Sometimes the main street of the Russian capital is called Arbat, that part of it, which is adapted for walking and mastered by tourists from all over the world. So those who come to see Moscow sights, take excursions along generally accepted Moscow routes think more often.
For those who managed to feel the spirit of the capital, there is only one main street in Moscow - Tverskaya.
Along the St. Petersburg
Today it is one and a half kilometers of the city highway of heavy traffic, almost around the clock. Formally, Tverskaya Street is a section of the road between two squares - Manezhnaya and Triumfalnaya. Next begins 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street, which at Tverskaya Zastava becomes Leningradsky Prospekt. In a broader sense, the main street of Moscow is what was called Moscow Broadway: Gorky Soviet-era street , a route from the Historical Museum to the Belorussky Train Station.
This street has come a long way - from the first wooden buildings of early Moscow to the most prestigious area of the metropolitan metropolis. She experienced the influence of all significant architectural styles, the first to appear on her technical innovations in the field of transport and urban improvement.
Beginning - from the XII century
The Tver Principality was one of the strongest of those located near Moscow. Therefore, the road to it existed from a very early time. And from the very beginning, this direction has taken on the character of a ceremonial and representative. The main street of Moscow, the name of which gave a geographical direction to an important neighboring city, quickly began to be improved. One of the first she was paved with a solid white stone, the poor houses of the working and service people were replaced by merchant and boyar mansions.
An important place in shaping the appearance of this district of the capital was occupied by monasteries and temples. On a small site there were a dozen churches and three monasteries: Moiseevsky in the beginning, Voskresensky in the middle and Strastnaya in the area of the present Pushkin Square.
With the foundation of the Northern capital, the main street of the city of Moscow acquired the importance of a front door for sovereigns and the court, who came from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Unofficial names — Tsarskaya and Piterskaya — were assigned to the street.
After the fire
After the Napoleonic invasion, Tverskaya was rebuilt. The desire to give a European look to the main city highway could not overcome the traditional Moscow diversity. Respectable representative buildings, luxury hotels and shops alternated with small shops and country houses.
The main street of Moscow before the global Stalinist perestroika had a width of no more than 20 m. This did not correspond to its purpose as the central metropolitan highway.
Technical News
With Tverskaya began large-scale electric street lighting in Moscow. By the coronation of Nicholas II in May 1896, 99 arc electric luminaires were installed on it. The first experiments on the laying of asphalt concrete with the installation of sidewalks and pavements were also carried out on Tverskaya in 1876.
The main street of Moscow, Tverskaya, is the most important element of the transport network of the capital. Different types of ground public transport routes have always passed along it. In 1872, the first line of the horse-drawn railway was laid from the Tverskaya outpost to the center. Konka was one of the first successful types of urban public transport - in all, about 100 km of horse-drawn railway was laid in Moscow. The history of the Moscow tram and trolleybus also began on Tverskaya.
Great redistribution
In the mid 30-ies of the XX century began the largest reconstruction of the central part of Moscow. Changes affected Tverskaya, and they began with renaming. The main street of Moscow, whose name now sounded like Gorky Street, united Tverskaya and 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya.
The urban planning plan of 1935 provided for the global expansion of the roadway and sidewalks from 18-20 to 60 meters. This was supposed to be done with extraordinary means. Many buildings were demolished, among which were real masterpieces of architecture, and some buildings weighing hundreds of thousands of tons were moved tens of meters.
The buildings, erected in a short time along the newly designated red line, had a stylistic unity, which was dictated by the will of one person. Together with the buildings that were preserved during the reconstruction, they formed an impressive and expressive ensemble, a showcase of the main socialist city.
Major Attractions
The appearance of Tverskaya Street is largely determined by the squares - Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya and Triumfalnaya, their architecture and the monuments located on them. In addition, there are several objects of historical and artistic heritage:
- House No. 1/15 - the National Hotel (1903). Prominent figures of culture and science, political and public figures of the country and the world stayed here.
- No. 5/6 - Postnikovsky passage (Dolgorukovs palace). After numerous reconstructions, it became a theater building, now there is a theater named after Ermolova.
- No. 7 - The central telegraph with the famous globe. Constructivism Monument (1927), built by architect I.I. Rerberg.
- No. 13 - Moscow City Hall (House of Moscow Governor-Generals), a monument of architecture, the fruit of creativity of different generations of architects, including M.F. Kazakov, I.A. Fomin, D.N. Chechulin, M.V. Posokhin and etc.
- No. 21 - English Club (Razumovsky Palace). Connected with the names of the classics of literature and art.
- No. 14 - Eliseevsky store, built by M.F. Kazakov.
- No. 10 - Bakery Filippova.
- No. 18-b - The building of the publishing house "Russian Word" (1906).