Zamoskvorechye

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Zamoskvorechye within Greater Moscow

Zamoskvorechye (Замоскворечье), translated from Russian to English: Behind the Moskva River; is a historical neighborhood in Moscow located behind the Moskva river to the south, opposite the Kremlin. Currently it constitutes a municipal okrug of Moscow.

Zamoskvorechye is the largest residential area in central Moscow. It is home to many art galleries.

A view on the Balchug neighborhood in Zamoskvorechye across the Moskva River, as seen from the Kremlin

[edit] History

Long ago, Zamoskvorechye was a neighborhood where many merchants lived. The neighborhood was green and looked very pastoral. Local merchants had large mansions; these buildings were richly decorated and had huge gardens, vegetable gardens and warehouses. Foreigners and non-Muscovites were not permitted in the neighborhood. The area was intended to be eternally conservative; western food, clothes, ways of doing business, and entertaiment were not considered acceptable. Nonetheless, an honor-system was established where merchants were held accountably by their partners and by the community; they were encouraged to invest in business rather than spend money on luxuries, and to help the poor. As a result, this area retained its uniquely Russian spirit for centuries.

During the Soviet era most of the old buildings and churches were demolished. Nonetheless, this area is considered one of the few places in Moscow where one can truly feel the character of the city as it had existed prior to the revolution.