The obelisk in Alexander Garden has been restored to its original purpose, as a monument to the House of Romanovs, erected to commemorate the tercentenary of the royal family's rule. In 1918 it had a dramatic change in mission when it was recast as a monument to honour ‘outstanding thinkers in the struggle for the liberation of workers'. Nearly 100 years later – revolutionary thinking no longer deserving of memorialising – a replica of the original Romanovsky obelisk was restored, this time to celebrate the Romanovs’ 400th anniversary.
©Kira Tverskaya/Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.3 MILES
The Armoury dates to 1511, when it was founded under Vasily III to manufacture and store weapons, imperial arms and regalia for the royal court. Later it…
0.59 MILES
This is Moscow’s premier foreign-art museum, split over three branches and showing off a broad selection of European works, including masterpieces from…
0.32 MILES
At the southern end of Red Square stands the icon of Russia: St Basil’s Cathedral. This crazy confusion of colours, patterns and shapes is the culmination…
0.17 MILES
The apex of Russian political power and once the centre of the Orthodox Church, the Kremlin is the kernel of not only Moscow, but of the whole country…
0.18 MILES
Although Vladimir Ilych requested that he be buried beside his mum in St Petersburg, he still lies in state at the foot of the Kremlin wall, receiving…
1.61 MILES
Moscow's main city escape isn't your conventional expanse of nature preserved inside an urban jungle. It's not a fun fair either, though it used to be one…
0.26 MILES
Immediately outside the Kremlin’s northeastern wall is the celebrated Red Square, the 400m-by-150m area of cobblestones that is at the very heart of…
State Tretyakov Gallery Main Branch
0.92 MILES
The exotic boyar (high-ranking noble) castle on a little lane in Zamoskvorechie contains the main branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery, housing the world…
Nearby Moscow attractions
0.06 MILES
The 18th-century Arsenal was commissioned by Peter the Great to house workshops and depots for guns and weaponry. An unrealised plan at the end of the…
2. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
0.08 MILES
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier contains the remains of one soldier who died in December 1941 at Km41 of Leningradskoe sh – the nearest the Nazis came to…
0.1 MILES
The first public park in Moscow, Alexander Garden sits along the Kremlin’s western wall. Colourful flower beds and impressive Kremlin views make it a…
0.11 MILES
From the Kutafya Tower, walk up the ramp and pass through the Kremlin walls beneath the 1495 Trinity Gate Tower. At 80m it's the tallest of the fortress…
0.13 MILES
The long, low neoclassical building is Moscow Manege, a vast space that is used for art exhibitions and other events. In the works is a permanent exhibit…
0.13 MILES
The Kutafya Tower, which forms the main visitors’ entrance today, stands apart from the Kremlin’s west wall, at the end of a ramp over the Alexander…
0.14 MILES
At the northern end of Red Square, the State History Museum has an enormous collection covering Russian history from the time of the Stone Age. The…
0.16 MILES
Georgy Zhukov was Chief of Staff of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. He oversaw the defence of both Leningrad and Stalingrad, as well as the…