China Town: attractions. History and our days

China Town, whose sights we will consider in the article, is a historical place of central Moscow. For the first time this unusual name for the Russian city is found in the chronicles of the 16th century. There is an opinion that the name of this place is due to the fact that once there was something like a Chinatown. However, this is not at all the case. At the beginning of the 16th century to the east of the Kremlin there was a handicraft posad, and here was built the famous Kitaigorod wall.

Title History

Around the origin of the name China Town there is still much controversy. Some historians, led by the famous researcher of the history of Moscow V. Sytin, believe that the name is directly related to the Mongolian language and means an "average" city between the Kremlin and the White City. This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that the name "kreml" means "inner fortress".

According to other sources, the word "china" came to us from the Turkic language and means "fortress", "fortified place".

The most widespread and most plausible version is expressed by the well-known historian - "wattle", because it was on this principle that the fences of that time were built, if you believe the records in the annals of the ancient Muscovites.

China Town: Attractions

Within the Kitai-Gorod, there are several famous historical and architectural monuments that attract tourists from all over the world all year round. If you decide to visit this historic place in the Russian capital, you should know where the city is located in Moscow. It is very easy to find it, since it is located very close to the Kremlin and the main square of the country.

Intercession Cathedral

China-city, whose attractions attract tourists from all over the world, is famous for the Pokrovsky Cathedral. This Orthodox church, popularly known as St. Basil's Cathedral, is located on the main square of the capital. It was built in the middle of the 16th century on the orders of Ivan the Terrible. Until now, there is no accurate information about the immediate creators of this Orthodox shrine in Moscow. There are several versions, but none of them found documentary evidence. This legendary place is connected with the legend that Ivan the Terrible ordered to deprive the viewers of the temple builders that they could never recreate such beauty. At the end of the 16th century the church of St. Basil the Blessed was added to the church. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by a remarkable event: the Intercession Cathedral was one of the first monuments of culture taken under state protection. Soon a museum was created in the temple.

The Voskresensky Gates

Known and the gateway, which is famous Kitaigorodskaya wall. Since the time of construction, these gates have changed not only their name, but also their external appearance. Initially it was just a two-door gate, but eventually they were completed and turned into a tower with chambers. In the 1920s, a decision was taken to demolish the Resurrection Gates, but already in the 90s they were completely restored.

Seating yard

The name Gostiny Dvor comes from the word "guest" and is a whole complex for wholesale trade. This includes shopping arcades and places for storing goods. Merchants from all over the neighborhood gathered in the Gostiny Dvor, paid cash contributions for the premises and sold their goods. All traders had to stop in the courtyard.

Kitai-Gorod wall

Initially, this structure, with a length of about 2.5 km, was built as a defensive shield against enemies. The famous wall survived several revolutions and the attack of the French army led by Napoleon. However, in the 30s of the last century it was almost completely destroyed by the Soviet authorities. In place of the old wall, new buildings were built. After the collapse of the USSR, the new leadership of the country decided to reconstruct the Kitaigorod wall, as a result of which several of its fragments were completely restored.

Trinity Church in Nikitniki

Until the 17th century, in place of the modern church stood a wooden one, which completely burnt out during a fire. In the middle of the 17th century, this church was built by Yaroslavl merchants and to this day is a model of Moscow uzorochya. Since 1654, the church keeps a list of the Georgian icon of the Mother of God, so the people often can hear another name of the church - the Church of the Georgian Mother of God.

The Kazan temple

October 22, 1612 in Moscow, a battle with the Poles took place. On the site of this historic event, the Kazan Temple (China Town, intersection of Nikolskaya Street and Red Square) was subsequently built. During the second militia, which managed to liberate the city, a miraculous image of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was delivered to Moscow, in honor of which the temple was named.

Printed yard

Opposite the Chizhovsky farmstead in China Town is the Printing Yard - the birthplace of book printing in Russia. The first books were released here in the middle of the 16th century. It was here that the Russian printer Ivan Fedorov worked, who published the book "The Apostle" on March 1, 1564. The printing yard was experiencing and not the best of times, when most of the building was damaged during the fire, but was restored. After the reconstruction of the Printing House, the liturgical books were issued here for a long time.

Those who like to enjoy the extraordinary beauty of the memorable historical places of their homeland must necessarily visit China-city. The sights of this place are so numerous and varied that it is impossible to tell about them in one article.