Staraya Square ( ; ; ) connects Ilyinka Street with Varvarka Gates Square in central Kitai-gorod area of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It is not a

square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

in a true sense, but a street, normally closed to regular city traffic. The historical building located at 4 Staraya Square, was the headquarters of the

Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the Central committee, highest organ of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) between Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Congresses. Elected by the ...

, thus ''Staraya Square'' became a symbol for the Party apparatus. Now the building is the headquarters of Presidential Administration of Russia, retaining its symbolic value. It is one of the Central Squares of Moscow forming an arc around

Moscow Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall along with the K ...

and Kitai-gorod.

History

Staraya Square emerged as the city street inside the Kitai-gorod fortress wall; a parallel street outside the wall is named Kitaisky Lane (as there are no buildings in this lane, the name has fallen out of usage). The wall was built in 1530s, and demolished in 1934. Throughout the 19th century, Staraya Square and northbound Novaya Square frequently interchanged their names, confusing Muscovites and visitors; modern usage settled down in early 20th century. In 1899, the city closed down the flea markets around the fortress wall. Before the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the Moscow Merchant Society had rebuilt Staraya Square with a chain of grand office buildings such as an

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

example, Boyarsky Dvor (by Fyodor Schechtel), and neoclassical 4, Staraya Square (by Vladimir Sherwood Jr.). Since 1918, they have been occupied by Soviet and presently Russian federal institutions. Wiki Staraya Square 4 by Vladimir Sherwood Jr.jpg, 4, Staraya Square, Presidential Administration of Russia (former Central Committee), built in 1912–1914. Wiki Staraya Square Boyarsky Dvor by Fyodor Schechtel.jpg, 8, Staraya Square (Boyarsky Dvor). The street in foreground in Kitaysky Lane; Staraya Square runs on the upper level. Kitai-gorod wall ran roughly at the top of the stairs. Razval (Evgraf Sorokin).jpg, Market in the Staraya Square. By Е.Sorokin, 1852 Pozdneev Staraya Plocshad Tolkuciy Rynok.jpg, Staraya Square. Flea market. By V.Pozdneev, 1890

Public transportation access

* Moscow Metro: Kitai-gorod

References

* History prior to 1947: Russian: П.В.Сытин, "Из истории московских улиц", М, 1948, pp. 35–41 * Present-day naming convention: City of Moscow decree N.958, 25.10.199
text in Russian
* Architectural landmarks on Central Squares: Bilingual: "Monuments of architecture of Moscow. Kremlin, Kitai-gorod and Central Squares", Moscow, Iskusstvo, 1977

External links

* {{commonscat-inline, Staraya Square Squares in Moscow Presidential Administration of Russia