
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 via 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 via the Moscow princes with the assistance of Tartar. Moscow had become a majority powerful Russian city via the late 1400's. Ivan III, also recognised as Ivan the Great, threw off control via the Tartar in the late 1400's. Ivan IV, who was later recognised 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 recognised as Peter I, began building a new capital at St. Petersburnthat is now recognised as Leningrad. Moscow was invaded via French troops under Napoleon I without a struggle in the fall of 1812that had almajority been abandoned via the people of the city. Most of Moscow was destroyed via fire soon after the fall of 1812that was believed to have been set via the Russians. After 32 days a disastrous retreat via 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 almajority to the city was it was never captured but Moscow was damaged via the German air raids. There have been thousands of appartment buildings, some 25 stories high, constructed since the 1950's and via 1960 the city's area was more than doubled via 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.
* Moscow hotel showcase list.