All Sights by District
Moscow metro
TransportThe Basmanny District is located in the east of Moscow's Central Administrative District between the Krasnoselsky District and the Tagansky District. Its main roads are Ulitsa Maroseyka which turns into Ulitsa Pokrovka, which then becomes Ulitsa Staraya Basmannaya after the Garden Ring and Ulitsa Spartakovskaya close to the Third Ring. Moscow's historic German Quarter (Nemetskaya Sloboda) was located in the north of the present-day district on the right-bank of the River Yauza. It was here that European foreigners (all of who were referred to as Germans by the Russians) were permitted to settle in the 16th and 17th centuries. The district is served by the Kurskaya (dark blue and circle lines), Chkalovskaya (light green line), Baumanskaya (dark blue line) and Elektrozavodsakya (dark blue line) metro stations. Kursky Railway Station is also located in the Basmanny District.
Sights in Basmanny District
Around Baumanskaya Metro Station
Ascension Church in Gorokhovo Pole
- 2c1 Ulitsa Radio
- Baumanskaya
Located at the beginning of Ulitsa Radio which can be reached from Ulitsa Staraya Basmannaya by walking down Tokmakov Pereulok is the Ascension Church in Gorokhovo Pole. The church was built between 1788 and 1793 in the classical style according to the plan by the famous architect Matvey Kazakov. During the Soviet years the church was closed and for a time it was used as an exhibition hall. It has since been returned to the Orthodox Church. ►sights by districts ►sights in… Read more »
Bauman Gardens
- 15 Ulitsa Staraya Basmannaya
- Kurskaya, Baumanskaya
- http://sadbaumana.ru/
The Bauman Gardens were founded as the 1st May Gardens in 1920 and then renamed in honour of Nikolai Bauman in 1922. A bust of the revolutionary can be found in the gardens as well as a grotto and an open-air stage where concerts are often held. Classic films are also shown here for free in the summer months and various other events take place in the park throughout the year. ►sights by districts ►sights in Basmanny District Read more »
Epiphany Eparchial Cathedral in Yelokhovo
- 15 Yelkokhovsky Proezd
- Baumanskaya
- http://elohovosobor.ru/
The Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo is often simply called the Yelokovo Cathedral. The name Yelokhovo comes from the fact that the village of Yelokh was once located here until it was merged into Moscow. St Basil the Blessed is said to have been born in Yelokh. The first stone church here was built between 1717 and 1772 and then replaced with a second version between 1790 and 1792. In 1799 the poet Aleksandr Pushkin was baptised here, which is commemorated with a plaque. The… Read more »
Great-Martyr Irene's Church in Pokrovskoe
- 7 2-y Irininsky Pereulok
- Baumanskaya
- http://www.hramirini.ru
A short distance from the Intercession Old-Believers Church is Great-Martyr Irina's Church in Pokrovskoe. The simple church was built between 1790 and 1800, although an older version stood here since 1635 when it was built on the orders of Tsar Michael who had it dedicated to Great-Martyr Irene in honour of the birth of his daughter Irina. During the Soviet times the church was closed and practically destroyed. In 1992 the ruins were returned to the Orthodox Church who restored and… Read more »
Intercession Church in Rubtsovo
- 83 Ulitsa Bakuninskaya
- Baumanskaya, Elektrozavodskaya
Close to the River Yauza is the Intercession Church in Rubtsovo which was built in 1627 on the orders of Tsar Michael who spend time living nearby in the royal village of Prokrovskoe-Rubtsovo. The church has a single dome with three layers of kokoshniks beneath. A bell tower was added in 1787. In 1934 the church was closed and its cemetery and walls were destroyed. Later the building was used by a choir. In 1992 part of the church was returned to the Orthodox Church and in 2003 the… Read more »
Intercession Old-Believers Church
- 29 Maly Gavrikov Pereulok
- Baumanskaya
Located just on the outer side of the Third Ring Road is the Intercession Old-Believers Church which is part of the Prokrovo-Uspensky Old-Believers community. The church was built between 1908 and 1901 in the art nouveau style consisting of a concrete building with a single squat metallic dome and an octagonal tent-domed bell tower. During the Soviet era the church was closed and later used as a sports hall. It was only returned to the Old-Believers community in 2004. ►sights by… Read more »
Nikolai Bauman Monument
- Pushkinsky Skver
- Baumanskaya
In the small gardens outside the Epiphany Cathedral is a statue to the revolutionary Nikolai Bauman. Bauman originally trained as a vet but subsequently became involved in the Bolshevik movement and became acquainted with Lenin in Zurich. In 1904 he was arrested in Moscow and whilst still in prison was beaten to death in 1905 by a member of the Black Hundreds organisation, making him one of the first Bolsheviks to be killed for the revolution. This statue to him was erected in 1931… Read more »
Ss Peter and Paul's Church in Novaya Basmannaya Sloboda
- 11 Ulitsa Novaya Basmannaya
- Baumanskaya, Krasnye Vorota
The surviving version of Ss Peter and Paul's Church in Novaya Basmannaya Sloboda was built between 1705 and 1728 to replace an earlier wooden version. The church was built in the Petrine baroque style, which is named after Peter the Great who commissioned the building of the church. It comprises an octagonal-on-cube main structure which a decorative bell tower attached to the front. After the Revolution the church was briefly used by the Renovationist Church but then completely… Read more »
St Nicetas' Church in Staraya Basmannaya Sloboda
- 16 Ulitsa Staraya Basmannaya
- Kurskaya, Baumanskaya
Opposite to the entrance of Bauman Gardens is the pretty St Nicetas' Church in Staraya Basmannaya Sloboda. The first church here to be dedicated to St Nicetas was founded in 1518 by Grand Prince Vasili III. The current version was built between 1745 and 1751 in the Russian baroque style according to a design by Dmitri Ukhtomsky with a large golden dome and a decorative bell tower. In 1933 the church was closed and ordered to be demolished although this order was eventually… Read more »
St Nicholas' Church in Pokrovskoe
- 100 Ulitsa Bakuninskaya
- Baumanskaya, Elektrozavodskaya
On the other side of the River Yauza from Elektrozavodskaya metro station is part of Moscow which was historically known as the royal village of Pokrovskoe-Rubtsovo. A church dedicated to St Nicholas has been known to have existed in Pokrovskoe-Rubtsovo since at least 1586. This original wooden version was later rebuilt in stone between 1765 and 1766 in the classical style. It is this version which survives today, with the additional of a bell tower in the early 18th century. The… Read more »
Vasili Pushkin House-Museum
- 36 Ulitsa Staraya Basmannaya
- Baumanskaya
- http://www.pushkinmuseum.ru/?q=node/2
- 10:00 - 18:00 (Thursdays: 12:00 - 21:00). Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and the last Friday of the month.
The old yellow wooden house with nine windows on Ulitsa Staraya Basmannaya is where Vasili Pushkin lived between 1824 and 1824. Vasili Pushkin, although now more famous for being the uncle of Aleksandr Pushkin, was a poet and his most well-known work 'A Dangerous Neighbour' caused a sensation when it was released. The house has been closed for many years but was reopened as a museum - a branch of the Aleksandr Pushkin State Museum - in 2013. Admission to the museum is free on the… Read more »
Around Kurskaya Metro Station
Andrey Sakharov Museum and Community Centre
- 57 Ulitsa Zemlyanoy Val
- Kurskaya, Chkalovskaya
- http://www.sakharov-center.ru/
- Museum - 11:00 - 19:00. Closed on Mondays. Exhibition Hall - 13:00 - 20:00. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Andrey Sakharov Museum and Community Centre was established in 1996 to remember the millions of victims of the political repression and crimes of the Soviet regime and to strengthen in modern Russia democratic principles and human rights. It is named in honour of the famous Soviet nuclear physicist and later dissident and human rights activist Andrey Sakharov. In addition to the centre's main museum, temporary exhibitions are held in the neighbouring exhibition hall. In the art… Read more »
Kursky Railway Station
- Ploschad Kurskhogo Vokzala
- Kurskaya, Chkalovskaya
On the square off Ulitsa Zemlyanoy Val, behind the modern Atrium Shopping Centre, is Kursky Railway Station. The first station here was opened in 1896 and was then known as the Kursko-Nizhegorodsky Railway Station as the station served (and still serves) trains to Kursk and to Nizhny Novgorod. In addition trains to Ukraine and in particular the Crimea leave from here. Trains from here also head to the south of Russia. Kursky Railway Station also incorporates two suburban stations:… Read more »
St James the Apostle's Church at Kazyonnaya Sloboda
- 6c1 Yakovoapostolsky Pereulok
- Kurskaya
- http://www.iakovzavedeev.ru
Yakovoapostolsky Pereulok, which is off Ulitsa Zemlyanoy Val, gets its name from the St James the Apostle's Church located there. A church dedicated to St James (Yakov in Russian) the Apostle has been located here since at least 1620 and the first stone church was built in 1676. This original structure was added to and reconstructed in the 19th century. In 1932 the church was closed and its building was turned into a workshop. It was returned to the Orthodox Church in 1991 and… Read more »
Vinzavod Centre of Modern Art
- 1c6 4-y Syromyatnichesky Pereulok
- Kurskaya, Chkalovskaya
- http://winzavod.ru/
- 12:00 - 20:00. Closed on Mondays.
The Vinzavod Centre of Modern Art was founded in 2007 in what was once the Moskovskaya Bavaria Winery. The name Vinzavod (also transliterated as Winzavod) means Winery in Russian. The centre's exhibitions halls are located in various sectors of the old winery. The centre annually holds the popular Best of Russia exhibition which displays the best Russian amateur photos of the past year. ►sights by districts ►sights in Basmanny District Read more »
Around Ulitsa Maroseyka and Ulitsa Pokrovka
Bell Tower of the St John the Baptist's Church at Kazyonnaya Sloboda
- 50c17 Ulitsa Pokrovka
- Kurskaya
At the end of Ulitsa Pokrovka is a bell tower which is all that remains of St John the Baptist's Church at Kazyonnaya Sloboda. The church is known to have existed since 1625 and in 1772 the surviving bell tower was built on. After this the church was reconstructed in 1801 according to a plan by Matvey Kazakov, but this was demolished in 1936. In 2001, on the 200th anniversary of the demolished church, the bell tower was re-consecrated and fitted with eight bells of various sizes. … Read more »
Holy Trinity Church at Khokhly
- 12 Khokhlovsky Pereulok
- Kitai-Gorod
- http://www.trinity-church.ru/
The Holy Trinity Church at Khokhly was first mentioned in 1610 and it is known to have been replaced by a stone version in 1696. The structure incorporates the standard 'octagon-on-cube' design, and this section of the church is a lot taller than the attached bell tower. During the Soviet era the church was closed and used as accommodation. As a result its domes were removed. In 1992 the building was returned to the Orthodox Church which set about restoring it. ►sights by… Read more »
Ioanno-Predtechensky Convent
- 2 Maly Ivanovsky Pereulok
- Kitai-Gorod
- http://ioannpredtecha.ru
The Ioanno-Predtechensky Convent was founded in the late 15th century. The convent later was said to be associated with the Klyst sect and two of its founders were buried there until their bodies were removed by the authorities and disposed of in 1739. The convent was also used to imprison several notable ladies. The most famous of these are Daria Saltykova, a noble woman who tortured and killed over 100 of her serfs, and the nun Dosifeya, who died in 1810 and was rumoured to be… Read more »
Moscow Choral Synagogue
- 10 Bolshaya Spasoglinischevsky Pereulok
- Kitai-Gorod
In 1886 the leader of Moscow's Jewish community, Lazar Polyakov, brought land just outside Kitai-Gorod to build a synagogue. The synagogue was built there between 1887 and 1891, but it was only opened in 1906 after restrictions were lifted on minority religions. The synagogue remained opened throughout the Soviet years, although some of its buildings were confiscated. Restoration work started in 2001 and was completed in 2006 in the run up for the 100th anniversary. Opposite to the… Read more »
Museum of Travel and Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
- 3c2 Ulitsa Zabelina
- Kitai-Gorod
- http://plmusey.narod.ru
- 15:30 - 21:00. Open on Tuesdays and Thursday.
Located inside the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society - an international charitable organisation which was set up in 1882 to assist pilgrims in visiting the Holy Land - is the small Museum of Travel and Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The museum was opened in 2002 and details the history of Russian pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Outside is a bust of Vasili Khitrov who founded the society. ►sights by districts ►sights in Basmanny District Read more »
Museum of Unique Dolls
- 13c2 Ulitsa Pokrovka
- Kitai-Gorod, Chistye Prudy
- http://dollmuseum.ru/
- Fridays - Sunday: 10:00 - 18:00 (break from 14:00 - 14:30). Tuesday - Thursday: only as part of excursions at 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00. Closed on Mondays.
Right next door to the Trinity Church is the Museum of Unique Dolls which was opened in 1996 by a theatrical artist who had been collecting examples of antique dolls. The museum's two rooms are filled with many dolls from various ages and various countries, including Russia, Germany, England, Sweden and Japan. In addition to dolls the museum also has on display many doll houses, including examples of the work of the renowned Russian doll-house maker Pyotr Lukoyanov. There is free… Read more »
Nikolai Chernyshevsky Monument
- Skver Chernyshevskogo
- Chistye Prudy, Kurskaya
In Skver Chernyshevshogo (Chernyshev Gardens), which is situated just next to the Boulevard Ring, is a statue of the 19th century Russian revolutionary democrat and philosopher Nikolay Chernyshevsky. Chernyshevsky was born and died in the city of Saratov and is famous for his novel 'What Is To Be Done?' which had a massive influence on later Russian revolutionaries, including Vladimir Lenin. ►sights by districts ►sights in Basmanny District Read more »
Presentation of Virgin Mary Church at Barashy
- 8/2с4 Barashyovsky Pereulok
- Kurskaya
Hidden just off Ulitsa Pokrovka is the beautiful yet run-down Presentation of Virgin Mary Church at Barashy. The current version of the church was built between 1688 and 1701 in the architectural style known as Moscow baroque. The church comprises a tall two-storey structure with a single dome attached to an 'octagon-on-cube' bell tower. The church also features a side-chapel with a single dome and its windows are decorated with carved frames. In 1932 the church was ordered to be… Read more »
Ss Cosmas and Damian's Church on Maroseyka
- 2 Starosadsky Pereulok
- Kitai-Gorod
- http://www.hram-kosmadamian.ru/
Opposite to the Belarusian Embassy is Ss Cosmas and Damian's Church which is now dwarfed by the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia which is located directly behind it. The current version of the church was built in the classical style between 1791 and 1793 according to the plan by Matvey Kazakov. The church was closed in the 1920s and was even threatened with destruction during the 1930s. It was eventually returned to the Orthodox Church in 1993. ►sights by districts … Read more »
Ss Peter and Paul's Lutheran Cathedral
- 7/10 Starosadsky Pereulok
- Kitai-Gorod
- http://www.lutherancathedral.ru/
Ss Peter and Paul's Lutheran Cathedral is the main cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of European Russia, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asia. There has been an official Lutheran community in Russia since 1626 and work on the first stone Lutheran church was started in 1694 in the presence of Tsar Peter the Great. The current building though was constructed between 1903 and 1905 to cater for Moscow's 17,000 strong… Read more »
St Nicholas' Church at the Maples
- 5 Ulitsa Maroseyka
- Kitai-Gorod
- http://www.klenniki.ru/
One theory is that St Nicholas' Church at the Maples gets its name as there were once maple trees here ('klyon' in Russian). An alternative name is at 'Blinniki' as bakers lived in the area who sold pancakes here ('blin' is the Russian for pancake). The church was built in 1657 and features a main structure with two levels of windows attached to a small bell tower. In 1931 the church was closed and its priest was arrested and later executed. The church was reopened in 1990. … Read more »
St Vladimir's Church in Starye Sady
- 11 Starosadsky Pereulok
- Kitai-Gorod
St Vladimir's Church in Starye Sady (which means Old Gardens) is located opposite the Ioanno-Predtechensky Convent in what was once a royal estate. The estate was founded by Grand Prince Vasili III in 1514 and the first stone church dedicated to St Vladimir was completed in 1516. The current version of the church was built between 1677 and 1689 after the royal estate had been relocated. It is built in the traditional Russian style with two levels of windows and five domes. In the… Read more »
Trinity Church at Gryazi
- 13 Ulitsa Pokrovka
- Kitai-Gorod, Chistye Prudy
- http://www.triradosti.ru/
The Trinity Church at Gryazi is located close to the Boulevard Ring where the Pokrovsky Gates of the Bely Gorod once stood. The surviving version of the church was built in 1861 according to a plan by the architect Mikhail Bykovsky. The church was eclectic in style with a classical-style façade and originally also featured a large dome and a bell tower. However the church was closed in 1930 and in the 1950s its dome and bell tower were removed when the building was converted into a… Read more »