Red Square: The Heart of Russia and the Epicenter of 20th Century International Politics

There wasn't a single place in the 20th century that had that much influence politically worldwide than the Red Square. For every year since 1945 until 1991 Western powers (and Eastern powers) had anxiously watched tanks and missiles driving past this place. The buildings behind the giant red walls served as the command center for international Communist movement for 70 years or so.  Even today, it is still somewhat a destination for religious Communists for pilgrimage - because comrade Lenin still lies there quietly inside the red granite pyramid on Red Square.

Red Square

In 1941, the Soviet army marched across the Red Square and headed straight to the battle field to fight off Nazi invaders. The eventual downfall of Hitler's Nazi Empire (And his own demise) started from that point. That was an decisive event in world history, as in the following decades the world would see the forming of "the Soviet Bloc", the first time ever human could see the destruction of our planet with our own eyes, and series of Communist uprisings in many countries. Most of these decisions were actually made none other than the castle complex right behind the giant red walls on the southwestern edge of Red Square - the Moscow Kremlin.

Red Square and The Kremlin

 The Kremlin is a huge and historic complex. We will only talk about the three structures of the Kremlin bordering the Red Square: Spasskaya Clock Tower, The Kremlin Senate, and The Kremlin Necropolis. Among all of Moscow Kremlin's (and possibly the world's beside the Big Ben) clock towers, the Spasskaya is definitely the most iconic one. It has been featured on news, TV shows, postcards, and even Hard Rock Cafe T Shirts. The clock chimes every 15 minutes, producing the familiar sound you hear on TV every year during Russia's annual Victory Day parade. 

Spasskaya Tower

Spasskaya Tower

The clock and the red star on the top

The building located immediately behind the red walls is the Kremlin Senate. Today it houses  the Office of the Russian President (although the current president, Vladimir Putin, resides in the suburb of Moscow and only uses the venue for formal state meetings). On top of the Senate's dome is a flag pole, where you will see a flying Russian Presidential Flag (with the double headed eagle) if the president is in Moscow. This flag pole, also known as the "Kremlin Flag Pole", was where the modern Russian flag fly the first time after the Soviet flag was rolled down.

Right in front of the Kremlin Senate Building, there are names, which many people could easily recognize engraved on the red wall: Yury Gagarin, Maxim Gorky, Greogy Zhukov.........Behind these name plaques are the final resting places of super star Soviet citizens. This section is also known as "The Kremlin Necropolis". You will also find statues that mark the tombs of senior Communist officials and revolutionaries , which include all leaders of Soviet Union except Gregory Malenkov, Nikita Khrushchev and Mikhail Gorbachev (who is still alive). 

The grave of Leonid Brezhnev

The grave of Dzerzhinsky, Polish- Soviet revolutionary and the founder of KGB

And the grave of uncle Stalin

Of course, the center piece of this Necropolis is the red granite pyramid most of us are already too familiar: The Mausoleum of Lenin. Lenin's mummified body has been lying inside since his death in 1924. Even after a generation since  the collapse of the Soviet Union, the line for paying respect to Lenin is very long on most of the days. Like many Russians say, Lenin is a part of Russia's history, and it's important to keep the history.

The Mausoleum of Lenin

The lineup for visiting Lenin's Mausoleum: 30 minutes before opening time

Across from Lenin's Mausoleum is GUM - possibly one of the shiniest and poshest shopping center in Europe. This luxurious department store - featuring an Armani Cafe and premium brands that only a few could afford, is the perfect poster child for consumerism and capitalism. This posts a sharp contrast to Lenin's tomb, which houses the body of possibly the most iconic  Communist revolutionary in world history.

GUM (The lightened building on the left)

Inside GUM

Lenin's Mausoleum and the Kremlin seen from GUM

Most people who come to the Red Square through Moscow's extensive subway enters from the gates located below the State Historical Museum. Many recognize the building from the Victory Day Parade every year, where the minister of defense comes out in an open roof car to inspect the Russian armed forces. In between the State Historical Museum and GUM is a small and recently reconstructed Kazan Cathedral (not to be confused with the grand Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg).

State Historical Museum: Beautiful Building, but there wasn't much to see inside

View from the entrance into the Red Square

From the State Historical Museum, people will find the centerpiece of Red Square and the symbol of Russia: St Basil's Cathedral. Many mistaken the gorgeous 16th century building with "The Kremlin". The cathedral was commissioned by Tsar Ivan the Terrible after the conquest of Kazan. Legends say that Ivan the Terrible himself ordered his men to blind the architect - so he could not create an even more beautiful building. Today, the cathedral is designated a museum that showcases one of the masterpieces of Russian architecture. 

St.Basil's Cathedral - The symbol of Russia

Despite the fact that the term " Red" in "Red Square" simply means "beautiful", so many people in the West, especially those who only know Russia from international news, believe the Red Square got its name from the fact that Russia was once a Communist country. Today, tanks and heavy weaponry still pass through the grounds of the Red Square every year the same way people of the Cold War era remembered. Is this a sign that Russia seeks to regain its superpower status it once had in the 20th century? Or is this just a"friendly reminder" of Russia's "good ole' days"? Either way, I bet you  felt some unease, and you already know the reason. 

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