![Manezhnaya](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Manezhnaya.jpg)
Kitay-gorod ( rus, Китай-город, p=kʲɪˈtaj ˈɡorət), also referred to as the Great Possad () in the 16th and 17th centuries, is a cultural and historical area within the central part of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, defined by the remnants of now almost entirely razed fortifications, narrow streets and very densely built cityscape. It is separated from the
Kremlin
The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...
by
Red Square
Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...
. Kitay-gorod does not constitute a district (''
raion
A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is co ...
''), as there are no resident voters, thus, municipal elections are not possible. Rather, the territory has been part of
Tverskoy District
Tverskoy District ( rus, Тверско́й райо́н, p=tvʲɪrˈskoj, a=Ru-Тверской.ogg) is a district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia. Population:
The district extends from Kitai-gorod north ...
, and the
Central Administrative Okrug
Central Administrative Okrug, or Tsentralny Administrativny Okrug (russian: Центра́льный администрати́вный о́круг, ''Tsentralny administrativny okrug''), is one of the twelve administrative okrugs of Moscow, Rus ...
authorities have managed the area directly since 2003.
Etymology
Beside Kitay-gorod in
Moscovia in ancient Russia, Kitay was also a name for a sea. A sea called Kitay exists in
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Older sources said that people with darker skin than other ethnic groups of Russia sold goods and traded with other peoples in the area of the Kitay sea.
''Kita'' (pl. ''kity'') is a somewhat obsolete word for "plait" or "an item made by braiding". A 17th-century Russian source states "''У шапок янычары имели киты''" (''"U shapok yanychary imeli kity"''), meaning "The
Janissaries
A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ( ...
had braids hanging from their caps". In his 1967 book ''Rise of Russia'', author Robert Wallace asserts that the term might mean a rough-hewn defensive
bulwark
Bulwark primarily refers to:
* Bulwark (nautical), a nautical term for the extension of a ship's side above the level of a weather deck
* Bastion, a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification
The Bulwark primarily refe ...
made from woven wicker baskets filled with earth or rock – and thus ''Kitay-gorod'' means "Basket city". ''Kitay'' could also be derived from an old word for the wooden stakes used in construction of the quarter's walls. ''Gorod'' is simply the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
word for "city", derived from the ancient
''gord''.
Kitay (
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
: Китай) is also the modern Russian name for
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, it cognates with the historic Khitan people of Northeastern China. Kitay cognates with the English ''
Cathay
Cathay (; ) is a historical name for China that was used in Europe. During the early modern period, the term ''Cathay'' initially evolved as a term referring to what is now Northern China, completely separate and distinct from China, which ...
''.
Walls
![Kitai-gorod wall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Kitai-gorod_wall.JPG)
The walls were erected from 1536 to 1539 by an Italian architect known under the Russified name
Petrok Maly
Petrok Maly, also known as Petrok Maly Fryazin (russian: Петрок Малый Фрязин, lit. Peter Junior) (? - ), was an Italian architect, who arrived in Moscow together with the envoys of Pope Clement VII in 1528.
He was likely born Pie ...
and originally featured 13 towers and six gates. They were as thick as they were high, the average being six meters in both dimensions. The last of the towers were demolished in the 1930s, but small portions of the wall still stand. One of two remaining parts of the wall is located in
Zaryadye
Zaryadye ( rus, Зарядье, p=zɐˈrʲædʲje) is a historical district in Moscow established in 12th or 13th century within Kitai-gorod, between Varvarka Street and Moskva River. The name means "the place behind the rows", i.e., behind the Ma ...
and the other near the exit from the
Okhotny Ryad station of
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro) is a metro system serving the Russian capital of Moscow as well as the neighbouring cities of Krasnogorsk, Reutov, Lyubertsy and Kotelniki in Moscow Oblast. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first unde ...
behind the
Hotel Metropol.
Recently the mayor of Moscow announced plans for a full-scale restoration of the wall. City officials also plan to close Kitay-gorod to automobile traffic. Since 1995 the wall has been extensively rebuilt, and a new tower has been added. Inside the tower are a couple of restaurants and bars.
Squares
Apart from
Red Square
Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...
, the quarter is bordered by the chain of
Central Squares of Moscow The Central Squares of Moscow consists of a chain of squares around the historical Moscow Kremlin and Kitai-gorod areas of central Moscow, Russia, following the historical and now mostly razed down Kitai-gorod wall. These squares and avenues connect ...
, notably "
Theater Square" (named for its eponymous location in front of the
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, literally "Big Theater", p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈatər) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and ope ...
),
Lubyanka Square
Lubyanskaya Square (, Lubyanskaya ploshchad'), or simply Lubyanka in Moscow lies about north-east of Red Square. History first records its name in 1480, when Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow, who had conquered Novgorod in 1471, settled many Novgo ...
(in front of the
KGB headquarters), and
Slavyanskaya Square
Slavyanskaya Square () is a square in central Moscow, also known in 1924-1991 as northern side of Nogina Square (Площадь Ногина); the southern side of former Nogina Square is now called Varvarka Gates Square (Площадь Варв ...
. Bourse Square on
Ilyinka Street Ilyinka (russian: Ильинка) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
Modern localities Altai Krai
As of 2012, two rural localities in Altai Krai bear this name:
*Ilyinka, Shelabolikhinsky District, Altai Krai
Ilyinka (russi ...
is situated entirely within Kitay-gorod.
Architecture
![Bolshoykrest](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Bolshoykrest.jpg)
Kitay-gorod, developing as a trading area, was known as the most prestigious business area of Moscow. Its three main streets —
Varvarka, Ilyinka, and
Nikolskaya — are lined with banks, shops, and storehouses like the
historicistic shopping mall
GUM which confines Kitay-gorod towards Red Square.
![Church of the Trinity in Nikitniki](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Church_of_the_Trinity_in_Nikitniki.jpg)
One of the most beautiful churches in Moscow, St. Nicholas Church on the Ilyinka (1680–89), informally known as the Great Cross, was a landmark in Kitay-gorod but was destroyed in 1933. This district also features the
Church of Cosmas and Damian and the Trinity Church of Nikitniki, which today is nestled among city buildings. It was built in the 1630s on the land of Moscow merchant, Grigory Nikitnikov.
Nikolskaya Street is famous for being the site of Moscow's first university, the
Slavic Greek Latin Academy
The Slavic Greek Latin Academy (russian: Славяно-греко-латинская академия) was the first higher education establishment in Moscow.
History
Beginning
The academy's establishment may be viewed as a result of the incorpo ...
, housed in extant
Zaikonospassky monastery
The Monastery of the Holy Mandylion or Zaikonospassky Monastery (Заиконоспасский монастырь in Russian) is an Orthodox monastery on the Nikolskaya Street in Kitai-gorod, Moscow, just one block away from the Kremlin.
It was ...
(1660s). Another monastery cathedral, the main church of
Epiphany Monastery
The Epiphany Monastery (russian: Богоявленский монастырь, ''Bogoyavlensky monastyr''; better translated as "Theophany Monastery") is the oldest male monastery in Moscow, situated in the Kitai gorod, just one block away from ...
(1690s), stands in the middle of Kitay-gorod in the eponymous Bogoyavlensky Lane. The 18th century survives in the exterior walls of the otherwise rebuilt
Gostiny Dvor (Guest Merchant's Court) by
Giacomo Quarenghi
Giacomo Quarenghi (; rus, Джа́комо Кваре́нги, Džákomo Kvaréngi, ˈdʐakəmə kvɐˈrʲenʲɡʲɪ; 20 or 21 September 1744) was an Italian architect who was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of neoclassical architectu ...
.
In the 19th century, Red Square was lined by a
neoclassical domed structure of Upper Trade Rows by
Joseph Bove
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
. However, in the 1890s it was torn down and replaced with the new,
eclectic
Eclectic may refer to:
Music
* ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014
* ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996
* Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act
* Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...
Upper Trading Rows (by
Alexander Pomerantsev
Alexander Nikanorovich Pomerantsev (russian: Александр Никанорович Померанцев, November 11, 1849 — October 27, 1918) was a Russian architect and educator responsible for some of the most ambitious architectural proje ...
and
Vladimir Shukhov
Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Григо́рьевич Шу́хов; – 2 February 1939) was a Russian Empire and Soviet engineer-polymath, scientist and architect renowned for his pioneering works on new ...
) and the similar Middle Trading Rows (by
Roman Klein
Roman Ivanovich Klein (russian: Роман Иванович Клейн), born Robert Julius Klein, was a Russian architect and educator, best known for his Neoclassical Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Klein, an eclectic, was one of the most prolific ar ...
). The rest of Kitay-gorod was densely filled with offices, warehouses and hotels, to the point where real estate developers had to build streets, not buildings – like the
Tretyakovsky Proyezd
Tretyakovsky Proyezd or Tretyakov Drive () is a short street with boutiques and shops with many luxury goods located in Kitai-gorod in Moscow and known as one of the most expensive shopping areas in the world.
The mediaeval-looking archway onto ...
project by
Pavel Tretyakov
Pavel Mikhaylovich Tretyakov (russian: Па́вел Миха́йлович Третьяко́в; 27 December 1832 – 16 December 1898) was a Russian businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist who gave his name to the Tretyakov Gal ...
and
Alexander Kaminsky
Alexander Stepanovich Kaminsky (1829–1897, russian: Александр Степанович Каминский, sometimes spelled Kamensky, Каменский) was a Russian architect working in Moscow and suburbs. One of the most successful and ...
.
![Plevna monument](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Plevna_monument.jpg)
Also in the 1890s, developers consolidated large land lots on the perimeter of Kitay-gorod.
Savva Mamontov
Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (russian: Са́вва Ива́нович Ма́монтов, ; 3 October 1841 (15 October N.S.), Yalutorovsk – 6 April 1918, Moscow) was a Russian industrialist, merchant, entrepreneur and patron of the arts.
Busine ...
launched an ambitious civic center, built around an opera hall, which was completed as the
Metropol Hotel in 1907, the largest early
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
building in Moscow, containing artwork by
Mikhail Vrubel
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (russian: Михаил Александрович Врубель; March 17, 1856 – April 14, 1910, all New Style, n.s.) was a Russian Painting, painter, Drawing, draughtsman, and sculptor. A prolific and inno ...
,
Alexander Golovin and
Nikolai Andreev
Nikolai Andreev (born 5 February 1975 in Saratov, Russia) is a Russian mathematician and popularizer of mathematics. He was awarded with the Leelavati Award in 2022.
Biography
Nikolai is the Head of the Laboratory for Popularization and Pro ...
. The eastern segment (
Staraya Square
Staraya Square (russian: Старая площадь ''Staraya Ploshchad’''), literally "Old Square", connects Ilyinka Street with Varvarka Gates Square in central Kitai-gorod area of Moscow, Russia. It is not a square in a true sense, but a stre ...
) was rebuilt by the Moscow Merchant Society, with the late Art Nouveau ''Boyarsky Dvor'' offices (by
Fyodor Schechtel
Fyodor Osipovich Schechtel (russian: Фёдор О́сипович Ше́хтель; August 7, 1859 – July 7, 1926) was a Russian architect, graphic artist and stage designer, the most influential and prolific master of Russian Art Nouveau and ...
) and the neoclassical 4, Staraya Square (by
Vladimir Sherwood, Jr., 1912–1914) which later housed the
Central Committee of the Communist Party
Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party organizations, the ...
.
The present-day offices and clock tower of
Constitutional Court of Russia
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princip ...
were financed by the Northern Insurance Society (1910–1912) and built by
Ivan Rerberg
Ivan Ivanovich Rerberg (October 4, 1869 – 1932, Moscow) was a Russian civil engineer, architect and educator active in Moscow in 1897–1932. Rerberg's input to present-day Moscow include Kiyevsky Rail Terminal, Central Telegraph building and ...
,
Marian Peretiatkovich and
Vyacheslav Oltarzhevsky; this project is also notable as the first professional employer of young
Ilya Golosov
Ilya Alexandrovich Golosov (Russian: Илья Александрович Голосов; 31 July 1883 – 21 January 1945) was an architect from the late Russian Empire and early Soviet Union. A leader of Constructivism in 1925-1931, Ilya Golos ...
.
Since the early 1990s, many historical buildings have been torn down or rebuilt by
facadist methods, tearing down everything beyond the street facade. Apart from the Gostiny Dvor, recent losses include the Tyoplye Trade Rows (Теплые ряды, demolished 1996–1997) and the recently reopened block at 10, Nikolskaya Street. The degree of destruction cannot be assessed in full, since many properties are operated by the federal government and closed to the general public.
Zaryadye
A whole quarter of Kitay-gorod
adjacent to the
Moskva River
The Moskva (russian: река Москва, Москва-река, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river running through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through centra ...
and known as Zaryadye was demolished in three rounds (1930s, late 1940s, 1960s), sparing only those structures that were classified as historic monuments. These include the Cathedral of the Sign (1679–84), the
Church of All Saints (1680s), St. George's Church on Pskov Hill (1657), St. Maksim's Church (1698), St. Anna's Church at the Corner (1510s), St. Barbara's Church (1796–1804), the Old English Embassy (1550s), and the 16th century
Romanov
The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to th ...
boyar residence. There is no other such cluster of old edifices left anywhere else in Moscow. The district's main structure,
Rossiya Hotel
The Rossiya Hotel (russian: Гостиница «Россия») was a five-star international hotel in Moscow. It was the largest hotel in the world from 1967 to 1980. Until its closure in 2006, it remained the second largest hotel in Europe, ...
(1967), was demolished in 2007 to make space for the new
Zaryadye Park
Zaryadye Park ( rus, Парк Зарядье) is a landscape urban park located adjacent to Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on the site of the former Rossiya Hotel. The park was inaugurated on 9 September 2017 by Russian President Vladimir Putin a ...
which was opened in 2017.
Gallery
File:Vasnecov ulica v Kitaj gorode.jpg, A 1922 painting by A. Vasnetsov, depicting a street in Kitay-gorod in the 17th century
File:Vasnetsov Vodyanye vorota Kitay Goroda.jpg, A. Vasnetsov. Spasskiye/Wodyaniye (Savior/Water) gates of Kitay-gorod in the 17th century
File:Alekseev Nikolskie vorota Kitai Goroda.jpg, Nikolskiye (St. Nikolay's) Gates and breaching gates, c. 1800
File:Alexeev Novaya plocshad.jpg, Novaya square, c. 1800
File:Ilyinksky Gate.jpg, Ilyinskye (St. Elijah's) gates, 1840s
File:Vladimirsky Gate Kitai gorod.jpg, Nikolskiye/Vladimirskiye (St. Nikolay's/St. Vladimir's) Gates, 1840s
File:Varvarskie vorota.jpg, Varvarskye (St. Barbara's) gates
File:Geler Lubyanskaya plocshad 1880.jpg, Nikolskiye/Vladimirskiye Gates and Lubianka Square
Lubyanskaya Square (, Lubyanskaya ploshchad'), or simply Lubyanka in Moscow lies about north-east of Red Square. History first records its name in 1480, when Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow, who had conquered Novgorod in 1471, settled many Novgo ...
, 1880
File:Kitaigorod restavracia.jpg, Restoration of Kitay-gorod wall in the 1920s
File:Zaryadye4.jpg, Kitai-gorod wall in Zaryadye
File:Zaryadye Vorota.gif, Breaching gates in Zaryadye
File:Moscow, English Court (2).jpg, The Old English Court
File:Moscow Kremlin map, 1760s.jpg, Old map of the Kitay-gorod showing the walls in black
References
{{coord, 55, 45, 21, N, 37, 37, 26, E, display=title
Tverskoy District
Administrative divisions of Moscow
Art Nouveau architecture in Moscow
Tourist attractions in Moscow
Economy of Moscow
Shopping districts and streets in Russia
Financial districts in Russia
Central business districts in Russia