DMC Russia - Destination Management Company - Escape Travel LTD

One of the largest cities in Europe, a home for 10 million people, Moscow managed to preserve great number of historical monuments as well as its old urban structure. Russians say that the history of Moscow is the history of the whole Russian country. In the night Moscow is especially beautiful. Enjoy the view of Kremlin towers, History Museum and Cathedral of St. Basil with colorful onion-shape domes. Visit the Sparrow Hills – the highest place of Moscow with breathtaking panorama of the capital.

The Moscow Kremlin is an outstanding monument of Russian history, enclosing an area of 70 acres. The walls are about half a mile long and up to 62 feet high and 21 feet thick, with 20 towers and gates. During the walking tour you will see the Cathedral Square, Belfry of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon and visit one of ancient cathedrals.

Visit the most precious gem of the Kremlin – the Armory, Treasury of Tsars. The collection consists of many precious gifts once presented to Russian Tsars by foreign monarchs and ambassadors as well as their thrones, clothes, beautifully carved gilded ceremonial carriages, Tsar’s regalia and ceremonial armor. You will also see many pieces of applied art and jewelry including famous Faberge works

The Diamond Fund of Kremlin is also woth seeing. It is not a large museum, but its collection is really unique. You will see the largest nuggets of silver, gold and platinum ever found in nature, differently shaped giants diamonds and brilliants followed by state-of-the-art collection of Imperial jewelry ending with Czar’s regalia covered with hundreds of diamonds.

Explore the famous Red Square by foot. Enter the square through the Iverskaya Gate near the small church of our Lady of Kazan, both ruined shortly after the Revolution and reconstructed in 2000. You will see the beautiful red-brick building of the History Museum, oldest department store GUM with a very long façade, the place of execution, ending with the famous St. Basil’s cathedral, perhaps the most eye-catching structure in Moscow.

The Moscow metro is not the oldest one in the world. However, the architectural style and fascinating marble decor of many stations deserved the name of the “Underground Palace”. The first line built in the 30-ies abounds with naïve revolutionary symbols and sculptures. The decoration of after-war lines built in the 50-ies is much more exuberant because it had to demonstrate the advantages of a new socialist society.

Visit Bunker “Tagansky” – one of the most secret military facilities of the former USSR – a Secured Command Post «Tagansky». Built deep under the ground in the residential area of Old Moscow in the 50-ies it was meant to be a shelter of the Chief Commander and the government in case of nuclear attack. It was removed from the secret list in the early 90-ies. Now there you can safely order Cialis generic. During the tour through the secret tunnels, you will be shown samples of arming and communication equipment as well as a short movie about the history of the Cold War. The bravest of you can simulate a launch of nuclear missile.

Visit the Cathedral of Christ the Savior which has the most dramatic history reflecting the history of the whole country. Built in the course of 40 years and completed in 1883 the Cathedral commemorated the victory over Napoleon in 1812. Closed in 1917 after the Revolution it was blown up by the order of Stalin in 1931. A giant open-air swimming pool was built on its place in the 60-ies. A decision to rebuild the cathedral was taken in 1990. Restored to its full splendor in 2000, the Christ Cathedral has again become a dominating landmark of the Russian capital.

Not far from the cathedral you will see the giant statue of the first Russian Emperor – Peter the Great. The proportions of the monument can be compared with Rio’s Christ the Savior. The work of Georgian architect Tseretely, a close friend of Moscow’s mayor, for several years the monument has been a theme for constant jokes.

Visit the ancient Novodevichy Convent. The red and white fortified walls and golden domes of the convent make it one of Moscow’s most beautiful monasteries. It was founded by the Czar Vasily III in 1524. Many wives and widows of Russian Czars ended their lives here having handed over all their wealth to the monastery. The convent looks like the Kremlin in miniature. The cemetery, adjacent to the convent, is a very special place to visit – it has the graves of many famous people such as Chekhov and Bulgakov, Shostakovich and Scryabin, , Stalin’s wife and Khrushchev, Raisa Gorbatcheva and maestro Rostropovich among others.

Introduction of St. Petersburg:

The second largest city of Russia, it was its capital for almost 200 years. No longer a capital city now it still preserves its imperial grandeur. St. Petersburg combines its fascinating Russian heritage with a distinctly European outlook. Considered the cultural heart of modern day Russia, St. Petersburg is rapidly regaining its reputation as one of the Great Cities of Europe. The city, laid on more than 65 islands with more than 300 bridges, is full of palaces of the Tsars and the nobility, overlooking the granite-clad embankments. There is one museum in the city that is never closed – the city itself. Discover St. Petersburg – a city of infinite charm with its majestic palaces, churches and cathedrals, river embankments, beautiful parks and innumerous bridges – a city of imperial proportions and romantic vistas which has been a source of inspiration for the generations of artists.

Highlights of St. Petersburg and its environs:

The Peter and Paul Fortress. It is the historical nucleus of the city as well as one of the most interesting and beautiful architectural landmarks. St. Peter & Paul Cathedral with its long gilded spire is the burial place of all Russian emperors from Peter the Great to the last of the Romanovs – Nicholas II. Designed to protect newly acquired lands in the mouth of the Neva River, the fortress lost its military significance before it was completed. It was turned into the most dismal political prison of Russia for almost 200 years.

Fourth highest cupola cathedral in the world St. Isaac’s Cathedral has a breathtaking interior design. The cathedral can accommodate 13000 worshippers in a time. The monolithic columns of the portico cut from red granite are seventeen meters high and weigh 114 tons each. The mosaic inside has twelve thousand shades and colors, the walls are five meters thick and the main cupola is coated with one hundred kilos of gold.

The Church on the Spilt Blood is one of St. Petersburg highest buildings. It was built on the spot where Alexander II was fatally wounded by a terrorist, a member of People’s Will revolutionary group in 1881. This event gave its second, more commonly used name – “the Savior of the Spilt Blood”. The construction of the memorial church began in 1883 and lasted 24 years. The enormous amount of more than 1½ million of silver rubles was allocated for the construction. Beautiful onion-shaped domes of the cathedral are covered with precious enamel. The facades of the church are adorned with more than 400 square meters of mosaic. The church has a breath-taking interior design with great variety of semi-precious stones, gold and mosaics covering the area of almost 7,000 square meters.

The world-known Hermitage museum was the residence of the Russian Emperors in the past, nowadays it comprises 5 palaces and is one of the largest museums in the world. Admire the State Rooms of the Winter Palace. Continue to the Small Hermitage, then proceed to the priceless masterpieces exhibited in other Hermitage buildings. There are literally a billion things to see in the Hermitage and it is well worth making more than one visit. The overwhelming richness of the museum is all the more enhanced by the incredible splendor of the buildings, inside and out: ornate and regal facades, huge frescoed halls; marble, wood and mosaic floors; and statuettes, figurines, and antique furniture all on such a grand scale that it fascinates the mind.

Pushkin is a small town in 25 km west from St. Petersburg. Enter the beautiful Catherine’s park and visit Catherine’s Palace, considered to be a real pearl of Russian baroque architecture of the 18^th century. It was built for Russian Empress Catherine in 1752. The palace, a combination of white and gold, looks magnificent; a huge ballroom called the Grand Hall, ornately decorated drawing rooms, studies and dining rooms. The most famous room here is the Amber Room, looted by the Nazis during World War II and completely restored in 2003. Surrounding the palace is a park covering more than 570 hectares with bridges, terraces, fountains and small galleries.

Peterhof (also called Petrodvorets) is the most famous summer residence of Russian Emperors, located 25 km west on the Gulf of Finland. It history begins in 1704 when Peter I built a wooden house on the Gulf. In 1723 the enlarged palace became official summer residence, later it was expanded by Empress Elizabeth and called Grand Summer Palace. We do not go inside the palace but focus on the main attraction of the place – the Lower Park with Grand Cascade decorated with more than 150 fountains built in 1722 to rival gardens of Versailles. All fountains of the Grand Cascade are solemnly launched every day sharp at 11:00. The intricate system of pipes stretches for nearly 22 km. The water flows downhill by force of gravity while the fountains operate according to the principle of communicating vessels. In both artistry and engineering the fountains of Peterhof are truly unique.

Named after Paul I, Pavlovsk was founded in 1777 when a small ducal palace was built. A large horseshoe-shaped Paul’s Palace was completed in 1786 and renovated again in 1803 during the reign of Paul’s son – Alexander I. This palace is often called a pearl of the classical style as many famous architects of the time took part in designing its beautiful interiors which are synthesis of architecture, decorative painting and sculpture. A beautiful landscape park, the largest in Europe, surrounds the palace.

The Russian museum is located in the former Mikhailovsky Palace. Built for Russian Emperor Paul’s youngest son by Carlo Rossi who devoted his life and work to St. Petersburg, the palace was turned into a museum in 1898 by Nicholas II. The palace has preserved an impressive suite of beautifully decorated gala rooms on the main floor. The largest rooms hold some of the collection’s most famous works: Ivan Aivazovsky’s huge seascapes The Ninth Wave and The Wave, and Karl Bryullov’s acclaimed The Last Days of Pompei. The collection of Russian and Soviet art spans medieval icons to grandiose socialist realism and avante guard paintings and encompasses more than 370,000 items dating from 11th century to the present.

The Yusupov Palace is the richest of non-imperial palaces of St. Petersburg, this palace was the home of the noble and powerful Yusupov family, relatives to the Russian Tsars. The Yusupovs were great collectors of art, and their collection was known well beyond Russia. After the revolution most of the collection was moved to the Hermitage, though traces of the incredible wealth that once kept this palace pulsating with life still remain: the various sitting rooms, the intricate chandeliers and candelabras that adorn every room and corridor. The beautiful home theater of the palace looks like a cozy version of the famous Mariinsky theatre. It was in this palace where the assassination of Rasputin, one of the most scandalous figures in Russian history, took place. One can feel the drama of the moment seeing wax figures of the conspirators waiting in a small room on the ground floor. In the cellar where it happened there are two more wax figures: Rasputin and young Felix Yusupov talking over the set table minutes before the assassination.