Moscow Turns 850 During Moscow’s 850th anniversary celebration millions of people were received into the city, including 167 delegations from different regions of Russia, and the CIS. Several large construction projects were completed in time for Moscow’s celebration. One of them was Luzhniki Stadium, one of the largest stadiums in Europe, which is covered with a unique dome style roof. A similar modern dome will cover "Gostiny Dvor", the shopping center which was originally built in the 18th century. This dome style roof is the only such ever built on a structure over 200 years old and covering a span of almost 6.2 acres. Although the celebration is over the government keeps working on projects which aim to make the city more attractive and interesting for visitors. The idea is to build an infrastructure which will help Moscow as a tourist destination become a "must see" on every traveler’s list. Route #1One of Moscow’s greatest ideas is the Golden Ring which will combine Moscow’s famous tourist attractions with some new sights. It will be similar to a highlight tour of Moscow. It includes the Kremlin, Red Square, Poklonnaya Hill, Arbat, Borovitskaya Square, and the Tretiakov Gallery and more. There are some sights presently being restored and reconstructed like Gostiny Dvor, Manezh Square and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which will all be part of this route called the Golden Circle. Once all renovations are complete throughout the sites of the Golden Circle, visitors will be able to see them with more comfort and ease. The project will also include a massive reconstruction around the Christ the Savior Church. A walking bridge will be constructed from the church to the other side of the Moscow river where a new recreation area will be developed. Mr. Joseph Ordzhonikidze, the Vice-Premier of the Moscow Government wants to see more tourists as well as Muscovites visiting the most beautiful sites of Moscow. The Golden Circle project, although still on the drawing table, is being supported by Mr. Luzhkov, the Mayor of Moscow and will most likely be approved by the Moscow Government shortly. Upcoming Events
in Moscow The organizers of the Competition are planning to invite President Boris Yeltsin, Alexij, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church; Yuri Luzhkov, the Mayor of Moscow; Van Klibern the winner of the first Tchaikovski Competition; G. Sviridov, a Russian composer as an Honorary Committee. The organizing committee expects about 500 participants from 52 countries to arrive in Moscow for the Tchaikovski Competition. All the main events of the competition will take place in the Big Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. World Youth Games The program of cultural events includes:
Competition schedule and venues:
Also ITT Sheraton has taken over the Moscow Palace Hotel which formerly belonged to the Marco Polo Hotels and Resorts chain and is planning to upgrade it to Sheraton deluxe standards. The city is planning a massive renovation to its 3 star hotels to make them quality 3&4 star hotels so that travelers will have more economical choices for hotels in Moscow. Hotel Ukraina is one of those along with Leningradskaya and the Belgrade hotel. The government also hopes that they will be able to improve their hotels with the help of foreign management and at the same time strong support will be given to small private hotel businesses. Throughout all of Moscow there are 163 hotels of which 14 are Western managed 4 and 5 star hotels, and the rest are 4, 3 and 2 star hotels that are being upgraded. There are 43,000 rooms and 78,000 beds.
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