Arbat is the most famous street in the Russian capital
There is no more famous street not only in Moscow but in all of Russia. Sung in poems, celebrated in songs, depicted on artists' canvases – it captures the imagination. Beautiful churches, famous theaters, diverse exhibitions, galleries, hotels in Moscow cluster around Arbat, giving it a unique charm. Take an unforgettable stroll along this street.
Muscovites understand Arbat not only as a pedestrian street, but as a historical district that is over 500 years old. Perhaps the only thing missing from Arbat's charms is greenery. In the hustle and bustle of the city crowd, one recalls the Botanical Garden and the Zarya hotel that opened onto its expanses. But let us not be sad, and take a walk along Arbat.
After leaving your things in the cozy room provided by the Golden Ring hotel, start your walk from Arbat Square. Even if you have never been to Moscow, you will recognize the very first building – the famous restaurant «Prague». You will remember it from the unforgettable scenes of the film «The Twelve Chairs»: a late 18th-century building that hosted a lunch for the carousing Kisa Vorobyaninov. The next house belonged to the remarkable philanthropist A.L. Shanyavsky, who bequeathed all his estates for the benefit of creating a university. Bunin lived and worked within these walls, which remember his sonorous lines.
Within a few steps, you can see house No. 9, which hosted Sergei Yesenin, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and Andrei Bely in its cafe. Now the building houses the Cultural Center of Ukraine. House No. 16 remembers the famous historian P.I. Bartenev, and about the house No. 18 destroyed in the war, V.A. Gilyarovsky wrote wonderful essays.
Just a few steps separate you from the Yevgeny Vakhtangov Theatre (house No. 26), famed for its productions and, of course, its actors. Vasily Lanovoy, Vladimir Etush, Mikhail Ulyanov, Yuri Yakovlev – are there people among us who have not heard these names?
Building No. 35A is called the «House with Knights» for its medieval castle-like ambiance. It was built in 1912 – it is the tallest building on the street.
It is hard not to pause, bowing your head, before house No. 43. It served as the refuge of the most 'Arbat' poet, who dedicated more than fifty poems to his beloved streets. The lines of Bulat Okudzhava fill Arbat with a unique poetics: 'Ah, Arbat, my Arbat, you are my fatherland, never to be walked to the end!'
Please note: you have not yet walked the street to the end, but you are already overflowing with impressions.