It is the oldest monument in Moscow built in memory of the victory over the Polish invaders. The State History Museum is situated opposite St. Basil's Cathedral. It is one of the biggest museums in Moscow.
On the territory of the Kremlin, which is the heart of Moscow, there are old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Congress, the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. The tallest tower, the Spasskaya lower, is the symbol of the Kremlin. Alexandrovsky Garden with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a memorial to the soldiers died in World War II.
Moscow is a big cultural centre of Russia. There are a lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, numerous drama and musical theatres, including world famous ones like the Bolshoi Theatre and the Maly Theatre.
The city is proud of its museums and art galleries, too. The biggest museum is the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, which has one of the world's largest collections of ancient, oriental and classical art. The Tretyakov Gallery is famous all over the world. It has a great collection of works by Russian artists. The Gallery is 150 years old.
Moscow is a large educational centre with a lot of schools, institutes, colleges and universities. The biggest university is Moscow State University named after Lomonosov which is on the Vorobyovy Hills. Students from all over the world come to Moscow to study at this University.
Muscovites are fond of going in for sport, that is why there are a lot of stadiums, swimming pools and sport grounds in the city.
Moscow has large green parks where people walk and spend weekends. The biggest among them are: Gorky Park, Izmailovski Park and Sokolniki Park.
Moscow changes every day. This is a city of contrasts and one should definitely come and visit Moscow.
=====================================
Moscow(2)
Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow's history. Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the centre of the struggle by Russian lands for the liberation from the Tartar Yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack. Three quarters of the city was destroyed by fire during Napoleon's occupation, but by the mid 19th century Moscow had been completely restored. After the October revolution Moscow became the Capital again.
Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is about 9 million.
The heart of Moscow is Red Square, the central and the most beautiful square in Moscow. Here one can see the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, or St. Basil's cathedral, erected by architects Postnik and Barma to commemorate Russia's conquest of the Kingdom of Kazan in 1552. It is a masterpiece of Russian architecture. Tourists can see the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. In was designed by Ivan Martos in 1818 in memory of the Russian victory over the Polish invaders in 1612. The History Museum in Red Square is a magnificent building. Besides, it is one of the major scientific and educational institutions where we can follow the life of the Russian people since ancient times.
But first of all everybody knows Red Square because the Kremlin is situated there. The Kremlin is the oldest historical and architectural centre of Moscow. Its three magnificent cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the palaces and Spassky Tower with the clock attract the tourists' attention The Czar-cannon and the Czar-bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world, are also in the Kremlin.
There are other beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow.
Moscow is also famous for its museums. At the Tretyakov Gallery paintings by Great Russian artists are collected, and at the Museum of Fine Arts there are masterpieces by European painters.
There are a lot of theatres in Moscow. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House, but drama theatres and studios are popular too.
Moscow was the host to the XXII Summer Olympic Games in 1980. It has a number of sportsgrounds and stadiums built or reconstructed for that event.
Moscow has the oldest Russian university, founded in 1755 by Lomonosov. Its new building was opened in 1953. It is 32 storeys high.
The Metro, opened in 1935, is being constantly extended. Now it has 200 stations and is almost 340 kilometres long. It is one of the tourist attractions of the Russian capital.
The number of new streets increases every month. The longest of them is Leningradsky Prospect. It runs for 15 kilometres.
Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of the political life of the country.
Yaroslavl (Ярославль)
Yaroslavl is an ancient city to the north of Moscow. It was founded in 1010 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. There is an old beautiful legend about the foundation of Yaroslavl. Once Prince Yaroslav with his warriors came to the place where the Kotorosl River flowed into the Volga. The Prince liked the place, but the pagans who lived there didn't like this invasion and let their sacred bear kill the Prince, but Yaroslav fought against the sacred animal and killed it with his pole axe. Then he founded the fortress and it was called Yaroslavl and the coat of arms of the town was a bear with a pole axe on its shoulder.
Yaroslavl has the rich historic past. It saw the Tatar invasion, the Polish intervention, was damaged during the Revolution and suffered a lot. But in spite of all these difficult periods of history it has remained magnificently beautiful and it is one of the greatest attractions for tourists. Yaroslavl is one of the cities of the Golden Ring of Russia. Every day a lot of tourists come to visit this ancient Russian city and admire its wonderful cathedrals, monasteries, churches and the famous embankment.
The first Russian theatre was built in Yaroslavl by Feodor Volkov. Yaroslavl is a big industrial city. Big plants and factories produce engines, paints, oil, tires, and other important things. The first in the world plant producing synthetic rubber was built in Yaroslavl, too.
When we speak about this city we can't help mentioning Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman cosmonaut, who was born there.
In 2005 Yaroslavl became a member of UNESCO because of its wonderful architecture and rich history.
Russian Holidays and Traditions (Праздники и традиции России)
Every country has customs and traditions. I want to tell you about some holidays and traditions of my country.
Russians really love holidays. We usually celebrate them with a lot of food, presents and in big companies of relatives and friends.
There are three types of holidays in Russia. They are family holidays, state holidays and religious holidays.
Let me tell you about family holidays first. They include birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and others. Each family has its own traditions of celebrating this or that holiday. For example, my family celebrates my birthday for two days. On the first day I celebrate it with my parents, grandparents, my uncle and aunt. The second day of celebration is only for my close friends. They usually come in a big group with a lot of presents. I like my birthday very much.
State or public holidays in Russia include Constitution Day, New Year's Day, the International Women's Day, May Day, Victory Day and Russia Day. During these holidays, people do not work. They spend time with their families and friends or go to the centre of big cities to celebrate there. Banks, companies and some shops do not work on these days either.
New Year's Day is the major holiday in Russia. We put up a New Year tree and decorate it with colourful toys and glass balls. The main fir-tree of the country is put up in the State Kremlin Palace. Small fir trees are put up in shop windows, in streets and squares, even on roofs of buildings. A lot of people like buying natural fir trees, others prefer plastic ones. Children like the holiday a lot. They can stay up late and then get their presents. At ten minutes to midnight on the 31-st of December families gather in front of the TV-set and watch the president making his traditional speech. After the clock on the main tower of the Kremlin strikes midnight, everybody says Happy New Year and drinks champagne. After that the time for presents comes. Russian children believe that Father Frost brings presents. After all the presents are given out, Russians have fun, drink, eat, and play games all night long.
Victory Day is a very important holiday for Russian history. On this day we remember those who protected our country from the German invaders during World War II. A great parade is held on this day in Red Square. Numerous war and patriotic films are shown on television. On this day people congratulate veterans and give them flowers.
The so-called religious holidays include Christmas, Easter and others. There is also a pagan holiday - Shrovetide or Pancake Day. These holidays are not state, so people usually work and study on these days. At Shrovetide, people see spring in, eat pancakes and burn a scarecrow, which symbolizes winter.
Russian Christmas is celebrated on the 7-th of January, but there is no exact date for Easter, it is different every year.
Nowadays foreign celebrations are becoming more and more popular in Russia. They are Halloween and St. Valentine's Day. On Halloween Day some clubs organize parties and masquerades. St. "Valentine's Day is mostly popular with young people. They usually buy presents for their girlfriends and boyfriends such as chocolate and sweets and make greeting cards in the shape of a heart.
I like Russian holidays and look forward to celebrating each of them!
Education in Russia (1) (Образование в России)
Every Russian citizen has the right to free education. Before going to school children may go to nursery schools or kindergartens. At the age of six children start going to school. First they go to primary school where they learn to read, write and count. Primary school finishes in the 3-rd form. Then pupils go to secondary school. After the 9-th form pupils take school exams and get a school certificate. After it they can choose either to stay at school or go to a college to get a profession. Most pupils stay at school and finish it with a school diploma which allows them to enter an institution of higher education.
After finishing school pupils can go on to higher education. There are a lot of institutes and universities in Russia. They offer various departments which an entrant can choose according to his or her abilities. It is difficult to enter an institute. Entrants should attend university courses and then pass entrance exams. Nowadays a new examination system is being introduced. The so-called General State Exam allows pupils to enter any Russian university if they get good and excellent marks for it. This system hasn't been settled yet, but in some regions of Russia it works already. Pupils take this examination after the 11-th form.
Students in Russian universities usually have five years of studies. At the end of every semester students have an examination session and take exams. If students pass the exams well they get a scholarship paid by the government.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
On the territory of the Kremlin, which is the heart of Moscow, there are old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Congress, the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. The tallest tower, the Spasskaya lower, is the symbol of the Kremlin. Alexandrovsky Garden with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a memorial to the soldiers died in World War II.
Moscow is a big cultural centre of Russia. There are a lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, numerous drama and musical theatres, including world famous ones like the Bolshoi Theatre and the Maly Theatre.
The city is proud of its museums and art galleries, too. The biggest museum is the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, which has one of the world's largest collections of ancient, oriental and classical art. The Tretyakov Gallery is famous all over the world. It has a great collection of works by Russian artists. The Gallery is 150 years old.
Moscow is a large educational centre with a lot of schools, institutes, colleges and universities. The biggest university is Moscow State University named after Lomonosov which is on the Vorobyovy Hills. Students from all over the world come to Moscow to study at this University.
Muscovites are fond of going in for sport, that is why there are a lot of stadiums, swimming pools and sport grounds in the city.
Moscow has large green parks where people walk and spend weekends. The biggest among them are: Gorky Park, Izmailovski Park and Sokolniki Park.
Moscow changes every day. This is a city of contrasts and one should definitely come and visit Moscow.
=====================================
Moscow(2)
Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow's history. Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the centre of the struggle by Russian lands for the liberation from the Tartar Yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack. Three quarters of the city was destroyed by fire during Napoleon's occupation, but by the mid 19th century Moscow had been completely restored. After the October revolution Moscow became the Capital again.
Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is about 9 million.
The heart of Moscow is Red Square, the central and the most beautiful square in Moscow. Here one can see the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, or St. Basil's cathedral, erected by architects Postnik and Barma to commemorate Russia's conquest of the Kingdom of Kazan in 1552. It is a masterpiece of Russian architecture. Tourists can see the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. In was designed by Ivan Martos in 1818 in memory of the Russian victory over the Polish invaders in 1612. The History Museum in Red Square is a magnificent building. Besides, it is one of the major scientific and educational institutions where we can follow the life of the Russian people since ancient times.
But first of all everybody knows Red Square because the Kremlin is situated there. The Kremlin is the oldest historical and architectural centre of Moscow. Its three magnificent cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the palaces and Spassky Tower with the clock attract the tourists' attention The Czar-cannon and the Czar-bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world, are also in the Kremlin.
There are other beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow.
Moscow is also famous for its museums. At the Tretyakov Gallery paintings by Great Russian artists are collected, and at the Museum of Fine Arts there are masterpieces by European painters.
There are a lot of theatres in Moscow. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House, but drama theatres and studios are popular too.
Moscow was the host to the XXII Summer Olympic Games in 1980. It has a number of sportsgrounds and stadiums built or reconstructed for that event.
Moscow has the oldest Russian university, founded in 1755 by Lomonosov. Its new building was opened in 1953. It is 32 storeys high.
The Metro, opened in 1935, is being constantly extended. Now it has 200 stations and is almost 340 kilometres long. It is one of the tourist attractions of the Russian capital.
The number of new streets increases every month. The longest of them is Leningradsky Prospect. It runs for 15 kilometres.
Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of the political life of the country.
Yaroslavl (Ярославль)
Yaroslavl is an ancient city to the north of Moscow. It was founded in 1010 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. There is an old beautiful legend about the foundation of Yaroslavl. Once Prince Yaroslav with his warriors came to the place where the Kotorosl River flowed into the Volga. The Prince liked the place, but the pagans who lived there didn't like this invasion and let their sacred bear kill the Prince, but Yaroslav fought against the sacred animal and killed it with his pole axe. Then he founded the fortress and it was called Yaroslavl and the coat of arms of the town was a bear with a pole axe on its shoulder.
Yaroslavl has the rich historic past. It saw the Tatar invasion, the Polish intervention, was damaged during the Revolution and suffered a lot. But in spite of all these difficult periods of history it has remained magnificently beautiful and it is one of the greatest attractions for tourists. Yaroslavl is one of the cities of the Golden Ring of Russia. Every day a lot of tourists come to visit this ancient Russian city and admire its wonderful cathedrals, monasteries, churches and the famous embankment.
The first Russian theatre was built in Yaroslavl by Feodor Volkov. Yaroslavl is a big industrial city. Big plants and factories produce engines, paints, oil, tires, and other important things. The first in the world plant producing synthetic rubber was built in Yaroslavl, too.
When we speak about this city we can't help mentioning Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman cosmonaut, who was born there.
In 2005 Yaroslavl became a member of UNESCO because of its wonderful architecture and rich history.
Russian Holidays and Traditions (Праздники и традиции России)
Every country has customs and traditions. I want to tell you about some holidays and traditions of my country.
Russians really love holidays. We usually celebrate them with a lot of food, presents and in big companies of relatives and friends.
There are three types of holidays in Russia. They are family holidays, state holidays and religious holidays.
Let me tell you about family holidays first. They include birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and others. Each family has its own traditions of celebrating this or that holiday. For example, my family celebrates my birthday for two days. On the first day I celebrate it with my parents, grandparents, my uncle and aunt. The second day of celebration is only for my close friends. They usually come in a big group with a lot of presents. I like my birthday very much.
State or public holidays in Russia include Constitution Day, New Year's Day, the International Women's Day, May Day, Victory Day and Russia Day. During these holidays, people do not work. They spend time with their families and friends or go to the centre of big cities to celebrate there. Banks, companies and some shops do not work on these days either.
New Year's Day is the major holiday in Russia. We put up a New Year tree and decorate it with colourful toys and glass balls. The main fir-tree of the country is put up in the State Kremlin Palace. Small fir trees are put up in shop windows, in streets and squares, even on roofs of buildings. A lot of people like buying natural fir trees, others prefer plastic ones. Children like the holiday a lot. They can stay up late and then get their presents. At ten minutes to midnight on the 31-st of December families gather in front of the TV-set and watch the president making his traditional speech. After the clock on the main tower of the Kremlin strikes midnight, everybody says Happy New Year and drinks champagne. After that the time for presents comes. Russian children believe that Father Frost brings presents. After all the presents are given out, Russians have fun, drink, eat, and play games all night long.
Victory Day is a very important holiday for Russian history. On this day we remember those who protected our country from the German invaders during World War II. A great parade is held on this day in Red Square. Numerous war and patriotic films are shown on television. On this day people congratulate veterans and give them flowers.
The so-called religious holidays include Christmas, Easter and others. There is also a pagan holiday - Shrovetide or Pancake Day. These holidays are not state, so people usually work and study on these days. At Shrovetide, people see spring in, eat pancakes and burn a scarecrow, which symbolizes winter.
Russian Christmas is celebrated on the 7-th of January, but there is no exact date for Easter, it is different every year.
Nowadays foreign celebrations are becoming more and more popular in Russia. They are Halloween and St. Valentine's Day. On Halloween Day some clubs organize parties and masquerades. St. "Valentine's Day is mostly popular with young people. They usually buy presents for their girlfriends and boyfriends such as chocolate and sweets and make greeting cards in the shape of a heart.
I like Russian holidays and look forward to celebrating each of them!
Education in Russia (1) (Образование в России)
Every Russian citizen has the right to free education. Before going to school children may go to nursery schools or kindergartens. At the age of six children start going to school. First they go to primary school where they learn to read, write and count. Primary school finishes in the 3-rd form. Then pupils go to secondary school. After the 9-th form pupils take school exams and get a school certificate. After it they can choose either to stay at school or go to a college to get a profession. Most pupils stay at school and finish it with a school diploma which allows them to enter an institution of higher education.
After finishing school pupils can go on to higher education. There are a lot of institutes and universities in Russia. They offer various departments which an entrant can choose according to his or her abilities. It is difficult to enter an institute. Entrants should attend university courses and then pass entrance exams. Nowadays a new examination system is being introduced. The so-called General State Exam allows pupils to enter any Russian university if they get good and excellent marks for it. This system hasn't been settled yet, but in some regions of Russia it works already. Pupils take this examination after the 11-th form.
Students in Russian universities usually have five years of studies. At the end of every semester students have an examination session and take exams. If students pass the exams well they get a scholarship paid by the government.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40