Manege Square is a large pedestrian
open spaceOpen space may refer to:In urban planning and conservation ethics:*Landscape, areas of land sans human-built structures.*Open space reserve, areas of protected or conserved land on which development is indefinitly set aside....
at the very centre of
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
bound by the
Hotel MoskvaThe Hotel Moskva name has been used for two identical buildings on the same spot in Moscow, Russia located near Red Square in close proximity to the old City Hall. The first Hotel Moskva was originally constructed from 1932 until 1938, it opened as a hotel in December, 1935...
(to the east), the
State Historical MuseumThe State Historical Museum of Russia is a museum of Russian history wedged between Red Square and Manege Square in Moscow. Its exhibitions range from relics of the prehistoric tribes inhabiting present-day Russia, through priceless artworks acquired by members of the Romanov dynasty...
and the
Alexander GardenAlexander Garden was one of the first public parks in Moscow. It occupies all the length of the western Kremlin wall in front of the Moscow Manege....
(to the south), the
Moscow ManegeMoscow Manege is a large oblong building which gives its name to the vast Manege Square, which was cleared in the 1930s, adjacent to the more famous Red Square...
(to the west), and the 18th-century headquarters of the
Moscow State UniversityM. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University , for a time the Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be the oldest university in Russia and the tallest educational building in the world...
(to the north).
The square forms a vital part of downtown Moscow, connecting
Red SquareRed Square is the most famous city square in Moscow, and arguably one of the most famous in the world. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
(which sprawls behind the
Iberian GateResurrection Gate is the only existing gate of the Kitai-gorod in Moscow. It connects the north-western end of Red Square with Manege Square and gives its name to nearby Voskresenskaya Square . The gate adjoins the ornate building of the Moscow City Hall to the east and the State Historical Museum...
immediately to the south) with a major traffic artery,
Tverskaya StreetTverskaya Street , known as Gorky Street between 1935 and 1990 and Piterskaya in the preceding decades, is the main and probably best-known radial street of Moscow, Russia. The street runs from the central Manege Square north-west in the direction of Saint Petersburg and terminated at the Garden...
, which starts here and runs northward in the direction of
Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city's other names were Petrograd and Leningrad...
. It is served by three
metroThe Moscow Metro , which spans almost the entire Russian capital, is the world's second most heavily used rapid-transit system. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art.-Description of the Metro:In...
stations:
Okhotny RyadOkhotny Ryad is a station on the Sokolnicheskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. It is located in the centre of Moscow, near the Kremlin.Okhotny Ryad is located under what was originally the swamplands of the upper Neglinnaya River...
,
Ploshchad RevolyutsiiPloshchad Revolyutsii is one of the most famous stations of the Moscow Metro. It is located on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line and opened in 1938. The architect was Alexey Dushkin. The station features red and yellow marble arches resting on low pylons faced with black Armenian marble...
and
TeatralnayaTeatralnaya is a station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line of the Moscow Metro, named for the nearby Teatralnaya Square, the location of the Bolshoi Theatre. Opened in 1938, the station has fluted pylons faced with labradorite and white marble said to be taken from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour...
.
History
The Manezhka (as it is familiarly known) had its origins in Moiseyevskaya Square, which was formed in 1798 in consequence of the demolition of the medieval Moiseyevsky Monastery which used to stand on the banks of the
Neglinnaya RiverThe Neglinnaya River , also known as Neglimna, Neglinna, Neglinka , is a 7.5-km long underground river in the central part of Moscow and a tributary of the Moskva River. It flows in the tunnels under Samotechnaya Street, Tsvetnoy Boulevard, Neglinnaya Street and Alexander Garden and Zaryadye...
since the times of Ivan the Terrible. Although the muddy river was earthed up, the neighbourhood remained crammed with public houses and taverns which gave the area its infamous monicker of "Moscow's belly".
A decision was arrived at in 1932 to pull down these "ugly relics of the bourgeois lifestyle" in order to make room for Communist meetings and demonstrations. As a result, the 19th-century Grand Hotel and several Neoclassical mansions by Osip Bove were dismantled, whereupon the Moiseyevskaya Square was expanded to its present size and renamed Manezhnaya after the Manege it now abutted upon.
Notwithstanding its new name, the eastern side of the square came to be dominated by another building, the newly-built
Hotel MoskvaThe Hotel Moskva name has been used for two identical buildings on the same spot in Moscow, Russia located near Red Square in close proximity to the old City Hall. The first Hotel Moskva was originally constructed from 1932 until 1938, it opened as a hotel in December, 1935...
, a hybrid of several styles, most notable for its huge proportions and uptight look.
In 1967, the square was rechristened after the 50th Anniversary of the
October RevolutionTheOctober Revolution , also known as the Soviet Revolution or Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution. It began with an armed insurrection in Petrograd traditionally dated to 25 October 1917 Julian calendar...
. Furthermore, in order to commemorate that event, the Communist authorities laid a foundation stone for a grandiose sculptural monument, which failed to materialize.
In August 1991, Manezhnaya Square (its name by then restored) became a venue for great demonstrations celebrating the fall of Communism after the
abortive coup d'etatThe 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt , also known as the August Putsch or August Coup, was an attempt by a group of members of the Soviet Union's government to take control of the country from Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev...
. More recently, it made the news in connection with riots following the
Russia national football teamThe Russia national football team is the national football team of Russia controlled by the Football Union of Russia and affiliated with UEFA. Guus Hiddink is currently managing the team....
's defeat at the
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. The two countries were chosen as hosts by FIFA in May 1996 and was the first tournament in its history to be hosted by two countries. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia...
.
Reconstruction
During the 1990s, the Moscow mayor
Yuriy LuzhkovYury Mikhaylovich Luzhkov is a Russian politician who has served as Mayor of Moscow since 1992. Luzhkov is a vice-chairman and one of founders of the ruling United Russia party.-Family and personal life:...
had the square closed to traffic and substantially renovated. The centrepiece of the renovated square is a modern trade centre, with four underground storeys and parking lot capped with a rotating glass cupola, which forms a
world clockA world clock, often called a "Worldtime Clock", is a clock which displays the time for many places around the world.The display can take various forms:...
of the
Northern hemisphereThe Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
with major cities marked and a scheme of lights below each panel to show the progression of the hour. Another innovation is the feign river-bed of the
Neglinnaya RiverThe Neglinnaya River , also known as Neglimna, Neglinna, Neglinka , is a 7.5-km long underground river in the central part of Moscow and a tributary of the Moskva River. It flows in the tunnels under Samotechnaya Street, Tsvetnoy Boulevard, Neglinnaya Street and Alexander Garden and Zaryadye...
, which has become a popular attraction for the Muscovites and tourists alike, especially on sultry days of summer. The river's course is imitated by a rivulet dotted with fountains and statues of Russian fairy-tale characters, as sculpted by
Zurab TsereteliZurab Konstantines dze Tsereteli is a controversial Georgian painter, sculptor and architect who holds the office of President of the Russian Academy of Arts.- Life :...
. In 1995,
Vyacheslav KlykovVyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov was a Russian sculptor who specialized in public monuments to key figures of national history and culture....
's equestrian statue of
Marshal ZhukovMarshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, honorary GCB was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played an important role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis...
was unveiled in front of the
State Historical MuseumThe State Historical Museum of Russia is a museum of Russian history wedged between Red Square and Manege Square in Moscow. Its exhibitions range from relics of the prehistoric tribes inhabiting present-day Russia, through priceless artworks acquired by members of the Romanov dynasty...
to mark the 50th anniversary of the Moscow Victory Parade, when the Soviet commander had spectacularly rode a white stallion through Red Square and Manege Square.