Sights of Mozhaisk

The main street in Mozhaisk is Ulitsa Moskovskaya which starts close to the Mozhaisk Kremlin and runs across the city. The central square in the city is Oktyabrskaya Ploschad and from here Ulitsa Klementievskaya runs north to the River Moskva.  It is around here in the north of the city that the Luzhetsky Monastery is located.

It is worth combining a trip to Mozhaisk with a visit to the village (posyolok) of Borodino, which  is located 8km west of Mozhaisk and is known for the famous battle that took place here in 1812 between the Russian army and the Grande Armée of Napoleon. Now the Borodino State Military and Historical Museum-Reserve has been established here to commemorate the battle and those who fell there.

 

Around the City

Church Ensemble of the Former Yakimansky Monastery

  • Ulitsa Krupskoy

The Yakimansky Monastery was founded in Mozhaisk at the end of the 14th century as part of the ring of monasteries which defended the city. However in 1764 it was closed by Empress Catherine the Great and now all that remains of it are two churches which stand side by side. The colourful Ss Joachim and Anna's Church (also known as the Yakimanskaya Church) dates from 1871 but it is built on the foundations of a 14th century white stone church. It comprises a four-pillar three-apse… Read more »

Luzhetsky Monastery

  • 1 Ulitsa Gerasimova

The Luzhetsky Monastery is more formally known as the Ferapontov Luzhetsky Monastery after its founder St Ferapont of Belozersk. Prince Andrey of Mozhaisk invited St Ferapont to establish a monastery in Mozhaisk in 1408 and St Ferapont chose a hill on the bank of the River Moskva for its location. At one point in time the Luzhetsky Monastery was just one of 18 monasteries in Mozhaisk but now it is the only working monastery in city. Like many Russian monasteries of the time,… Read more »

Mozhaisk Historical and Regional Museum

  • 2 Komsomolskaya Ploschad
  • http://www.borodino.ru
  • 9:00 - 17:00. Closed on Mondays and the last Friday of the month.

A museum has existed here since 1905 and over time it became a historical and regional museum. Today the museum displays historical and everyday items from the 18th century onwards, archaeological finds, photographs, documents and paintings connected with the Mozhaisk District. The museum is now a branch of the Borodino State Military and Historical Museum-Reserve. Read more »

Mozhaisk Kremlin and St Nicholas' Cathedral

  • 8 Ulitsa Borodinskaya

The area known as the Mozhaisk Kremlin is located on the western edge of the city although the original kremlin walls no longer stand.   The first wooden fortifications here were erected in the 12th century and over time faced the armies of Tudan in 1293, Prince Yuri Danilovich of Moscow in 1303, Grand Duke Algirdas of Lithuania in 1341 and 1370, Toktamysh in 1382 and finally Prince Władysław of Poland in 1618.  After this the wooden defences were replaced with stone walls, which… Read more »

Victory Park

  • Oktyabrskaya Ploschad, intersection of Ulitsa Moskovskaya and Ulitsa Klementievskaya

Mozhaisk was briefly occupied by the Nazis in the winter of 1941/1942 and in commemoration of its liberation a victory park was established along Ulitsa Klementievskaya on Oktyabrskaya Ploschad.  The main feature of the park is the Liberator Statue which depicts a victorious Red Army soldier standing on a tall column.  Behind this statue there are various other memorials to citizens of Mozhaisk who died in the war and those who fell liberating it as well as a military grave and an… Read more »

Borodino

Borodino Museum

  • Borodino Field
  • http://www.borodino.ru/

The Borodino Museum is located in the centre of the Borodino Field and was opened in 1912 on the 100th anniversary of the battle. During the Second World War it was occupied by the Nazis and used as a slaughterhouse until they burned it to the ground. Luckily the exhibitions had already been evacuated by the Soviets and the museum was reopened in October 1944. The museum has exhibitions on Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the Battle of Borodino and the Napoleonic Wars in general. In… Read more »

Borodino State Military and Historical Museum-Reserve

  • Borodino Field
  • http://www.borodino.ru/

Borodino Field was the scene of one of the most famous battles in history and is now preserved as the Borodino State Military and Historical Museum-Reserve. It was here that the Russians finally engaged in battle on 7 September 1812 with Napoleon's invading army in what the Russians refer to as the Patriotic War. The French Army was commanded by Napoleon himself while Mikhail Kutuzov was in charge of the Russians. The exact figures of casualties have been the subject of debate for… Read more »

Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery

  • Borodino Field (selo Semenovskoe)

The Spaso-Borodino Monastery is located on Borodino Field. It was founded in 1839 by Margarita Tuchkova, the widow of General Aleksandr Tuchkov who was killed at the Battle of Borodino. After the battle Margarita Tuchkova went to Borodino Field to find the body of her husband but was unsuccessful. Struck by grief she decided to build a church on the location of her husband's death. In order to raise funds she sold her jewellery and sought help from Empress-Dowager Maria Fyodorovna … Read more »