Show MapRed Square (Krasnaya Ploschad) separates the Kremlin from the merchant quarter of Kitay-Gorod. It is the most famous square in the country (and arguably the world) and all the major streets in the city gravitate towards it. Established in 1493 after the wooden buildings on the territory were cleared by Ivan III, the name itself bears no relation to communism nor to the prevalence of red in the square, but rather to the fact that the Russian krasnaya can be translated as both ''red'' and ''beautiful'' and was initially used to refer to nearby St. Basil's but then became associated with the square as a whole.
Established as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990 Red Square is today considered a landmark in its own right but owes much of its pedigree to the surrounding sights. Prominent in this regard is St. Basil's Cathedral. An amazing church with distinctive onion domes, the Cathedral was built between 1555 and 1561 under the rule of Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan and legend has it that Ivan, true to his personality, had the architect, Postnik Yakovlev blinded so he wouldn't be able to build anything more beautiful.
Russian Trips
Moscow & St. Petersburg
The beautiful cities of Moscow and St Petersburg make for an enticing alternative to the usual school or group visits and will be...
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