Arbat St — Attraction in Arbat District

Arbat Street (Russian About this soundАрба́т (help·info)), mainly referred to in English as the Arbat, is a pedestrian street about one kilometer long in the historical center of Moscow, Russia. The Arbat has existed since at least the 15th century, which makes it one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. It forms the heart of the Arbat District of Moscow. Originally, the street formed part of an important trade-route and was home to many craftsmen.

In the 18th century, the Russian nobility came to regard the Arbat as the most prestigious living area in Moscow. Almost completely destroyed by the great fire of 1812 associated with Napoleon's occupation of Moscow, the street required rebuilding. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it became known as a place where petty nobility, artists, and academics lived. In the Soviet period, it housed many high-ranking government officials.

As of 2016, the street and its surroundings are undergoing gentrification, and it is consideredby whom] a desirable place to live. Because of the many historic buildings, and due to the numerous artists who have lived and worked in the street, the Arbat has also become an important tourist attraction.

Location and route Edit

Location of the Old Arbat on a map of Moscow The Arbat is in the historic center of Moscow. It begins at Arbatskaya square (Арбатская площадь), 800 metres west of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin Arbatskaya square is also the meeting point of the Boulevard Ring and Vozdvizhenka Street (Улица Воздвиженка). The part of this square, which is adjacent to the Arbat, is called Arbat Gate (Арбатские Ворота), as it is the site of one of the ten gates of the old city wall The wall, which was intact from the 16th to the 18th centuries, followed the path of the current Boulevard Ring. From this point, the Arbat runs southwest, with a dozen side streets leading off, and ends at Smolenskaya Square (Смоленская площадь), which intersects with the Garden Ring Continuing on from the Arbat in a westerly direction is the eight-lane Smolenskaya Street (Смоленская улица). This street changes its name several times within the city limits, ultimately crossing the MKAD ring road and becoming the M1 highway to Smolensk, Minsk, and Warsaw.

Arbat Square. Right: The chapel of Boris and Gleb built 1997. Left: The entrance Arbatskaya Metro Station.

Map of the Arbat area with selected attractions (German). Until the middle of the 20th century, the Arbat remained part of the main road from the Moscow Kremlin westwards. In the 1960s, a parallel road, the New Arbat (Новый Арбат) was built, and it took on this function. The New Arbat, with its wide sidewalks and 1960s tower blocks, has no sidestreets. Two decades later, the Arbat was made into the first pedestrian zone in Moscow. In order to avoid confusion with the New Arbat, people began to refer to the Arbat as the Old Arbat (Старый Арбат).

The Arbat is one of the oldest surviving streets in Moscow. Exactly when it came into existence is not recorded, but a document from July 28, 1493 mentions it.[1] The document describes a fire which started in the wooden Church of Nicholas on the Sand (Церковь Николы на Песках). The fire spread throughout Moscow, devastating large areas of the city, which consisted of the most part of wooden structures. The original meaning of the place name Arbat remains unknown. In addition to places with Slavic names, there are also numerous places of Oriental origin in Moscow.[2] Geographically, Moscow is located within Russia between the wooded northwest and the southwestern steppe areas. The Russian steppes in Eurasian steppes were through its history largely inhabited by nomadic tribes.[3[5] Many theories assume that the term arbat is of Oriental origin.

Several hypotheses attempt to explain it:

Probably the most widespread hypothesis states that the name comes from the Arabic word أرباض arbāḍ, meaning "suburb" or "outskirts. This fits with the fact that from the 16th century ,he area surrounding the Arbat did form the outer district...

Arbat Street (Russian About this soundАрба́т (help·info)), mainly referred to in English as the Arbat, is a pedestrian street about one kilometer long in the historical centre of Moscow, Russia. The Arbat has existed since at least the 15th century, which makes it one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. It forms the heart of the Arbat District of Moscow. Originally the street formed part of an important trade-route and was home to many craftsmen.

In the 18th century, the Russian nobility came to regard the Arbat as the most prestigious living area in Moscow. Almost completely destroyed by the great fire of 1812 associated with Napoleon's occupation of Moscow, the street required rebuilding. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it became known as the a place where petty nobility, artists, and academics lived. In the Soviet period, it housed many high-ranking government officials.

As of 2016, the street and its surroundings are undergoing gentrification, and it is consideredby whom?] a desirable place to live. Because of the many historic buildings, and due to the numerous artists who have lived and worked in the street, the Arbat has also become an important tourist attraction.

Location and route Edit

Location of the Old Arbat on a map of Moscow The Arbat is in the historic center of Moscow. It begins at Arbatskaya square (Арбатская площадь), 800 metres west of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. Arbatskaya square is also the meeting point of the Boulevard Ring and Vozdvizhenka Street (Улица Воздвиженка). The part of this square which is adjacent to the Arbat is called Arbat Gate (Арбатские Ворота), as it is the site of one of the ten gates of the old city wall. The wall, which was intact from the 16th to the 18th centuries, followed the path of the current Boulevard Ring. From this point the Arbat runs southwest, with a dozen side streets leading off, and ends at Smolenskaya Square (Смоленская площадь), which intersects with the Garden Ring. Continuing on from the Arbat in a westerly direction is the eight-lane Smolenskaya Street (Смоленская улица). This street changes its name several times within the city limits, ultimately crossing the MKAD ring road, and becoming the M1 highway to Smolensk, Minsk and Warsaw.

Arbat Square. Right: The chapel of Boris and Gleb, built 1997. Left: The entrance Arbatskaya Metro Station.

Map of the Arbat area with selected attractions (German). Until the middle of the 20th century, the Arbat remained part of the main road from the Moscow Kremlin westwards. In the 1960s a parallel road, the New Arbat (Новый Арбат) was built, and took on this function. The New Arbat with its wide sidewalks and 1960s tower blocks has no sidestreets. Two decades later the Arbat was made into the first pedestrian zone in Moscow. In order to avoid confusion with the New Arbat, people began to refer to the Arbat as the Old Arbat (Старый Арбат).

The Arbat is one of the oldest surviving streets in Moscow. Exactly when it came into existence is not recorded, but a document from July 28, 1493 mentions it.[1] The document describes a fire which started in the wooden Church of Nicholas on the Sand (Церковь Николы на Песках). The fire spread throughout Moscow, devastating large areas of the city, which consisted for the most part of wooden structures. The original meaning of the place name Arbat remains unknown. In addition to places with Slavic names, there are also numerous places of Oriental origin in Moscow.[2] Geographically Moscow is located within Russia between the wooded northwest and the southwestern steppe areas. The Russian steppes in Eurasian steppes were through its history largely inhabited by nomadic tribes.[3[5] Many theories assume that the term arbat is of Oriental origin.

Several hypotheses attempt to explain it:

Probably the most widespread hypothesis states that the name comes from the Arabic word أرباض arbāḍ, meaning "suburb" or "outskirts". This fits with the fact that from the 16th century the area surrounding the Arbat did form the outer district...

I rather to call this tourist area as culture street which is full of surprises and very artistic. Easy to reach here by any public transport even if you travel by own. Smolenskaya and Arbatskaya metro stations are both station that you may stop if you plan to go by metro train. Suitable for those looking for last minutes souvenir from Moscow or any artistic items. Sometimes there is musicians, painters, streets dancers, books show, and many kind of cultures shows to be enjoy along this streets. You may also reach this place by bus. Do stop at one of 7 sisters "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" building and walk from right side of the building (facing main street) there you are. It could be romantic place in the evening too. Fast food restaurants such as Mc D, nice pub or Hard Rock Cafe Moscow is located here too. Nice...