Russian Capitals

Peter the Great abandoned Moscow to create in 1703 his new capital – a port on the Baltic coast and a ‘Window on the World’. Inviting the best European engineers, shipbuilders, architects, craftsmen and merchants to Russia, he initiated the impractical and expensive task of transforming a marshland into a great European city of canals, cathedrals and palaces – like Venice, frozen in time and built on islands criss-crossed by canals and bridges. Moscow was the first capital of Russia from the early 15th century until Peter the Great moved it to St. Petersburg. In the 18th century, the influence of Italian and French architects which so inspired St. Petersburg, spread to Moscow and the surrounding countryside and it was thus that the great families of the period erected splendid houses and palaces. Red Square in Moscow is one of the largest of its kind and flanked by St. Basil’s Cathedral, the GUM department store and at its very heart, the Kremlin. Originally a fortress, this 60-acre architectural icon houses some of Russia’s finest churches, palaces and monasteries. Most notable is Cathedral Square, around which are grouped the cathedrals of the Assumption, Archangel Michael and the Annunciation. The great collections housed here in the Armoury include some of the Fabergé eggs created for the Imperial family. Other splendid museums include the Pushkin Museum of Fine Art, which houses many master works and the Tretyakov Gallery with the greatest display of Russian art, from icons to art nouveau.

VJV Exclusive Event - Private Ballet Performance
On dates indicated † we have arranged exclusively for our guests, a gala ballet performance featuring artistes from the Mariinskiy (Kirov), Mussorgsky or other leading companies. Russian champagne and caviar is served during the interval.