Let me lead you through the streets of Moscow

by Anni Pelmeni

The monument to Peter the Great will definitely be remembered as the most hated by the people of Moscow. Created during the regime of Yuri Luzhkov and disapproved of by everyone in Moscow. If you follow the river Moscow down towards The Christ Saviour Cathedral you will have a chance to make your own opinion about this gigantic ship leaded by the Tsar-captain. This monument is supposed to symbolize the role of Peter the Great in creation of Russian navy. However, it is pretty disproportional and collides with the surroundings. The fashionable artist Zurab Tseriteli is the one to thank for this monstrous artifact. It definitely catches the attention but all the negative attitudes this monument are mostly due to its doubtful artistic merits, as far as Peter the Great is concerned, he is one of most respected Russian leaders throughout the whole history of Russia. From the engineering point of view, the monuments could be rather interesting: the bronze boat is located on a huge granite pillar. Peter the Great stands in the boat with a map in his hands. The height of the monument is 98 meter.

by Anni Pelmeni

Make your hazardous guess what is the most favoured monument in Moscow? That will be Pushkin monument on Pushkin Square (metro Pushkinskaya, Tchekchovskaya, Tverskaya).

This monument was erected 6.06.1880 to celebrate 81 years since Pushkin’s birth. Surely everyone has made an appointment to meet there at least once in his/her life. In the evenings it is quite impossible to get through the crowd there: too many people try to meet their dates/ friends/ colleagues.

The reason for such a massive love: (1) logistic - the Pushkin Square is easily accessible from any part of the city as 3 Metro lines intersect here; (2) culture – Pushkin is indeed the most beloved Russian poet and the person whose influence and meaning for Russian culture is undeniable and we always have a line or two from his poems popping into the mind while waiting there; (3) – this monument is one of few which was funded through national fundraising.