History UsefulNotes / Moscow

[[CaliforniaDoubling Moscow must be one of the most doubled cities in the world]]. It is usually depicted as cold, grey and oppressive.
* Well, for 7 months of the year it IS cold, grey and oppressive.
** And for 5 of them it is hot, grey and oppressive.
*** When it's not raining, of course.
*** With the winter that ended just now (April 2010) having record-breaking levels of snow.
*** And following summer ([[http://bearsandvodka.com/smoke-in-moscow.php especially July-August 2010]]) is all-time-record-breaking hot. Ever wonder what Дождь is?
*** Aww, cut the crap, the climate is not as bad as it seems. I mean, there's people from Polar Siberia, hello?

* Post-Soviet Moscow is generally a typical CityNoir.

If the Internet is anything to go by, Moscow seems to be [[TheScrappy increasingly disliked]] by the rest of Russia (some people going as far as half-jokingly proposing to split the country into two parts - Moscow and everything else, or "get rid of Moscow", or something like that). The main cause appears to be the perceived arrogance of the city's inhabitants, their supposed ignorance regarding the rest of the country and rudeness towards any visitors to the city. Whether this dislike actually has foundation is up for debate - and indeed, numerous debates ensue. Many people believe that all the taxes and economic output of "the regions" just gets funneled into Moscow, while Moscuvites believe that the regions are just populated by lazy idiots. Whether or not the inhabitants can truly be called "arrogant," the predominance of Moscow in Russia is indisputably real. A disproportionate amount of wealth, power, and influence is accumulated in the city, along with almost all the political influence (despite what Saint Petersburg would like to believe). No other city even comes close.

If the Internet is anything to go by, Moscow seems to be [[TheScrappy increasingly disliked]] by the rest of Russia (some people going as far as half-jokingly proposing to split the country into two parts - Moscow and everything else, or "get rid of Moscow", or something like that). The main cause appears to be the perceived arrogance of the city's inhabitants, their supposed ignorance regarding the rest of the country and rudeness towards any visitors to the city. Whether this dislike actually has foundation is up for debate - and indeed, numerous debates ensue. Many people in regions believe that all the taxes and economic output of "the regions" just gets funneled into Moscow, while Moscuvites believe that the regions are just populated by lazy idiots. Whether or not the inhabitants can truly be called "arrogant," the predominance of Moscow in Russia is indisputably real. A disproportionate amount of wealth, power, and influence is accumulated in the city, along with almost all the political influence (despite what Saint Petersburg would like to believe). No other city even comes close.

If the Internet is anything to go by, Moscow seems to be [[TheScrappy increasingly disliked]] by the rest of Russia (some people going as far as half-jokingly proposing to split the country into two parts - Moscow and everything else, or "get rid of Moscow", or something like that). The main cause appears to be the perceived [[HolierThanThou arrogance]] of the city's inhabitants, their supposed ignorance regarding the rest of the country and rudeness towards any visitors to the city, as depicted in the jokes about "Ponaekhali" (which translates roughly to the disapproving "so many of you came here" - the supposedly typical answer of a Muscovite to people asking for directions, regardless of how polite and sensible that asking may have been). Whether this dislike actually has foundation is up for debate - and indeed, numerous debates ensue. Many people in regions believe, that money made by selling resources from other regions are mostly accumulated in Moscow and many people in Moscow believe that other regions are just populated by lazy idiots. The arcane trickery of "tax optimization" employed by Russian companies makes it easy to find evidence for both opinions.

The other most notable features are St. Basil's Cathedral and [[BigFancyCastle the Moscow Kremlin]]. Kreml' (Anglicized to "Kremlin") means "citadel" in Russian and is not unique to Moscow. Many Russian medieval towns sprung up around kremlins and still exist today. However only the Moscow Kremlin is well-known outside Russia. Some foreigners also mistake St. Basil's Cathedral for the Kremlin, due to their proximity to one another (the Cathedral being located barely 50 meters from the Kremlin gates). The latter, the seat of the Russian presidency (the government, as in "cabinet of ministers", sits in a building confusingly known as the White House), is highly recognizable (not so much as St. Basil and its onion domes, though) and has formed an EstablishingShot for many movies.

Moscow is sometimes referred as Default City in Russian segment of Internet (Yes, in English, but usually transliterated in Cyrillic). If Russian internet users don't see any specific city named, they think Moscow. "Well, this is the only real city in Russia!" they say. And [[TruthInTelevision really]], when you see in the Internet an announcement of the concert or some other public event that has an address but doesn't have a city specified, you can safely presume that it's in Moscow. Not stating the city is an irritating habit of specifically Moscow-dwellers who seem to think that everyone worth their attention and advertising to either lives in Moscow or can visit it for that one event. Other nicknames include pre-Internet "the Big Village" and "Нерезиновая" (Nerezinovaya), meaning 'not strechable' and referring to the constant influx of immigrants (and generally people who lived there less than you did).

The most famous part of Moscow is the Red Square. The name actually predates the [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober October Revolution]]. The Russian word ''"krasnaya"'' means "red" but formerly also meant "beautiful," and it was in this sense the word was originally used (in fact, from the 17th century to almost the 20th century the iconic red bricks of the Kremlin were painted white). It's smaller than it was, with some of the churches that were bulldozed by the Communists now rebuilt. It is a pedestrian area all year round, bar parades.

The most famous part of Moscow is the Red Square. The name actually predates the [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober October Revolution]]. The Russian word ''"krasnaya"'' means "red" but formerly also meant "beautiful," and it was this meaning in which the word was originally used (in fact, from the 17th century to almost the 20th century the iconic red bricks of the Kremlin were painted white). It's smaller than it was, with some of the churches that were bulldozed by the Communists now rebuilt. It is a pedestrian area all year round, bar parades.

The other most notable features are St. Basil's Cathedral and [[BigFancyCastle the Moscow Kremlin]]. Kreml' (Anglicized to "Kremlin") means "citadel" in Russian and is not unique to Moscow. Many Russian medieval towns sprung up around kremlins and still exist today. However today only the Moscow Kremlin is well-known outside Russia. Some foreigners also mistake St. Basil's Cathedral for the Kremlin, due to their proximity to one another (the Cathedral being located barely 50 meters from the Kremlin gates). The latter, the seat of the Russian presidency (the government, as in "cabinet of ministers", sits in a building confusingly known as the White House), is highly recognizable (not so much as St. Basil and its onion domes, though) and has formed an EstablishingShot for many movies.

The other most notable features are St. Basil's Cathedral and [[BigFancyCastle the Moscow Kremlin]] (Kreml' (Anglicized to "Kremlin") meaning "citadel" in Russian and can be applied to other such places in other old cities, but this meaning has largely been forgotten outside of Russia) -- the two are often conflated in the minds of Westerners because of their proximity to one another. The latter, the seat of the Russian presidency (the government, as in "cabinet of ministers", sits in a building confusingly known as the White House), is highly recognizable (not so much as St. Basil and its onion domes, though) and has formed an EstablishingShot for many movies.

The other most notable features are St. Basil's Cathedral and [[BigFancyCastle the Moscow Kremlin]] (Kreml' (Anglicized to "Kremlin") meant "citadel" in Russian and can be applied to other such places in other old cities, but this meaning has largely been forgotten outside of Russia) -- the two are often conflated in the minds of Westerners because of their proximity to one another. The latter, the seat of the Russian presidency (the government, as in "cabinet of ministers", sits in a building confusingly known as the White House), is highly recognizable (not so much as St. Basil and its onion domes, though) and has formed an EstablishingShot for many movies.

The most famous part of Moscow is the Red Square. The name actually predates the [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober October Revolution]], the Russian word ''"krasnaya"'' ("red") meaning both "red" and "beautiful". It's smaller than it was, with some of the churches that were bulldozed by the Communists now rebuilt. It is a pedestrian area all year round, bar parades.

The UsefulNotes/MoscowMetro is also world famous.

Moscow, capital city of Russia. Москва (Moskva) is the Russian name.

[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Moscow_skyline_4422.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240:The Moscow skyline as seen through a FisheyeLens.]]

Examples actually filmed in Moscow:
* ''The Russia House''
* The season seven opener of ''Series/{{Spooks}}''
* Well, many Soviet and Russian films, you know.

The most famous part of Moscow is Red Square. The name actually predates the October Revolution, the Russian word ''"krasnaya"'' ("red") meaning both "red" and "beautiful". It's smaller than it was, with some of the churches that were bulldozed by the Communists now rebuilt. It is a pedestrian area all year round, bar parades.

-->''Behold at last that celebrated city!''
-->-'''UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte'''. Things went downhill for him from here.

The mayoral title is just a historic fluke coming from the early Nineties, when the post originated, and it still has gubernatorial powers and responsibilities. The first mayor, Gavriil Popov, was elected in 1990, but resigned in 1992, so Yuri Luzhkov was elected mayor. Luzhkov was the mayor until 2010, when he was fired by President Dmitry Medvedev mainly for defying his orders. Medvedev appointed Sergei S. Sobyanin to replace him, and Sobyanin remains the Mayor of Moscow as of 2012.

* [[CaptainObvious Well, many Soviet and Russian films, you know.]]

* The Rublevo-Uspenskoe Road (aka "Rublevka"). It's a suburb of [[BigFancyHouse posh mansions]] owned by {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s, {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s and other bigwigs of the city.

* The season seven opener of ''{{Spooks}}''

In UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia, Moscow was ruled by a mayor or governor appointed by the tsar. In the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] era, Moscow was ruled by the First Secretary of the Moscow Communist Party and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Moscow City Council. The Moscow secretary was the most powerful local politician in the USSR, and both Khrushchev and Yeltsin held this post. Now, in UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia, Moscow is led by a mayor again, albeit one with the powers of a governor; Moscow and St. Petersburg are both "Federal Cities" having the same status as other "federal subjects" of Russia. (Having a mayor have the same powers as a governor is common for city-states within a federation; the [[TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Germans have this arrangement]] with Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen, and the Austrians have it with Vienna). What's strange here is that Moscow has a mayor with the powers of a governor, and St.Petersburg has a governor, despite the otherwise identical federal status of the cities.

* Even Russian movies sometimes have to double Moscow when the setting is "Old Moscow", which could mean either Soviet Moscow before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, Imperial Moscow before [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober the Revolution]], or wooden Moscow before the Empire. [[TheCityFormerlyKnownAs St. Petersburg]] is most commonly used for the first two, while the third is usually doubled by one of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Ring_of_Russia Golden Ring cities]].

In UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia, Moscow was ruled by a mayor or governor appointed by the tsar. In the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] era, Moscow was ruled by the First Secretary of the Moscow Communist Party and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Moscow City Council. The Moscow secretary was the most powerful local politician in the USSR, and both Khrushchev and Yeltsin held this post. Now, in TheNewRussia, Moscow is led by a mayor again, albeit one with the powers of a governor; Moscow and St. Petersburg are both "Federal Cities" having the same status as other "federal subjects" of Russia. (Having a mayor have the same powers as a governor is common for city-states within a federation; the [[TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Germans have this arrangement]] with Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen, and the Austrians have it with Vienna). What's strange here is that Moscow has a mayor with the powers of a governor, and St.Petersburg has a governor, despite the otherwise identical federal status of the cities.

In UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia, Moscow was ruled by a mayor or governor appointed by the tsar. In the SovietUnion era, Moscow was ruled by the First Secretary of the Moscow Communist Party and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Moscow City Council. The Moscow secretary was the most powerful local politician in the USSR, and both Khrushchev and Yeltsin held this post. Now, in TheNewRussia, Moscow is led by a mayor again, albeit one with the powers of a governor; Moscow and St. Petersburg are both "Federal Cities" having the same status as other "federal subjects" of Russia. (Having a mayor have the same powers as a governor is common for city-states within a federation; the [[TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Germans have this arrangement]] with Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen, and the Austrians have it with Vienna). What's strange here is that Moscow has a mayor with the powers of a governor, and St.Petersburg has a governor, despite the otherwise identical federal status of the cities.

If the Internet is anything to go by, Moscow seems to be [[TheScrappy increasingly disliked]] by the rest of Russia (some people going as far as half-jokingly proposing to split the country into two parts - Moscow and everything else, or "get rid of Moscow", or something like that). The main cause appears to be the perceived [[HolierThanThou arrogance]] of the city's inhabitants, their supposed ignorance regarding the rest of the country and rudeness towards any visitors to the city, as depicted in the jokes about "Ponaekhali" (which translates roughly to the disapproving "so many of you came here" - the supposedly typical answer of a Muscovite to people asking for directions, regardless of how polite and sensible that asking may have been). Whether this dislike actually has foundation is up for debate - and indeed, numerous debates ensue. Among the reasons for this attitude, it should also be noted that a lot of money made by selling other regions' oil goes to Moscow instead of those other regions, and the average Moscow salary is much higher than that of anywhere in the so-called "provinces" (i.e. any place that's neither Moscow nor St.Peterburg); those unfortunate facts do not help the city's reputation in the slightest.

** New Ierusalim. An old, large churche/monastery complex initially built to be a replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Located in Istra (may be considered far suburb, as it is connected to Moscow proper with railway and buses)

* The Moscow River, specifically "river trams".

* Suburbs, divided into near suburbs that actually border Moscow and are divided from is only by MKAD (Khimki, Mytischi, Krasnogorsk, Balashikha, Reutov) and far suburbs that are separated from the city by a stretch of forest and villages and are usually reached by railroad or car(Korolev, Pushkino, Elektrostal, Serpuhov and so on).
** On each side, it is believed that there is no life on the other side. Note that Moscow follows the Old World class distinction between suburb and downtown; the center of the city is glamorous and posh, the outskirts are middle-class and some of the suburbs should be more properly described as slums.

Moscow is a mostly round city, so its internal divisions are organised by several concentric beltways. At the very centre lie the Kremlin, Red Square and the ancient neighbourhood of Kitay-gorod (in modern Russian it means "Chinatown", but it got that name long before Russians started calling China "Kitay", so it has no connection to the Chinese diaspora; in Old Russian, Kitai-Gorod stood for Basket-town, since the walls were originally made of baskets filled with clay). The beltways that surround it are the incomplete Boulevard Ring (the innermost), the Garden Ring, the 3rd Ring Road and the MKAD (the outermost). When people say "central Moscow" they usually mean "within the Garden Ring". The areas between it and the 3rd ring, as well as some areas to the latter's immediate north, are mostly old industrial neighbourhoods, while most of the neighbourhoods between the 3rd ring and the MKAD are residential. A fourth ring road, between the 3rd and the MKAD was in plans, but the project was abandoned in favor of building several chords that are in pre-building state now. The next ring is so-known Small Moscow Ring is roughly 50 km ring road in far Moscow suburbs. Moscow, however, is split with railways and rivers along radii, so the picture is not so beautiful. Until 1984 the MKAD was the city border, but then Moscow annexed several towns on the outside. Despite that the MKAD still serves as a cultural border between Moscow and its suburbs, and Muscovites are often stereotyped to believe that all of Russia beyond the MKAD is complete wilderness, except for the aforementioned Rublevo-Uspenskoe and St. Petersburg (though St. Pete, as the joke goes, is too cold, wet and dull to have much of a life there).

* Churches and monasteries. Again, a lot of them, mostly orthodox christians, but there are muslim, catholic and some others if you care to find.