
It is customary for each person to take a short toast
when raising the glass, and everyone should hold the
glass in the air until the speaker has finished, whereupon everyone knocks the vodka back in one gulp
– sipping is for lightweights! When it’s your turn, it’s
sufficient to thank the hosts for their invitation and
hospitality, and how pleased you are that you had to
opportunity to visit their home. Then say something
positive about Russia and/or friendship between your
two nations; this always goes down well.
The main course is likely to be a meat-based dish –
there are very relatively few vegetarians anywhere
in the CIS, and since meat was often in short supply
during Soviet times, the older generation will be somewhat perplexed at how or why you could refuse meat.
Even if you’re completely full up, this isn’t the end as
a large cake will be brought out, followed by tea &
chocolates (konfetki) – it’s OK to pass on the chocs if
you’re full to bursting point by this stage! Fortunately
this all takes place over several hours so the trick here
is to pace yourself. But you’ll have an evening that you
won’t forget!
Written in collaboration with Antal Russia/Luc
Jones. For more information: www.antalrussia.com
February - March 2015
57
St. Petersburg
Russia’s capital city Moscow may be buzzing with business and pleasure, but sometimes it’s worth escaping for
a few days and a visit to St. Petersburg, Peter the Great’s
Window on the West, is an ideal place to go if you are
looking for a city easily navigated on foot and filled with
history and beauty.
Bursting with world class museums, stunning waterside
panoramas, tranquil canals, beautiful neo-classical architecture and brimming with culture, there’s more than
enough to enjoy at any time of year.
sightseeing
getting there
There are dozens of night trains travelling every day between Moscow and St. Petersburg, some of them modern and upscale like the Megapolis (see page 66), and
others more suitable for those on a small budget. In addition there are also many super-fast trains (called the
‘Sapsan’) which make the journey in just over 4 hours
and travel daily during the morning, afternoon and
early evening. There are also of course frequent flight
connections between Moscow’s main airports and St.
Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport.
Luxury Trains
If you are looking for a comfortable night train to the
Northern Capital it is worth considering taking a private
train. The cheerful Megapolis train leaves for St. Petersburg every night and offers a more hotel-like travel
experience. After being shown to your cabin you will
find your beds have already been made up with real
duvets rather than blankets, and all round the carriages
are spotless. Hot breakfast and coffee can be brought to
your room in the morning and if at any moment during
the trip you experience some problems you can call the
train attendant from the comfort of your bed and they
will come to you! If you want to wake up in Moscow
truly fresh in the morning, it’s worth the money.
Trains leave Leningradsky vokzal (metro Komsomolskaya) at 00:56 and arrive in St. Petersburg at 08:53.
For reservations call (+7) 495 35 44 11 or book online
at www.megapolis-te.ru
58Moscow In Your Pocket
Aleksander Nevsky Monastery
QNab. reky Monastyrky 1, MPl. Aleksandra Nevskogo,
tel. (+7) 812 274 17 02, www.lavra.spb.ru. Open daily
06:00 - 20:00. Admission free.
Kazan Cathedral
QKazanskaya pl. 2, MNevsky pr., tel. (+7) 812 314 46 63,
www.kazansky-spb.ru. Open 09:00 - 20:00 Daily services
10:00 and 18:00. Admission free.
Kunstkamera
QUniversitetskaya nab. 3, MAdmiralteiskaya, tel.
(+7) 812 328 14 12, www.kunstkamera.ru. Open 11:00
- 19:00. Closed Mon and last Tue of the month. Admission 50 - 250Rbl.
Peter and Paul Fortress
QPetropavlovskaya krepost 3, MGorkovskaya, tel.
(+7) 812 230 64 31, www.spbmuseum.ru. The fortress is
open 08:30 - 21:00. Entrance to fortress is free. All inclusive ticket 370Rbl (ticket valid for all museums).
Russian Museum
QInzhenernaya ul. 4, MNevsky pr., tel. (+7) 812 595
42 48, www.rusmuseum.ru. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Mon
10:00 - 17:00, Thu 13:00 - 21:00. Closed Tue. Admission
150 - 350Rbl. All inclusive ticket 300 - 600Rbl.
St. Isaac’s Cathedral
QIsaakievskaya pl. 4, MAdmiralteiskaya, tel. (+7) 812 315
97 32, www.cathedral.ru. Open 11:00 - 19:00. Closed Wed.
Colonnade open daily 11:00 - 17:00. Closed second Wed of
the month. Admission Cathedral 50 - 250Rbl.
modern art centres
Anna Nova Art Gallery
QE-3, Ul. Zhukovskogo 28, MPl. Vosstaniya, tel. +7
(812) 275 97 62, www.annanova-gallery.ru.
Erarta
QB-3, VO, 29-ya linya, 2, MVasileostrovskaya, tel. (+7)
812 324 08 09, www.erarta.com.
Marina Gisich Gallery
QD-4, Nab. reky Fontanky 121, MSadovaya, tel. (+7)
812 314 43 80, www.gisich.com.
Novy musey
QC-2, VO, 6-ya liniya, 29, MVasileostrovskaya, tel. (+7)
812 323 50 90, www.novymuseum.ru.
ROSPHOTO
QD-3, Bol. Morskaya ul. 35, MAdmiralteiskaya, tel.
(+7) 812 314 12 14, www.rosphoto.org.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
St. Petersburg
HOTELS
Angleterre Hotel
QMal. Morskaya ul. 24, MAdmiralteiskaya, tel. (+7)
812 494 56 66, www.angleterrehotel.com. 193 rooms.
hhhhh
Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg
QNevsky pr. 57, MMayakovskaya, tel. (+7) 812 380 20
01, www.corinthia.com. 388 rooms. hhhhh
Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace
St. Petersburg
QVoznesensky pr. 1, MAdmiralteiskaya, tel. (+7) 812
339 80 00, www.fourseasons.com/stpetersburg/. 183
rooms. hhhhh
Grand Hotel Europe
QMikhailovskaya ul. 1/7, MNevsky pr., tel. (+7) 812
329 60 00, www.grandhoteleurope.com. 276 rooms.
hhhhh
Hotel Astoria
QBol. Morskaya ul. 39, MAdmiralteiskaya, tel. (+7)
812 494 57 57, www.thehotelastoria.com. 188 rooms.
hhhhh
Kempinski Hotel Moika 22
QNab. Reky Moiky 22, MAdmiralteiskaya, tel. (+7)
812 335 91 11, www.kempinski.com/stpetersburg. 197
rooms. hhhhh
Sokos Hotel Palace Bridge
QBirzhevoy per. 4, MVasileostrovskaya, tel. (+7) 812
335 22 00, www.sokoshotels.com. 324 rooms. hhhhh
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
Courtyard by Marriott St. Petersburg
Center West Pushkin Hotel
QNab. kan. Griboedova 166 (entrance via Kanonerskaya
ul. 33), MSennaya pl., tel. (+7) 812 610 50 00, www.
courtyardstpetersburgpushkin.ru. 273 rooms. hhhh
Crowne Plaza St. Petersburg - Ligovsky
QLigovsky pr. 61, MPl. Vosstaniya, tel. (+7) 812 244 00
01, www.crowneplaza.com/ligovsky. 195 rooms. hhhh
shopping centres
Bolshoy Gostiny Dvor
QNevsky pr. 35, MNevsky pr., tel. (+7) 812 710 54 08,
www.bgd.ru. Open 10:00 - 22:00. AK
DLT Department store
QBol. Konyushennaya ul. 21-23, MAdmiral­teiskaya,
tel. (+7) 812 648 08 48, www.dlt.ru. Open 10:00 - 22:00.
AKW
GALERIA QLigovsky pr. 30A, MPl. Vosstaniya, tel. (+7)
812 643 31 72, www.galeria-spb.ru. Open 10:00 - 23:00.
ALK
Nevsky Centre
QNevsky pr. 114-116, MPl. Vosstaniya, tel. (+7) 812
313 93 13, www.nevskycentre.ru. Open 10:00 - 23:00.
AKW
Passage
QNevsky pr. 48, MNevsky pr., tel. (+7) 812 315 52 57,
www.passage.spb.ru. Open 10:00 - 21:00, Sun 11:00 21:00. AK
February - March 2015
59
Murmansk
In the land of the
reindeer: Russia beyond
the Arctic
Murmansk Region, part of Russia’s Arctic North, has been
back in the headlines after Andrei Zvyagintsev’s Golden
Globe winner ‘Leviathan’ was filmed there in the remote
coastal village of Teriberka and the lakeside city of Kirovsk.
But this wild land of stark beauty has a rich history, steeped
in the traditions of the native Saami people, and this is celebrated in March’s ‘Festival of the North’ when the reindeer
herders descend on the remote settlement of Lovozero to
race their sledges across the snowy wastes and celebrate
the beginning of the spring as the sun gleams off a pristine
white landscape.
The festival is a colourful event with reindeer racing at its
heart. As the competition gets underway, a cloud of snow
emerges from the far horizon. As it gets closer, the spectators respond with whoops, yodels and roars of encouragement. From a blur of motion four reindeer emerge, prodded into hauling their sledge faster and faster. Bells tinkle
as the finish line nears. The flag drops, and the driver’s time
is announced, prompting discussions among the crowd.
The driver, resplendent in thigh-length reindeer-skin boots,
dismounts and waits to see what his rivals can do while the
animals rest at last, tongues lolling as their breath steams
into the Arctic air.
Lovozero is the heart of Russian Lapland. In this small community roughly 200 km south of Murmansk, the population of 2,800 treats the reindeer as a badge of identity. It
prances from the sign on the main road, it stands proud
on the village crest. Business cards introduce their owners
as an ‘Olenovod’ – reindeer driver. Fashions include jackets
and boots with reindeer motifs, reindeer skins are used for
both clothing and to insulate homes, while antlers serve
as decoration, storage racks or are carved into jewelry and
ornaments. A stall selling reindeer meat – as prime cuts,
sausage or tinned, stewed ‘tushyonka’ – does a lively trade.
60Moscow In Your Pocket
Local people might prefer to zip around on snowmobiles
these days, and indeed the prize for the supreme champion
of the festival was a state-of-the-art model that gleamed
next to the stage, but the word on the streets remains ‘olen’,
reindeer.
The festival itself is a relatively modern affair, established
as recently as 1934 as the USSR pursued one of its ‘friendship between brotherly peoples’ phases. The traditions date
back much further, though, and Russia’s national holiday
for reindeer herders is timed to coincide with the vernal
equinox, making it a loose parallel to other festivals like
the Slavic Maslenitsa or Turkic Novruz celebrated in other
regions of this vast country. To suit Soviet tastes the current
celebrations are largely stripped of their shamanic, animistic rituals and repackaged as a sporting and cultural event.
Apart from the reindeer, there’s also a cross-country skiing
race that attracted a team from Norway to last year’s event,
a friendly ice hockey clash between teams from Lovozero
and nearby Revda and ‘winter football’, an ice-bound version of 5-a-side that isn’t for the faint-hearted. Local folk
choirs and dancers perform throughout the weekend as
the whole community shrugs off temperatures that are still
some way below freezing and comes out to play.
But there’s more to Russian Lapland than this festival. Not
far from Lovozero a Ski-Doo or boat tour (depending on the
weather) takes explorers to the still, silent Seydozero. For the
Saami this is a sacred place, watched over by a gigantic humanoid figure picked out on a sheer rock face. This is the Kujva,
a giant with both legendary and prosaic explanations. Scientists talk of geological formations and odd colourings in the
rock; romantics believe it is the spirit of a great warrior-hero
set into the rock face to keep a watchful eye on the Saami and
their reindeer – and to return to life and repel any danger. Even
if the mysticism doesn’t appeal the wild, untamed scenery is
guaranteed to impress, especially in the winter months when
the lake freezes and is buried under a vast layer of untouched
snow and the mountains rise all around. The clear polar skies
make it a wonderful place for photography.
moscow.inyourpocket.com
Murmansk
Language
While Russian is the language of everyday use, Saami can
also be found. It’s relatively rarely spoken, but frequently
found on maps of the region, echoing faintly through
place-names – Lovozero is also known as ‘Lujavr’, with
‘javr’ being a Finno-ugric counterpart for the Russian
‘ozero’, or ‘lake’. ‘Tirvas’, a Saami greeting, is a popular name
for hotels and guest-houses, ski complexes adopt Finnish
names, tortuously rendered into baffling blocks of Cyrillic
text – ‘Kukisvumchorr’ is perhaps the region’s biggest –
but those Saami slopes are reached by driving through
the stolidly Soviet town of Kirovsk, the setting for several
scenes in ‘Leviathan’ and turning left at the end of Prospekt Lenina.
The festival of the North
The festival takes place each year on the penultimate
weekend of March, so the 2015 edition will be on
21-22 March. The official opening is usually around
11:00 on the Saturday and the first of the reindeer
heats starts at midday. A full schedule usually appears on the Lovozerye website closer to the big day
(www.lovozerie.ru).
Where to stay
Accommodation in Lovozero can be limited, with the
town’s advertised hotels proving difficult to contact.
Various ‘turbaza’ complexes, small holiday camps, are
dotted around the shores of Lovozero’s vast lake. Most of
them are inaccessible by road, and can only be reached
by snowmobile in winter and boat in the summer. It’s a
spectacular journey into the wilderness, but one that requires guests to forget about mobile reception or Wi-Fi
connections and instead form a link with the beauties of
the natural world. Viktor Barakovsky, who runs the familyowned ‘Medvezhy Ugol’ (Bear Corner) camp offers a wide
range of tours and activities around the area, from trips to
the Festival of the North to a traditional Saami wedding
(which also involves, you guessed it, a reindeer to greet
the happy couple by the sacred waters of Seydozero). Accommodation can be in small tents lined with reindeer
skins and kept toasty warm by a blazing log fire, or in larger wooden dorms suitable for families. Communal meals
in the central wigwam-style tent are sociable affairs, with
a steady flow of vodka overcoming any language barriers
before long. More details can be found at www.lovozero.ru. Other places to stay around the lake include the
Russian Lapland (www.ruslaplandia.ru) and Julinskaya
Salma (www.lovozero.net) camps.
www.facebook.com/MoscowInYourPocket
Getting There
Getting to the heart of Russian Lapland isn’t easy – it lies
right on the geographical centre of the Kola Peninsula,
far from region’s main cities. The two nearest airports
serving Moscow are Murmansk (regular daily flights,
flight time 3 hour) and Apatity (two flights a week with
Severstal Avia), both of which are about 200km from
the settlement itself. A taxi ride will run somewhere in
the region of 3,000Rbl.
Of the two access points, Murmansk is perhaps the
more attractive. Maritime buffs will enjoy a tour of
the ‘Lenin’, the world’s first nuclear-powered icebreaker, now a museum in the harbour. The ‘Alyosha’
monument, towering over the city, is a popular landmark commemorating the sailors who served here
during the war when Murmansk was a vital port
handling supplies coming in on the Arctic Convoys.
The town also has some surprisingly good restaurants, with service and prices rather more attractive
than most Moscow options. There’s gentle downhill
skiing on offer at the ‘Ogni Murmansk’ complex on
the edge of town, and decent accommodation is
also available here.
Apatity and nearby Kirovsk are both industrial towns
built around mining with few obvious attractions. There
are skiing and hiking options in the Khibiny hills – some
of which attract families from Moscow during the season if the Friday morning flight to Apatity is anything
to go by – and a quirky ‘ice village’ on the outskirts of
Kirovsk but a lot of local hotel accommodation is firmly
rooted in the Soviet era.
February - March 2015
61
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ASS 6
PLOSHCHAD
REVOLUTSII
February - March 2015
13
65
UL
Street register
1905 Goda ul.
Akademika Sakharova pr.
Alexandra Nevskogo ul.
Alexandra Solzhenitsina ul.
Apakova pr.
Arbat ul.
Armyansky per.
Bakhrushina ul.
Balchug ul.
Bernikovskaya nab.
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Bobrov per.
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Bol. Bronnaya ul.
Bol. Dmitrovka ul.
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Bol. Karetny per.
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A-1/2
D-1/2
А/B-1
E-4
C-4
B-3
D-2
D-5
D-3/4
E-3
C-4
D-2
C/D-3
B-3/4
D-1
B-2
C-2
A-4
A-1/2
C-1
E-2
E-2
C/D-2
C-3
B-2
E-2
B-4
D-2
B-3
B/C-3
D-4/5
B-2
B-2
C-4/5
B-1/2
C/D-5
E-1
C-4
D-5
D-1
D-1
D-4/5
D-5
A-1
B-4
C-5
B-3/4
C-4
C-4
A-3/4
A-3
A/B-1
A/B-1
C-4/5
B-4
B-1
D/E-2
B-4
C-1
C-5
D-1
B-1
D-5
E-3
C-1
B-2
B-4
B-1
B-3
E-2
B-4
C-2/3
D-1
A/B-4
B-3/4
D-4
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Mal. Znamensky per.
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Marksistskaya ul.
C-4
E-4
E-4
E-4
E-2
B-2
D-1
D-2
C-3
D-3
C-4
C-4
E-1
B-3
C-5
C-5
E-2
C-5
E-3
B-4
B-3
D/E-3
C-5
A-4
D-4
D-2/3
A/B-3
E-1
F-6
A-2/3
D-1
B-4
C-5
D/E-4
D-1
D/E-4
D-4
C-2
A/B-1, B-2
C-3
A-2
A-3
B-1
E-1
C-3
D-2
B-4
E-5
E-5
B-5
B-5
B/C-5
B/C-4
A-3
C/D-2
C-1
C-4
F-6
B-2
A-1
D-2
E-2/3
B-2
B-1/2
A-2
C-1
B-2
B-2
D-4/5
C-5
D-1
C-4
B/C-3
C-3
C-3
E-4
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C-5
D-2/3
E-2
B-3
D-2
B-1
C-3
B-4
D-5
D-5
D-5
D-5
D-3
D-2
C-5
C-2
B-3
C-2/3
E-3/4
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D-3
E-4/5
E-1
E-1
D-2
A-2/3
B-5
D-4/5
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E-1
A/B-3
B-4
C-2/3
C-1
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D-4
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C-1/2
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B-4
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A-1/2
D-1
C/D-2
B-5
C-2
D-4
D-3
D-3
C-3
C-2
C/D-2
D-4
C-3
B/C-1
A/B-2
E-1/2
B-1
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Zemlyanoy Val ul.
Zhitnaya ul.
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Znamenka ul.
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D-3/4
D-3
C-1
E-3
D-1
B-3
B-2/3
A-4
A-4
C-3
B-4
D-3
C-5
B-2
B-2
D-1
C-1
C-2
C-3
B-3/4
C-4
D-2/3
D-4
C-2
A-2
C-1/2
B-1
B-2
A-3
D-5
C-2
E-4
B-1
C-1
A/B-3
B-2
C-1
B-1/2
A/B-1
B -2
F-6
D-3/4
D-5
C/D-2
C-3
D-3
A/B-1
C-1
E-4
E-3
C-3/4
E-3
E-4/5
B/C-3
B-2
B-2
C-4
C-4
E-3
E-2/3/4
C-5
E-2
B/C-3
A-1/2
Abbreviations
Ul. - Ulitsa
Per. - Pereulok
Pr. - Prospekt
Pl. - Ploschad
Bul. - Bulvar
Nab. - Naberezhnaya
Bol. - Bolshaya
Mal. - Malaya
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