Moscow Itinerary

Yuri Dolgoruki, a prince, founded the town of Moscow in 1147. It prospered and grew because the town was located on important land and water trade routes. Asian Tartar's invaded and conquered Moscow and was forced to recognize their new rulers by paying their taxes. During the 1300's, the princes of Moscow were forced to collect and pay taxes to the Tartar's and were granted more territory for increasing these taxes. Land was taken from rival princes by the Moscow princes with the assistance of Tartar. Moscow had become a most powerful Russian city by the late 1400's. Ivan III, also known as Ivan the Great, threw off control by the Tartar in the late 1400's. Ivan IV, who was later known as Ivan the Terrible, was the grandson of Ivan III and was crowned in 1547 as Czar of all Russia. Due to the rapid growth of Moscow in the 1600's, the Czars built palaces in the Kremlin, new churches and monasteries arose, industries developed and the nobles built mansions.

Moscow remained an important center of trade, industry and culture dispite the fact, Peter the Great, also known as Peter I, began building a new capital at St. Petersburn, which is now known as Leningrad. Moscow was invaded by French troops under Napoleon I without a struggle in the fall of 1812, which had almost been abandoned by the people of the city. Most of Moscow was destroyed by fire soon after the fall of 1812, which was believed to have been set by the Russians. After 32 days a disastrous retreat by the French troops in the cold and through the snow, had left the city. Moscow had a fierce revolution against the czar in 1905 and 1917 and in the revolution of 1917, the government of Moscow fell to the olsheviks who were later called Communists. In 1918, the capital was moved back to Moscow.

In the 1930's, Moscow grew very rapid and in World War II, the German troops marched almost to the city was it was never captured but Moscow was damaged by the German air raids. There have been thousands of appartment buildings, some 25 stories high, constructed since the 1950's and by 1960 the city's area was more than doubled by the Soviet government. A zone called the Green Belt was established around the city that was an area of parks and forests and covered more than 600 square miles. The Olympic Games were held in Moscow in the summer of 1980 and was the first Soviet city to ever host these Olympic's. A number of hotels for visitors, sports facilities, and housing for the athletes were built in preparation of the Olympics in the city of Moscow.