Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A DETOUR
IZMAILOVO
Izmaylovsky Market
Never mind the kitschy faux 'tsar's palace' it surrounds,
Izmaylovsky flea market
(
the ultimate place to shop for matryoshkadolls, military uniforms, icons, Soviet
badges, and some real antiques. Huge and diverse, it is almost a theme park, includ-
ing shops, cafes and a couple of not terribly exciting museums.
Serious antiquarians occupy the second floor of the wooden trade row surrounding
the palace, but for really good stuff you need to come here at an ungodly hour on
Saturday morning and compete with pros from Moscow galleries. Keep in mind that
Russia bans the export of any item older than 100 years.
Izmailovsky Park & Royal Estate
Across a lake from the Izmaylovsky Market, Izmailovsky Park is a former royal estate
developed by Peter the Great's father, Tsar Alexey Mikhaylovich. Its 15 sq km contain a
recreeatiion p
dland (Izmailovsky Lesopark) east
of Glavnaya alleya (the road that cuts north-south across the park). Trails wind
throughout, making it a good place to escape the city for hiking or biking.
Tsar Alexey had an experimental farm here in the 17th century, where Western farm-
ing methods and cottage industries were sampled. It was on the farm ponds that his
son Peter learned to sail in a little British boat, sparking his dream of creating the Rus-
sian navy and conquering the seas.
Past an extensive 18th-century barracks is the beautiful five-domed 1679 IIntercess-
siion C
n parrk and a much larger expanse of woodla
n Cattheddraal, an early example of Moscow baroque. The nearby triple-arched, tent-
roofed Ceremonial G
ial Gates (1682) and the squat brick bridg
idge t
e tower (1671) are the only
other original buildings remaining.
Stalin's Bunker
skaya ul 80; Partizanskaya)
was built under a sports stadium in the late 1930s in anticipa-
tion of the conflict with Germany. It would later be designated the 'command centre of
the Supreme commander-in-chief of Red Army'. You must make advance arrange-
ments for a group tour of this facility, which includes the command room, dining
room, an elegant marble meeting hall, and Stalin's office and living area. Tours are in
Russian, but tour companies occasionally bring groups here for English tours.
