The Old Arbat street, Moscow
The Old Arbat is a picturesque
pedestrian street in Moscow,
running west from Arbat Square
(which is part of the Boulevard Ring) towards Smolenskaya Square (which is part of the
Garden Ring). The Old Arbat has the reputation of being Moscow's most
touristy street, with lots of entertainment and souvenirs sold. It is distinct
from the New Arbat, a street running parallel to it and lined with Soviet
skyscrapers made of steel, concrete, and glass.
The
first mention of the Arbat was in 1493 as a road leading from the Moscow
Kremlin to Smolensk. The origin of the name is Tatar and means suburb (the same
as Rabat). During the 16th and 17th centuries, the neighbourhood was graced
with elegant churches, notably the one featured in Vasily Polenov's celebrated
painting A Courtyard in Moscow (1879).
In
the 18th century, the Arbat came to be regarded by the Russian nobility as the
most prestigious living area in Moscow. The street was almost completely
destroyed by the great fire during Napoleon's occupation of Moscow in 1812 and
had to be rebuilt. Alexander Pushkin lodged in one of its mansions for a short
time, and there is a statue of him and his wife, Natalie, in front of this
house. Another famous native was the writer Andrey Bely, many of whose novels
feature impressionist portrayals of this patriarchal area.
Arbat
Street in Moscow.In the 20th century, the street succumbed to limited
renovations in the Art Nouveau and Constructivist styles. Probably the most
original monument to this new trend is the Melnikov Mansion. The street's
confluence with the Garden Ring was marked with a flamboyant wedding-cake
skyscraper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Simultaneously, most of the
Arbat's churches were demolished, including that of St Nicholas, regarded as
one of the finest examples of Godunov style.
The Arbat District before the
Russian Revolution.
The Arbat at night.Since 1986, the
Arbat has been dotted with distinctive street lanterns. It has several notable
statues, including one to Princess Turandot in front of the Vakhtangov Theatre
and another to Soviet-era folk singer, bard, and poet, Bulat Okudzhava, who
wrote several poignant songs about the Arbat. During Perestroika, the street
was a gathering place for informal youth movements (like hippies or punks), as
well as street musicians and artists. Viktor Tsoi's wall in one of the Arbat
side-streets (Krivoarbatskiy Pereulok) remains a curious monument to those
turbulent years. To this day, Russian youth frequently gather on the
Arbat to play the songs of Tsoi and other Russian songwriters.
The
Arbat is home to the headquarters of oil company TNK-BP - a modern building at
the beginning of the street. It also contains numerous restaurants, including
The Hard Rock Cafe. Many of these restaurants are geared towards visitors to
Moscow and are considered by many residents to be over-priced and of low
quality compared to those in other parts of the city. There are also a few
restaurants and cafes that cater to the working population and middle class;
these include Kruzhka, Praim, and Mu-Mu's. |