Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Manezh, the 180m-long imperial stables, provided a touch of neoclassical grandeur to the
scene.
A postwar economic boom changed the city forever. The robust recovery was at first led
by the big merchants, long the mainstay of the city's economy. In the 1830s, they organised
the Moscow Commodity Exchange. By midcentury, industry began to overtake commerce
as the city's economic driving force. Moscow became the hub of a network of railroad con-
struction, connecting the raw materials of the east to the manufacturers of the west. With a
steady supply of cotton from Central Asia, Moscow became a leader in the textile industry.
By 1890, more than 300 of the city's 660 factories were engaged in cloth production and the
city was known as 'Calico Moscow'. While St Petersburg's industrial development was fin-
anced largely by foreign capital, Moscow drew upon its own resources. The Moscow Mer-
chant Bank, founded in 1866, was the country's second-largest bank by century's end.
The affluent and self-assured business elite extended its influence over the city. The ec-
lectic tastes of the nouveau riche were reflected in the multiform architectural styles of the
mansions, salons and hotels. The business elite eventually secured direct control over the
city government, removing the remnants of the old boyar aristocracy. In 1876, Sergei
Tretyakov, artful entrepreneur and art patron, started a political trend when he became the
first mayor who could not claim noble lineage.
The increase in economic opportunity in the city occurred simultaneously with a decline
in agriculture and the emancipation of the serfs. As a result, the city's population surged,
mostly driven by an influx of rural job seekers. In 1890, Moscow claimed over one million
inhabitants. The population was growing so rapidly that the number increased by another
50% in less than 20 years. Moscow still ranked second to St Petersburg in population, but
unlike the capital, Moscow was a thoroughly Russian city - its population was 95% ethnic
Russian.
By 1900, more than 50% of the city's inhabitants were first-generation peasant migrants.
They settled in the factory tenements outside the Garden Ring and south of the river in the
Zamoskvorechie district. The influx of indigents overwhelmed the city's meagre social ser-
vices and affordable accommodation. At the beginning of the 20th century, Moscow's teem-
ing slums were a breeding ground for disease and discontent. The disparity of wealth among
the population grew to extremes. Lacking a voice, the city's less fortunate turned an ear to
the outlawed radicals.
