Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MUSEUM
OLD ENGLISH COURT
This reconstructed 16th-century house, white with wooden roofs, was the residence of Eng-
land's first emissaries to Russia (sent by Elizabeth I to Ivan the Terrible). It also served as
the base for English merchants, who were allowed to trade duty free in exchange for provid-
ing military supplies to Ivan. Today, it houses a small exhibit dedicated to this early interna-
tional exchange. It was closed for renovations at the time of research.
MUSEUM
CHAMBERS OF THE ROMANOV BOYARS
10am-5pm Thu-Mon,
11am-6pm Wed; Kitay-Gorod)
This small but interesting museum is devoted to the lives of the Romanov family, who were
mere boyars (high-ranking nobles) before they became tsars. The house was built by Nikita
Romanov, whose grandson Mikhail later became the first tsar of the 300-year Romanov
dynasty. Exhibits show the house as it might have been when the Romanovs lived here in
the 16th century. Enter from the rear of the building.
CHURCH
CHURCH OF THE TRINITY IN NIKITNIKI
This little gem of a church, built in the 1630s, is an exquisite example of Russian baroque.
Its onion domes and tiers of red-and-white spade gables rise from a square tower. Its interior
is covered with 1650s gospel frescoes by Simon Ushakov and others. A carved doorway
leads into St Nikita the Martyr's Chapel, above the vault of the Nikitnikov merchant family,
who were among the patrons who financed the construction of the church.
MUSEUM
POLYTECHNICAL MUSEUM
Occupying the entire block of Novaya pl, this giant museum showcases the history of Russi-
an science, technology and industry. Indeed, it has claimed to be the largest science museum
in the world. The museum is closed for a long overdue renovation and update, promising a
'fundamentally new museum and education centre' by 2018. In the meantime, a temporary
exhibit has been set up at the
VDNKh (All Russia Exhibition Centre)
.
While the museum's focus is scientific, the building is also architecturally interesting and
visually appealing. Three different parts of the structure were built at different times and in
different styles: the oldest, central section (1877) represents the Russian Byzantine era; the
