Happy learners are good learners! A blog for and by LFM pupils in Moscow.

I stayed in Moscow during the holidays. And some friends visited us.

So we went to the Red Square.

The Red Square is a city square in Moscow. The Red Square is not called “Red” because the brick are red. In old Russian the word “red” means also “beautiful”. So the exact translation of “Red Square” is “Beautiful square”.  Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow. The square was build to serve as Moscow's main marketplace in the 17^th century. The Red Square is near the Moskva river and the undergrounded river Neglinaya. During the 17^th century the Red Square was big center for trade. In the 18^th century, the Red Square was reconstructed and made up of stone. In 1804, at the request of merchants, the square was paved in stone. During the Soviet era, Red Square maintained its significance, becoming a focal point for the new state. Besides being the official address of the Soviet government, it was renowned as a showcase for military parades. Kazan Cathedral and Iverskaya Chapel with the Resurrection Gates were demolished to make room for heavy military vehicles driving through the square. For URSS the Red Square was a place where lot of parade and propaganda was made to show to the people the power of URSS.

Today the Red Square was added to the UNESCO's World Heritage List. And on May 9, 2010 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the capitulation of Germany in 1945, the armed forces of France, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States marched in the Moscow Victory Day parade for the first time in history.

The Red Square is composed of Saint Basil's Cathedral, Lobnoye Mesto, Kazan Cathedral, Iverskaya Chapel with the Resurrection Gates, Lenin's Mausoleum and Spasskaya tower(the picture).