Cultural life

Moscow has numerous theatres, headed by the renowned State Academic Bolshoi (Great) Theatre, which was founded in 1825, though its present splendid building facing Theatre (formerly Sverdlov) Square dates from 1856. Also on Theatre Square is the Maly (Little) Theatre. The city's principal drama theatre, the Moscow Art Theatre, was founded in 1898 by the actor, director, and producer Konstantin Stanislavsky and the playwright-producer Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko; in its early days it was especially noted for its performances of the plays of Anton Chekhov. Also of worldwide fame are the State Central Puppet Theatre and the Moscow State Circus, which in 1971 acquired new quarters on the Lenin Hills. The repertory companies of these theatrical groups tour frequently both in Russia and abroad. There are several concert halls, notably the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall and the two halls of the Conservatory. The national orchestra has won international repute, as have a number of Moscow-based folk dance and choral ensembles.

Motion pictures are a popular form of entertainment in Moscow, and the city's many cinemas are augmented by facilities for showing films in numerous clubs and cultural institutions. The October and Rossiya cinemas are the largest in Russia. Several studios in the city produce motion pictures, notable among which is Mosfilm. The television and radio broadcasting networks also have headquarters in Moscow; programs produced there are received throughout the country.

The museums and art galleries in the capital include several of international rank. Foremost among these are the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, with a fine international collection, and the State Tretyakov Gallery. The latter, which began in 1856 as the private collection of a connoisseur, Pavel Tretyakov, is noteworthy for its superb collection of icons, including several by Andrey Rublyov. Other notable museums are the Armoury Museum in the Kremlin, the State Historical Museum on Red Square, and the nearby Central Lenin Museum on Revolution Square.

Although many places of worship were closed, converted into museums, or destroyed after the Revolution, Moscow retained a number of functioning Russian Orthodox churches in addition to a few other Christian churches and Jewish and Muslim places of worship. Beginning in the late 1980s with the Soviet policy of glasnost and continuing with the Russian successor government in the early 1990s, religious repression gave way to policies endorsing religious freedom, and houses of worship in Moscow underwent renovation and returned to use. The Russian Orthodox patriarch has a residence in Moscow.

The Luzhniki Park complex is the leading Moscow facility for sports and was one of the main arenas for the 1980 Olympic Games. The Central Lenin Stadium, accommodating 103,000, is flanked by a smaller arena, swimming pool, and the indoor Sports Palace. There are many stadiums and swimming pools in the area, including a large heated open-air pool that is in use all year round. In addition, there are a large number of football (soccer) fields, gymnasiums, and volleyball and basketball courts; most of these are attached to individual places of work or to sports clubs.

Outside the Garden Ring, Moscow is well provided with parks and open spaces. Gorky Central Park of Culture along the right bank of the Moskva is the closest to the centre and, with its amusement park, is very popular. A large green area, covering nearly 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares), is Izmaylovsky Park on the east side. To the northeast is the more formal Sokolniki Park, which leads to an extensive tract of forest called Moose Island. North of the city centre are the Botanical Gardens of the Academy of Sciences, one of several such gardens in the city, and the grounds of the Moscow Timiryazev Academy of Agriculture. Bittsevsky Park, also of considerable size, has been established adjacent to the Ring Road south of the city centre. The Moscow Zoo, one of the world's leading zoos, is a popular attraction west of the city centre. The Khimki Reservoir is used for boating and aquatic sports, but even more popular are the other reservoirs to the north, just outside Greater Moscow. The surrounding forest-park zone provides extensive space for recreation.