Moscow
St. Petersburg
Pushkin
Peterhof
Velikiy Novgorod
Murmansk
Sochi
Vladimir
Suzdal
Moscow
Moscow (/ˈmɒskoʊ/ MOS-koh, US chiefly /ˈmɒskaʊ/ MOS-kow;[12][13] Russian: Москва, tr. Moskva, IPA: [mɐskˈva] i) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million residents within the city limits,[6] over 18.8 million residents in the urban area,[7] and over 21.5 million residents in the metropolitan area.[14] The city covers an area of 2,511 square kilometers (970 sq mi), while the urban area covers 5,891 square kilometers (2,275 sq mi),[7] and the metropolitan area covers over 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 sq mi).[14] Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe,[7][14] and the largest city by land area on the European continent.[15] First documented in 1147, Moscow grew to become a prosperous and powerful city that served as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. When the Tsardom of Russia was proclaimed, Moscow remained the political and economic center for most of its history. Under the reign of Peter the Great, the Russian capital was moved to the newly founded city of Saint Petersburg in 1712, diminishing Moscow's influence. Following the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Russian SFSR, the capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918, where it later became the political center of the Soviet Union.[16] In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow remained the capital city of the newly established Russian Federation. The northernmost and coldest megacity in the world, Moscow is governed as a federal city,[17] where it serves as the political, economic, cultural, and scientific center of Russia and Eastern Europe. As an alpha world city,[18] Moscow has one of the world's largest urban economies.[19] The city is one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the world,[20] and is one of Europe's most visited cities. Moscow is home to the sixth-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world.[21] The Moscow International Business Center is one of the largest financial centers in Europe and the world, and features the majority of Europe's tallest skyscrapers. Moscow was the host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics, and one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[22] As the historic core of Russia, Moscow serves as the home of numerous Russian artists, scientists, and sports figures due to the presence of its various museums, academic and political institutions, and theaters. The city is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is well known for its display of Russian architecture, particularly its historic Red Square, and buildings such as the Saint Basil's Cathedral and the Moscow Kremlin, of which the latter serves as the seat of power of the Government of Russia. Moscow is home to many Russian companies in numerous industries and is served by a comprehensive transit network, which includes four international airports, ten railway terminals, a tram system, a monorail system, and most notably the Moscow Metro, the busiest metro system in Europe, and one of the largest rapid transit systems in the world. The city has over 40 percent of its territory covered by greenery, making it one of the greenest cities in the world.[15][23] Etymology The name of the city is thought to be derived from the name of the Moskva River.[24][25] Several theories of the origin of the name of the river have been proposed. Finno-Ugric Merya and Muroma people, who were among the several pre-Slavic tribes which originally inhabited the area, called the river supposedly Mustajoki, in English: Black river. It has been suggested that the name of the city derives from this term.[26][27] The most linguistically well-grounded and widely accepted is from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *mŭzg-/muzg- from the Proto-Indo-European *meu- "wet",[25][28][29] so the name Moskva might signify a river at a wetland or a marsh.[24] Its cognates include Russian: музга, muzga "pool, puddle", Lithuanian: mazgoti and Latvian: mazgāt "to wash", Sanskrit: májjati "to drown", Latin: mergō "to dip, immerse".[24][28] In many Slavic countries Moskov is a surname, most common in Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and North Macedonia.[30] Additionally, there are similarly named places in Poland like Mozgawa.[24][25][28] The original Old Russian form of the name is reconstructed as *Москы, *Mosky,[24][25] hence it was one of a few Slavic ū-stem nouns. As with other nouns of that declension, it had been undergoing a morphological transformation at the early stage of the development of the language, as a result, the first written mentions in the 12th century were Московь, Moskovĭ (accusative case), Москви, Moskvi (locative case), Москвe/Москвѣ, Moskve/Moskvě (genitive case).[24][25] From the latter forms came to the modern Russian name Москва, Moskva, which is a result of morphological generalization with the numerous Slavic ā-stem nouns. However, the form Moskovĭ has left some traces in many other languages, including English: Moscow, German: Moskau, French: Moscou, Georgian: მოსკოვი, Latvian: Maskava, Bashkir: Мәскәү, Tatar: Mäskäw, Portuguese: Moscovo, Chuvash: Мускав, and Spanish: Moscú. In a similar manner the Latin name Moscovia has been formed, later it became a colloquial name for Russia used in Western Europe in the 16th–17th centuries. From it as well came English Muscovy and muscovite.[31][failed verification] Various other theories (of Celtic, Iranian, Caucasic origins), having little or no scientific ground, are now largely rejected by contemporary linguists.[24][25] Other names Moscow has acquired several epithets, most referring to its size and preeminent status within the nation: The Third Rome (Третий Рим), the Whitestone One (Белокаменная), the First Throne (Первопрестольная), the Forty Soroks (Сорок Сороков) ("sorok" meaning both "forty, a great many" and "a district or parish" in Old Russian). Moscow is also one of the twelve Hero Cities. The demonym for a Moscow resident is "москвич" (moskvich) for male or "москвичка" (moskvichka) for female, rendered in English as Muscovite. The name "Moscow" is abbreviated "MSK" (МСК in Russian).[citation needed]
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is one of the most visited city of Russia and is claimed to be one of the most special cities of Europe. Having a network of the rivers and canals, it is called the Northern Venice and has a peculiar atmosphere of ancient Tsar Russia exquisitely mixed with modern architecture and vibrant life of the citizens. Our tours and excursions of Saint Petersburg get you familiar with its history and culture and unveil the insights of its daily life.
Pushkin
Pushkin is a town located 24 kilometres away from Saint Petersburg. The main spot of this place is the palace and 107 hectares park around it; this complex used to serve as a royal residence in the imperial Russia times and was named after the Empress Catherine I of Russia. Today the Catherine Palace and Park with numerous pavilions is one of the most visited museums of Saint Petersburg. The main aim of the tourists is the world-famous Amber room — the reconstruction of the chamber, made of amber panels and elements of gold. There are also some interactive excursions and workshops where you can try to work with amber and get more information of this amazing material.
Peterhof
Located just in 30 minutes ride from Saint Petersburg, Peterhof attracts tourists from all over the world. This former summer residence of the imperial family is famous for its parks and palace, and, in particular, the outstanding Lower Park and the Upper Garden decorated with exquisitely designed fountains that turn this park assembly into a genuine piece of art. The Great Palace used to be the centre of the social life of the upper classes in the imperial Russia and now it serves as a museum with reconstructed halls and chambers.
Velikiy Novgorod
This town, located in 190 kilometers from Saint Petersburg, is a place with UNESCO-listed sights. Its Kremlin and other museums keep the genuine pieces of ancient Russian art and reconstructed examples of wooden and stone architecture. This is a must-see for all history lovers!
Murmansk
Murmansk is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle and here you can find astonishing Russian nature, fun activities like dog sledding or ice fishing and, if you are lucky, and the Northern lights above the sky. You will fall in love with the beauty of the northern nature in Murmansk region and will explore another, unusual Russia.
Sochi
Sochi, the capital of the 2014 Winter Olympics, is the great resort for a beach holiday in summer and for the skiing activity in winter season. Sochi offers a range of luxury hotels in the skiing resorts as well as plain private houses for a budget tour. We organize sightseeing tours of Sochi for those, who want to combine sports and leisure with some educational activities so our professional guides will give you the fullest picture of this southern city.
Vladimir
This city is a part of Russian Golden Ring and is very popular among the tourists, who are interested in the architecture heritage and the history and religion of ancient Russia. Its famous cathedrals are included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Here you can spend hours walking along the narrow streets and exploring the other side of modern Russia while learning about its history.
Suzdal
Suzdal is the famous city located not far from Moscow on the popular tourist route called ‘The Golden Ring of Russia’. The main sight of Suzdal is its Kremlin that remained the genuine parts of the 10-century architecture; the reconstructed cathedrals and monastery complexes look fantastic and make it seem like you are transfered into the past centuries. Suzdal is included in the Golden Ring chain of Russian cities.
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