The Rough Guide to Moscow - Softcover

Richardson, Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1858287006 ISBN 13: 9781858287003

Publisher: Rough Guides, 2001

Synopsis

INTRODUCTION

Moscow is all things to all people. In Siberia, they call it "the West", with a note of scorn for the bureaucrats and politicians who promulgate and posture in the capital. For Westerners, the city may look European, but its unruly spirit seems closer to Central Asia. To Muscovites, however, Moscow is both a "Mother City" and a "big village" (bolshaya derevnya), a tumultuous community with an underlying collective instinct that shows itself in times of trouble. Nowhere else reflects the contradictions and ambiguities of the Russian people as Moscow does – nor the stresses of a country undergoing meltdown and renewal.

The city is huge, surreal and apocalyptic. After a few weeks here, the bizarre becomes normal, and you realize that life is – as Russians say – bespredel (without limits). Traditionally, Moscow has been a place for strangers to throw themselves into debauchery, leaving poorer and wiser. Its puritan stance in Soviet times was seldom heartfelt, and with the fall of Communism it has reverted to the lusty, violent ways that foreigners have noted with amazement over the centuries, and Gilyarovsky chronicled in his book, Moscow and the Muscovites.

As the home of one in fifteen Russians, Moscow exemplifies the best and worst of Russia. Its beauty and ugliness are inseparable, its sentimentality the obverse of a brutality rooted in centuries of despotism and fear of anarchy. Private and cultural life are as passionate as business and politics are cynical. The irony and resilience honed by decades of propaganda and shortages now help Muscovites to cope with the "Wild Capitalism" that intoxicates the city. Yet, for all its assertiveness, Moscow’s essence is moody and elusive, and uncovering it is like opening an endless series of Matryoshka dolls, or peeling an onion down to its core.

Both images are apposite, for Moscow’s concentric geography mirrors its historical development. At its heart is the Kremlin, whose foundation by Prince Dolgoruky in 1147 marked the birth of the city. Surrounding this are rings corresponding to the feudal settlements of medieval times, rebuilt along more European lines after the great fire of 1812, and ruthlessly modernized in accordance with Stalin’s vision of Moscow as the Mecca of Communism. Further out lie the fortified monasteries that once guarded the outskirts, and the former country estates of tsars and nobles, now well within the urban sprawl encircled by the Moscow Ring Road.

Moscow’s identity has been imbued with a sense of its own destiny since the fourteenth century, when the principality of Muscovy took the lead in the struggle against the Mongols and Tatars who had reduced the Kievan state to ruins. Under Ivan the Great and Ivan the Terrible – the "Gatherers of the Russian Lands" – its realm came to encompass everything from the White Sea to the Caspian, while after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, Moscow assumed Byzantium’s suzerainty over the Orthodox world. Despite the changes wrought by Peter the Great – not least the transfer of the capital to St Petersburg, which Slavophiles have always abhorred – Moscow kept its mystique and bided its time until the Bolsheviks made it the fountainhead of a new creed. Long accustomed to being at the centre of an empire, and being misled that their society was the envy of the world, Muscovites felt the disillusionments of the 1990s more keenly than most Russians – though some prospered beyond thei!r wildest dreams.

All this is writ large in Moscow’s architecture and streetlife. The Kremlin’s cathedrals are Byzantine, like its politics. Ministries and hotels the size of city blocks reach their apotheosis in the "Seven Sisters" – Stalin-Gothic skyscrapers that brood over the city like vampires. The streets and metros resemble bazaars, with kiosks and hawkers on every corner. BMWs cruise past babushki whose monthly pensions wouldn’t cover the cost of admission to a nightclub (the city has more casinos than any capital in the world). Fascists and Communists march together, bankers live in fear of bombs and life is up for grabs. From all this, Muscovites seek solace in backstreet churches and shady courtyards; in the steamy conviviality of the bathhouse; and over tea or vodka. Discovering the private, hidden side of Moscow is as rewarding as visiting the usual tourist sights.

About this title

About the Author

Before joining Rough Guides, Dan Richardson worked as a sailor on the Red Sea and lived in Peru. Since then, he has authored or coauthored guides to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Hungary, Budapest, Romania, Bulgaria, and Egypt; lectured at the Foreign Office; and been a volunteer aid worker in Albania. In 2009 he published his first novel, Gog-an End Time Mystery, an apocalyptic whodunnit set in near-future Egypt.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

WHEN TO GO AND WHAT TO TAKE

Moscow lies on about the same latitude as Edinburgh in Scotland, but its climate is closer to that of Edmonton in Canada (a bit further south), due to its location far from the sea, on a great continental land mass. Summers are hot, and winters cold by Western European standards – although the dry, often sunny weather makes them tolerable, if not always pleasurable.

As most foreigners have an exaggerated fear of the cold in Russia, the most popular time to go is summer, lasting from the beginning of June to mid-September. Days and nights are warm and sultry, with heat waves likely during August, when Muscovites leave in droves for their dachas in the countryside. Culturally, things are rather slack during this period, with the Bolshoy Ballet away from June until early September and many other theatres closed for the duration. Conversely, politics often hot up in August, sometimes boiling over a month or so later. By mid-September, autumn is under way, with cloudy skies and falling temperatures, but you can still look forward to a week or two of Babe leto ("Granny’s Summer"), when Moscow is an Impressionist’s vision of autumnal hues, in the final glow of warmth.

Subzero temperatures and snow can set in up to two months before winter officially begins in December. Blanketed in fresh snow, Moscow is magically hushed and cleansed, and Muscovites revel in the crispness of the air. Days are often gloriously sunny, and the temperature only a few degrees below zero, so skiing and sledging are popular pursuits. The secular New Year and Orthodox Christmas in early January are occasions for shopping and merrymaking, much as in the West – so if you have friends here, it’s a great time to come. At some point, however, a cold snap will send the temperature down to -20°C or lower, while traffic and thaws turn the snow into mounds and lakes of black ice or brown slush, which linger on until late March.

By this time, everyone is longing for spring, whose arrival is unpredictable, with trees starting to bud weeks before the slush disappears in mid-April. Mid- to late spring is perhaps the best time for festivals, with the Orthodox Easter celebrations followed by the "Moscow Stars" festival, May Day, and the Victory Day celebrations on May 9. On the downside, however, cold snaps can happen at any time until the end of the month, and thundery showers may occur well into the summer.

It’s wise to give some thought as to what to take – and worth packing that bit more to stave off problems later. Expect occasional showers almost any time of the year, and bring a waterproof jacket or compact umbrella. Mosquitoes can also be a pest in summer, so some form of barrier/treatment cream is advisable. For travel in winter (or late autumn or early spring), take as many layers as you can pack. Gloves, a hat and scarf, and thick socks are mandatory; thermal underwear saves you from cold legs; and a pair of boots with non-slip soles are recommended for the snow and ice. Indoors, you’ll have nothing to worry about, as most apartment buildings and hotels are well (if not over-) heated.

A NOTE ON THE CALENDAR

In 1700, Peter the Great forced the Russians to adopt the Julian calendar which was then in use in Western Europe, in place of the old system dictated by the Orthodox church. Ironically, Western Europe changed to the Gregorian calendar not long afterwards, but this time the Russians refused to follow suit. The Julian calendar was less accurate and by the twentieth century lagged behind the Gregorian by almost two weeks. The Soviet regime introduced the Gregorian calendar in February 1918 – January 31 ran straight on to February 14. This explains why the Soviets always celebrated the Great October Revolution on November 7. In this book we have kept the old-style calendar before February 1918, and the new style only after it was introduced.

CHANGES IN THE NEW RUSSIA

The speed of change in Russian society inevitably means that certain sections of this book are going to be out of date by the time you read them. Laws and regulations frequently change without warning, especially concerning visas and currency exchange; restaurants, clubs and services come and go; and there is always the possibility of radical decrees from the Kremlin. Yet, despite universally gloomy news reports about Russia, Muscovites are resilient and the city is big enough to absorb a lot of trouble – so don’t be deterred by run-of-the-mill reports of Mafia killings, horrendous accidents, and so on.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1858287006
• ISBN 13: 9781858287003
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 468