Moscow UNESCO world heritage sites

Kremlin Palace

Grand Kremlin Palace at Kremlin
From 1839 to 1849 a Russian architect K.A. Thon erected the Great Kremlin Palace as a residence of the imperial family which combined ancient Kremlin buildings such as the Palace of the Facets, the Tsarina's Golden Chamber, Master Chambers, the Teremnoi Palace and the Teremnoi churches. In the Armory Chamber built by K.A. Thon within the complex of the Great Kremlin Palace, there is a 16th century museum officially established by the order of Alexander I in 1806.

Arsenal at Kremlin
Of note are its two rows of spaced, paired, arched windows with deep, white limestone frames. Two entrances to the patio on the south and east facades have arched porticos with baroque ornaments.

The Senate at Kremlin
Currently, it houses the Russian presidential administration and is a secured and restricted area closed to the public. At present, only the southern corner fassade, opposite the Tsar Cannon can be viewed by the public.

Patriarchal Palace / the Church of the Twelve Apostles on Borovitskaya Street, Kremlin
The church is almost as prominent as neighbouring grand cathedrals of the 15th century, due to its placement upon a high podium, pierced by two large arches allowing passage from the Cathedral Square to the patriarch's courtyard. The exterior walls are decorated with two belts of columned arches which reference both the neighbouring cathedrals of the Cathedral Square and the great churches of the 12th-century Vladimir-Suzdal school which had been their inspiration. The rigorous outline of five helmeted domes, in keeping with Nikon's conservative architectural tastes, serves to accentuate the church's Byzantine pedigree.

Church of the Deposition of the Virgin's Robe on Borovitskaya Street, Kremlin
The church itself was built in the traditional Early Russian style, characterized by "a noticeable tendency towards more elevated proportions, the overall structure being extended by being placed on raised foundations, and the drum supporting the single dome also being raised." As with the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the intricate interior detail and ornamentation were characteristic of the Russian architecture of this period.

Cathedral of the Annunciation on Borovitskaya ulitsa, Kremlin
It is also built in a more traditional style, as it was created by local architects from Pskov, rather than Italian expatriate architects. The most characteristic feature of the building is its nine golden domes, and roof with rich kokoshnik ornamentation in an ogive form.

Cathedral of the Dormition on Borovitskaya Street, Kremlin
The Cathedral of the Dormition was completed in 1479 to be the main church of Moscow and where all the Tsars were crowned. The massive limestone fassade, capped with its five golden cupolas was the design of Aristotele Fioravanti.

Cathedral of the Archangel Michael on Borovitskaya Street, Kremlin
It was the main necropolis of the Tsars of Russia until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg.

Ivan the Great Bell-Tower on Borovitskaya Street, Kremlin
With a total height of 81 metres (266 ft), it is the tallest tower and structure of Kremlin. It was built in 1508 on Cathedral Square for the 3 Russian Orthodox cathedrals, namely the Assumption (closest to the tower), the Archangel and the Annunciation, which do not have their own belfries.

Moscow Red Square

St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square
It was built from 1555-1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. It was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600.

Lenin's Mausoleum on Red Square
Lenin's Tomb, situated in Red Square in the centre of Moscow, is a mausoleum that currently serves as the resting place of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. His preserved body has been on public display there since shortly after his death in 1924, with rare exceptions in wartime.

GUM Department Store on Red Square
With the fassade extending for 794 ft (242 m) along the eastern side of Red Square, the Upper Trading Rows were built between 1890 and 1893 by Alexander Pomerantsev (responsible for architecture) and Vladimir Shukhov (responsible for engineering). The trapezoidal building features a combination of elements of Russian medieval architecture and a steel framework and glass roof, a similar style to the great 19th-century railway stations of London.

State Historical Museum on Red Square
The museum was founded in 1872 by Ivan Zabelin, Aleksey Uvarov and several other Slavophiles interested in promoting Russian history and national self-awareness.

Moscow South

Novodevichy Convent *** at Novodevichya Emb., 1
The Convent is enclosed by a high masonry wall with twelve towers and with entrance gates to the north and south. It has two major planning axes and its main focal point, the Smolensky Cathedral, is located at their crossing. It is dedicated to the highest shrine of Russian Orthodoxy, the Icon of the Mother God of Smolensk “Hodigitria” and is the Convent’s oldest stone building. The interior of the Cathedral is unique in respect of its performance, riot of colour and well-preserved wall paintings of the late 16th century which were created during the reign of Boris Godunov. Completely persevered is the wooden-framed five-tier iconostasis, typical of Moscow Baroque and created in 1683-1685, with its decorated gold-coated carvings. Among other major buildings of the Convent is the Bell Tower built in 1683-1690. It has no analogues among ancient Russian convents or among other buildings of Moscow Baroque style. Due to its great height (72m), unusual disposition, elegant proportions and beautiful decorations, the belfry has always been the main vertical element of the whole western part of the historic town of Moscow thus contributing to the Convent’s town-planning value.

Church of the Ascension *** at Andropova Ave 39/1, Kolomenskoye
The Church of the Ascension is unsurpassed in its marvellous beauty and elegance of form and was built in spite of the strict canons of ecclesiastical architecture in the 16th century. Its one-pillar construction differed from the usual five-domed structure on four pillars, making it more like a memorial sculpture with architectural features that incorporated the best of the Byzantine, Greek, Roman, Gothic and ancient Russian traditions.