Other Attractions
Muzey-panorama - 'Borodinskaya bitva'
(Museum-Panorama -'Borodino Battle')
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Visitors can experience the epic battle of the Patriotic War of 1812, when the Russian army met Napoleon's Grand Army at Borodino to the west of Moscow. The main feature is a panoramic painting that shows the decisive battle of 7 September 1812 on a canvas 115m (377ft) wide and 15m (49ft) high. English-language audio guides are available.
Kutuzovsky prospekt 38
Tel: (095) 148 1967. Fax: (095) 148 9489.
Transport: Metro Kotozovskaya.
Opening hours: Sat-Thurs 1000-1800; closed last Thurs of month.
Admission: R10 for children and students, R20 for adults and R300 for guided tours, groups of 1-14).
Memorial Museum of Space Exploration
The Memorial Museum of Space Exploration is easy to find by the gigantic titanium rocket sculpture outside it that was built to commemorate the launch of Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite. The Museum is as much a tour of the lengths the Soviets went to in their bid for world supremacy during the Cold War as it is a tribute to the history of Soviet space technology. Most of the dated spacecraft on display now look like techno-turkeys but it is worth a visit, if only to see Yuri Gagarin's original space suit. For a few roubles visitors can wriggle into the suit to pose for a photograph.
Ostankinskaya 41/9
Tel: (095) 283 7914.
E-mail: mmcrus@glasnet.ru
Website: www.museum.ru/defengl.htm
Transport: VDNKh.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1700. Closed Mondays.
Admission: Rb200.
Khram Khrista Spansenya (Christ the Saviour Cathedral)
Christ the Saviour Cathedral on ulitsa Volkhonka is a monument to the struggles of twentieth century Moscow. The brainchild of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzkhov the cathedral was paid for by public donations from school children to babushkas, public officials to rich benefactors alike. Completed in 1997 the building now stands on the site of the original Christ the Saviour Cathedral which was constructed to commorate Moscow's victory over Napoleon. In 1930 Stalin ordered the church to be demolished to make way for a skyscraper. When it was discovered that the ground was too soft, the area was turned into a hugely popular outdoor swimming pool instead.
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