Russia 2019 (12) MOSCOW - Finally, Red Square Plus

Red Square (#1) is built directly to the east of the Kremlin. Today it is a big open space where events of all kinds take place and people gather to socialize and reflect. Originally the location was a shanty town occupied by poor peasants and criminals. In the 1400s Ivan the Great renovated the Kremlin and transformed this neighboring area into Red Square.

Where do you think the name "Red" comes from? Not blood, not revolution, not communism. It derives from the word "krasnyy" which originally translated to "beautiful, important, wonderful" and later to the color red.

Around its edge are historic buildings. The State Historical Museum (#45) was founded in 1872. The structure was built by Peter the Great as the Principal Medicine Store. I tried to find what that store was exactly, but no luck. Anyway, it holds millions of antiquities from prehistoric tribal relics through priceless art collections from the Romanov dynasty and more.

Vladimir Lenin's mausoleum (#39) is the coppery structure behind the cement wall. His preserved body has been on public display since his death in 1924. Personally I did not have a need to see it. I understand there is a chemical lab beneath the tomb which handles its continuous maintenance.

This is a view of the city from the square.

Workers were constructing a stage for an upcoming festival. May 24 celebrates a Day of the Cyrillic Alphabet. It commemorates the cultural heritage of Eastern European countries.

We had a few minutes to visit the GUM (rhymes with doom) Store. This is an abbreviation translating to "main universal store." It is a block-long building across the street from Red Square. There is a walkway to the left just below #42.

 

It was built between 1890-93. It has a steel frame and ceiling with 20,000+ panes of glass. It originally contained 1,200 stores and was nationalized after the 1917 Revolution. In 1928 it was converteded to Stalin's offices for the 5-Year Plan and reopened 1953 as a shopping center. Today it is fully privatized with individual high-end vendors.
It was not what I expected. I thought it would be a department store like the old Sears or Montgomery Wards. But no; it was a very high-end mall. This gives you an idea of how big it is... three stories with three wide aisles of stores on each floor.

There are many connection bridges and cafes scattered throughout.

This time of year everything was decorated with faux blossoming cherry trees for spring.

Aisle are wide enough for kiosks and art displays.

There are 140 stores total. All were high end (Dior, Bulgari, Prada, Lancome, Gucci, Mont Blanc, and on and on) and above my price range, so no purchases here.

Not enough time to shop anyway. Back to the Square to take a last look at colorful Saint Basil's Church (#42 and #43).