Pushkin Square (Moscow). Photos and reviews of tourists

The vast territory of Pushkin Square is located in the Earthen city, which occupies part of the center of Moscow. It is two kilometers from the north-west side of the Kremlin. Its borders adjoin the outskirts of two boulevards - Strastnoy and Tverskoy.

In other words, in the Boulevard Ring, belonging to the Tver region, Pushkin Square is included. Metro is represented here at once by three stations: Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya and Chekhovskaya.

Historical names of Pushkin Square

From the very beginning the square was called Strastnaia. It was the name of the monastery nearby. It was also called the boulevard of the Tver Gate, which once served as an entrance to the White City.

The current name, "Pushkin Square", was officially established outside the territory in 1937. They called her so to commemorate the centenary of the death of the great Russian poet.

Historical facts related to the Tver gate

At the end of the sixteenth century, in the place where the Pushkin Square was now spreading, the Tverskaya Gates, leading to the streets of the White City, towered. On the way out of them, the travelers went to Tver and St. Petersburg. The gate rose above the grounds of I.D. Miloslavsky, who comes to the testimony of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

Near the gate in 1641 completed the construction of the church in honor of the Holy Icon of Our Lady. In 1645, the Passion Monastery (the women's monastery) was immediately opened. Nearby built a stone two-temple temple of Dimitry of Thessalonica. On Malaya Dmitrovka there was a place called "The Way of the Embassy's Courtyard". It received European envoys who drove to Moscow from Novgorod.

In the neighborhood with the ambassadorial courtyard, the original three-stone Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki was erected. The building of the church has survived to this day. In 1641, forge gates were established in the gate area. They worked in 63 smithies, next to which in 1670, flour and meat shops were built.

Creating an area

The Tver gate existed until 1720. On the site of their demolition, a compact platform was formed, which was adorned with a triumphal arch designed for the solemn entry of Peter I, who concluded the Nystadt Peace. Later on, on the eve of the upcoming coronations, a new arch was erected here.

The wall of the White City was destroyed in 1770. In 1784, Kuznetsov was forced out for the Earth Wall. After 11 years, there was no need for shops, their owners also had to move to another place. In 1791, rebuilt the Cathedral of Dmitry Solunsky. In its place a baroque temple was built, famous for its choirs.

Five years later, in the area of the dismantled wall, Tverskoy Boulevard, the first public promenade that Moscow received, lay down . Pushkin Square from this moment will begin to transform and become a favorite place of the promenade.

The heyday of Pushkin Square

In 1803, the construction of the mansion was completed here, the owner of which, M. I. Rimskaya-Korsakov, arranges luxurious balls in it. In the house of Famusov (so called this pompous palace) there were Griboyedov and Pushkin. After the death of the mistress, the building was handed over to Stroganov's technical school . And in the period of building socialism it was transferred to the Communist University of the Peoples of the East.

After 52 years, a wall was added to the Passion Monastery, decorated with towers and a bell tower, which allowed him to dominate other structures. In 1880 a monument was erected on Pushkin Square. Monument to A.S. Pushkin is projected by sculptor A. Opekushin. Funds for its construction were collected by subscription, opened by I. Turgenev and F. Dostoyevsky.

Until 1890, the Passion Square was a place of commerce. On a small bargain they sold meat, flour, firewood and hay. In 1872, on its territory, a horse-railway line was pulled to Petrovsky Park. When twenty-seven years have passed, the first Moscow trams will be launched. And another 8 - a horse cab driver will be replaced by a taxi.

Revolutionary uprisings on Strastnoy Boulevard

And only the events of 1905 and 1917 overshadow the heyday of Tverskaya Square. She, like the whole country, will survive the sad days of hard times. First, on the barricades of Strastnoy Boulevard, dragoons and an army with insurgents fought. The rebels were shot. In the days of the October Revolution the boulevard was taken over by the Bolsheviks. It was the link between the Moscow City Council and Presnya.

Square in the era of socialism

Passionate monastery in 1919 will be covered. He will stand idle for nine years. And then in it an anti-religious museum is organized. In 1927, a newspaper Izvestia was built next to him. In 1934 - two neighboring mansions were reconstructed and connected under numbers 16 and 16/2. The dome of the structure will form a characteristic silhouette, due to which the Pushkin Square will acquire a recognizable look. The new building will become the abode of the All-Union Theatrical Society, the House of Actors and the editorial office of the newspaper Moskovskie Novosti.

In the same year demolished the temple of Dmitry Solunsky. Five years later, in its place built a structure with a turret, crowned with a sculpture of a girl with a model of a yacht. The building was called "House under the skirt" because of the sculpture. Passionate monastery stood until 1938.

After a decade, Stalin ordered the monument to Pushkin to be moved to the place where the monastery stood. And two years later a beautiful square was created on the boulevard. In 1961, the "Russia" theater was erected on the free part of the monastic territory. Pushkin Square did not cease to change, losing those or other cultural and historical objects.

So, in 1975 it was decided to demolish the House of Famusov. The public protests did not lead to anything. The historical building was demolished, and soon a new structure was built in its place, where the Izvestia newspaper editorial office was settled.

In the Stalin era in the days of national festivities on the boulevard, they organized festivities. On the square there were May Day and October demonstrations, pop artists and a military band performed. Bazaars sold children's products, sweets, traditional Russian food and scarce products.

Boulevard in the period of stagnation and restructuring

Since the time of stagnation Strastnoy Boulevard has become an arena where sanctioned and spontaneous rallies and demonstrations take place. Dissidents have traditionally held their own foot marches here. The first "publicity rally", held on 05.15.65, on Constitution day, grew into annual dissident demonstrations, which included, among others, Andrei Sakharov.

During the perestroika period, Pushkin Square becomes an important center of public life. Near the editorial office of the newspaper Moskovskiye Novosti, new newspapers were posted on the installed stands. On this patch of public every day the crowd was crowding, stirring up heated discussions about political changes in the country. In 1988, a rally on the boulevard was organized, organized by the "Democratic Union" without the permission of the authorities. There will be significant "marches of dissent", brought to the pages of Russian history in 2007.

The opening of the first McDonald's in Russia on 31.01.90 is perhaps the most epoch-making event of the times of the Soviet Union, to which citizens of Pushkin Square surprised citizens. Photo of the restaurant that made a splash, was found in almost every print edition of that time. People who wanted to taste overseas food stood in the cold for hours at a time.

Reviews of tourists

This part of the Boulevard Ring, although it lost its original appearance with the majestic old buildings and churches, is always animated. Muscovites and the capital's guests appoint meetings here. Vacationers are drawn to the monument to A.S. Pushkin, to the benches near the elegant fountains. Tourists like to relax in restaurants and bars, built of glass, decorated with bizarre figures, cast from metal. Long stay in the memory of the guests of the capital and leisurely walks in the luxurious park.