Outer West

Our section on sights in the Outer West of Moscow covers sights in the North-Western and Western Administrative Districts of the city (with the exclusion of the Dorogomilovo District which has its own sights page as most of it is located within the Third Ring Road). This roughly covers the area of Moscow between the Third Ring Road to the MKAD Ring Road from Leningraskoe Shosse to Leninsky Prospekt. Other major roads in between include Rublyovskoe Shosse and Kutuzovsky Proskepkt. This part of Moscow is mainly served by the western ends of the purple, light blue, dark blue and red lines of the metro.

Around Fili Metro Station

Intercession Church at Fili

  • 6 Ulitsa Novozavodskaya
  • Fili
  • http://www.pokrov-fili.ru/

Although the Intercession Church at Fili is rather remote from the city centre it is nevertheless worth visiting as it is one of the best surviving examples as what is known as the Naryshkin baroque architectural style of churches.  The church was built between 1690 and 1694 using the funds of Lev Naryshkin (hence the name of the architectural style), the maternal uncle of Emperor Peter the Great.  It is believed Lev had the church built in memory of his two brothers who were… Read more »

Around Polezhaevskaya Metro Station

Home Guard Monument

  • Skver Narodnogo Opolchenia
  • Polezhaevskaya

On the corner of Prospekt Marshala Zhukova (Marshal Zhukov Prospect) and Ulitsa Narodnogo Opolchenia (Home Guard Street) is Skver Narodnogo Opolchenia (Home Guard Gardens).  The main feature of the gardens is the simple monument dedicated to Moscow's home guard from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War.  The monument depicts four members of the home guard, including an old man and a youth, marching with bayonets. Read more »

Marshal Zhukov Monument

  • Ploschad Marshala Babadzhanyana
  • Polezhaevskaya

Khoroshyovskoe Shosse turns into Prospekt Marshala Zhukova (Marshal Zhukov Prospect) just before Ploschad Marshala Babadzhanyana (Marshal Babadzhanyan Square).  Out of the two marshals, it is Zhukov who is honoured with a statue here.  The statue of the Soviet military leader during the Second World War was unveiled in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.  Unlike the more famous statue of a victorious Zhukov found on Manezhnaya Ploschad, this statue… Read more »

Richard Sorge Monument

  • intersection of Prospekt Marshala Zhukova and Ulitsa Zorge
  • Polezhaevskaya

A short walk from Polezhaevskaya metro station standing at the beginning of Ulitsa Zorge is a statue to the master Soviet spy Richard Sorge (sometimes transliterated Zorge).  Sorge operated from Japan during the Second World War.  Two vital pieces information that Zorge gave to Stalin was that in June 1941 Germany was preparing an invasion of the USSR for 22 June (information that Stalin chose to ignore) and that in September 1941 Japan was not planning an attack, which thankfully… Read more »

Serebrany Bor

  • Ulitsa Tamanskaya
  • Polezhaevskaya, Krylatskoe

Serebrany Bor translates as Silver Pine Forest and it is one of Moscow's most picturesque parks.  The main part of forest is situated on an island in the River Moscow and it is unsurprisingly very popular in summer with Muscovites who come to sunbathe and swim at one of the several beaches located here.  The area has also become a popular place for naturists and there is a special nudist section here for them.  The easiest way to get here is by trolleybus No. 20, No. 20K,  No.21,… Read more »

Trinity Church at Khoroshyovo

  • 15 Karamyshevskaya Naberezhnaya
  • Polezhaevskaya

The Trinity Church at Khoroshyovo was built between 1596 and 1598 on the orders of Tsar Boris Godunov in what was then the village of Khoroshyovo.  The church was built using the Donskoy Monastery's Small Cathedral as an example, possibly under the supervision of the architect Fyodor Kon.  It features a single central dome decorated with rows of kokoshniks.  In the 19th century a bell tower and refectory were added.  The church was closed in 1939 but restoration work was carried… Read more »

Zhivopisny Bridge

  • Zhivopisny Most
  • Polezhaevskaya

Zhivopisny Bridge means Picturesque Bridge and was opened in 2007 becoming the first cable-stayed bridge over the River Moskva.  Instead of just crossing the river, the 1460 metre long bridge actually runs along the river for some distance in the shape of an 's'.  In the centre of the bridge's red arch is a platform that was intended to become a restaurant, although this never happened due to fire safety concerns. Read more »

Around Schukinskaya Metro Station

Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo Park

  • Between Volokolamskoe Shosse and Leningradskoe Shosse
  • Schukinskaya, Voykovskaya

Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo Park is also known as the Pokrovskoe-Glebovo Park. The origins of the park go back to at least the late-16th century when an estate was established here. The Intercession Church at Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo was built here in 1629. In 1664 the estate was sold to the Streshnev family. In 1738 Pyotr Streshnev inherited the estate and began to develop it by completing in 1766 a new estate house, which Empress Catherine the Great even visited. In 1803 the male line of… Read more »

Transfiguration of the Saviour Church in Tushino

  • 128 Volokolamskoe Shosse
  • Schukinskaya, Volokolamskaya
  • http://spas-tushino.ru./

Incorporated into the north-west of Moscow is the village of Tushino and it was here that the Second False Dmitri (known as the Thief of Tushino) had his camp and court during the Times of Troubles.  The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery existed here from the 14th century up until it was dissolved in 1764.  After 1764 the monastery's Transfiguration of the Saviour Church became a parish church and was rebuilt in the neo-classical style between 1886 and 1888 further away from the River… Read more »

Around Skhodnenskaya Metro Station

History of the Russian Navy Museum Memorial Complex

  • Severnoe Tushino Park, Ulitsa Svobody
  • Skhodnenskaya
  • http://www.museum-vmf.ru/
  • 10:00 - 18:30 (Thursdays: 10:00 - 21:00). Closed on the last Monday of the month.

The History of the Russian Navy Museum Memorial Complex was established in 2003 by a resolution of the then Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov.  Since then many decommissioned naval vessels have been transferred to the museum memorial complex.  This includes the Novosibirsky Komsomolets Som (Catfish) or Tango class submarine, the Orlyonko ekranoplan and the Skat military hovercraft.  The complex also includes an educational centre and an outside display area of various torpedoes. There is… Read more »

Stroganov Estate in Brattsevo

  • Svetlogorsky Proezd (Park Brattsevo)
  • Skhodnenskaya
  • http://stroganov-estate.ru/

The historical village of Brattsevo was incorporated into Moscow in 1960 and in now located in the north west of the city just before the MKAD Ring Road.  The most famous surviving feature of the village is the Intercession Church in Brattsevo, which was built in approximately 1657 when the village was owned by boyar Bogdan Khitrovo.  The main structure of the petty church is topped with five domes and a small side-chapel was built on in the 19th century.  A bell tower was also… Read more »

Around Universitet Metro Station

Bolshoi State Circus on Prospekt Vernadskogo

  • 7 Prospekt Vernadskogo
  • Universitet
  • http://bolshoicircus.ru/

The Bolshoi Moscow State Circus on Prospekt Vernadskogo is so named to distinguish it from the second Moscow State Circus building on Tsvetnoy Bulvar which is known as the Nikulin Circus.  The Bolshoi Circus was opened in 1971 and can seat up to 3,400 people in its amphitheatre which is reminiscent of a tradition big top tent. Read more »

Indira Gandhi Monument

  • Ploschad Indiry Gandi
  • Universitet

The crossroad of Lomonosovsky Prospekt and Michurinsky Propekt was named Ploschad Indiry Gandi (Indira Gandhi Ploschad) in 1985 following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the third prime minister of India.  Under Indira Gandhi, India enjoyed a close relationship with the Soviet Union.  In 1987 a statue of Indira Gandhi was unveiled on the southern side of the square.  It is the work of the famous Russian sculptor Oleg Komov. Read more »

Jawaharlal Nehru Monument

  • Ploschad Dzhavakharpala Neru
  • Universitet

In 1982 the square at the crossroads of Lomonosovsky Prospekt and Prospekt Vernadskogo was renamed Ploschad Dzhavakharpala Neru (Jawaharlal Nehru Square) and a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, was unveiled here in 1996.  It became the third statue of a Indian leader in this area following those of Indira Gandhi (Nehru's daughter) and Mahatma Gandhi which are located further down on Lomonosovsky Prospekt on Ploschad Indiry Gandi. Read more »

Mahatma Gandhi Monument

  • Ploschad Indiry Gandi
  • Universitet

In 1988 a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled on the north-western side of the square joining the statue of Indira Gandhi.  The statue was a present from the Indian government and depicts the great man walking with a staff and wearing his tradition dress of a dhoti and shawl.  An exact copy of the statue stands in the Indian city of Madras. Read more »

Moscow State University

  • 1 Leninskie Gory
  • Universitet, Vorobyovy Gory
  • http://www.msu.ru

Perhaps the most impressive of the seven Stalin Skyscrapers is the main building of the Lomonosov Moscow State University which stands on the top of Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills).  It is certainly the tallest of the seven standing at 182 metres tall or 240 metres tall if you include the spire. It was built between 1949 and 1953 and its main architect was Lev Rudnev.  Its facade is decorated with sculptures of the famous sculptress Vera Mukhina, who is supposed to have suggested… Read more »

Natalia Sats Monument

  • outside 5 Prospekt Vernadskogo
  • Universitet

Outside the Natalia Sats Children's Musical Theatre is a statue Natalia Sats herself.  Sats was once the director of the theatre, during which time she commissioned her friend Sergey Prokofiev to write 'Peter and the Wolf'. In 1937 Sats was arrested for anti-revolutionary activities and sent to the Gulag. Upon her release in 1942 she settled in Almaty in Kazakhstan.  She only returned to Moscow in 1952 when she was able to continue her career as a theatre director.  The monument… Read more »

Trinity Church on Vorobyovy Gory

  • 30 Ulitsa Kosygina
  • Universitet, Vorobyovy Gory
  • http://hram-troicy.prihod.ru/

Standing at the top of Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) is the Trinity Church on Vorobyovy Gory.  The current version of the church was built between 1811 and 1813 in the empire style although there has been a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity here since at least the mid-15th century.  The church was never closed during the Soviet period even during the construction work of the neighbouring Moscow State University. Read more »

Dorogomilovo District

Battle of Borodino Museum-Panorama

  • 38 Kutuzovsky Prospekt
  • Kutuzovskaya, Park Pobedy
  • http://www.1812panorama.ru/
  • 10:00 - 18:00 (Thursdays: 10:00 - 21:00). Closed on Fridays and the last Thursday of the month. There are specific séances for visiting the izba.

The Battle of Borodino Museum-Panorama was opened in 1962 to mark the 150th anniversary of the most significant battle during Russia's war against Napoleon.  However the diorama itself was created by Russian panoramic painter Franz Roubaud in 1912 on the 100th anniversary of battle.  In addition to the wonderful panorama the museum also details the course of the war with Napoleon and the personalities involved.  There is free admission to the museum on the third Sunday of the month… Read more »

Hotel Ukraina

  • 2/1c1 Kutuzovsky Prospekt
  • Kievskaya, Smolenskaya

The Hotel Ukraina is now officially known as the Radison Royal Hotel Moscow and is one of the Seven Sisters - the seven gothic Stalin-era skyscrapers located around the city.  The hotel was built between 1953 and 1957.  It has 34 floors and, if you include its spire, stands at 206 metres tall.    The hotel was renovated between 2007 and 2010, upon which it reopened as a luxury five-star hotel. Read more »

Moscow Hero City Monument

  • Ploschad Dorogomilovskaya Zastava
  • Kievskaya, Vystavochnaya

Further down Kutuzovsky Prospekt, at the spot where Ulitsa Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya ends, is Ploschad Dorogomilovskaya Zastava (Dorogomilovskaya Outpost Square), which was where  Moscow's western gates were once located.  Today the square is decorated with the Moscow Hero City Monument, which figures an obelisk flanked by sculptures of soldiers on guard duty.  The monument was unveiled in 1977 on the 32nd anniversary of the end of the Second World War.  The front of the obelisk is… Read more »

Pyotr Bagration Monument

  • 23A Naberezhnaya Tarasa Shevchenko
  • Vystavochnaya, Kievskaya, Kutuzovskaya

Situated in the park outside the Tower 2000 skyscraper is a statue of Pyotr Bagration, a hero of the 1812 war against Napoleon.  The statue was unveiled in 1999 and depicts Bagration on horseback.  Behind the statue is the Bagration enclosed pedestrian bridge which doubles up as a shopping centre.  The bridge crosses the River Moskva over to Moscow City (the Moscow International Business Centre) and to Vystavochnaya metro station. Read more »

Ukrainsky Bulvar

  • Ukrainsky Bulvar
  • Kievskaya

Ukrainsky Bulvar runs from Naberezhnaya Tarasa Shevchenko down to Ulitsa Dorogomilovskaya. The bulvar was named Ukrainsky Bulvar (Ukrainian Boulevard) because, as you may have noticed, many of the street names in this area have a Ukrainian feel.   Located in the boulevard is a pond crossed by a foot bridge as well as a monument to the Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka. Read more »

Valentina Grizodubova Monument

  • outside 36c14 Kutuzovsky Prospekt
  • Kutuzovskaya

Valentina Grizodubova was one of the Soviet Union's first female pilots who also held several records in the sphere of aviation.  She saw action during the Second World War and became one of the first women to be awarded the title of  Hero of the Soviet Union. Grizodubova also served as a member of the commission set up to investigate Nazi war crimes.  In 2000 this monument of her was unveiled outside the research institute where she worked after the war. Read more »

Victory Park

  • Ploschad Pobedy, Kutuzovsky Prospekt
  • Park Pobedy
  • http://www.poklonnayagora.ru/

One of the main sights in the west of Moscow is Victory Park (Park Pobedy) which is located on what is known as Poklonnaya Gora (Submission Hill) as historically this was where guests coming to Moscow from the West were expected to bow down (poklonitsya) and pay homage.  It was also where Napoleon waited in vain to be handed control of the Kremlin by the Russians after capturing the city.  Although the park is in honour of the Soviet victory in the Second World War, it was only… Read more »

Yanka Kupala Monument

  • 28 Kutuzovsky Prospekt
  • Vystavochnaya, Studencheskaya, Kutuzovskaya

Located in the small park near to where Kutuzovsky Prospekt crosses the Third Ring Road is a statue of Ivan Lutsevich who was better known by his pen name of Yanka Kupala.  Kupala was one of the greatest poets and writers in the Belarusian language.  He was born in 1882 outside Minsk and died in 1942 under mysterious circumstances just down the road at the Hotel Ukraina.  According to the official version he fell down the stairs, but others have not ruled out suicide or even murder… Read more »