Hi! I'm Asya, an independent journalist (not affiliated to authorities) and a passionate connoisseur of Moscow, the city where I've lived since the age of 10. I've worked as a tour guide for around a year: first, I showed my foreign friends around the city for free, but soon it turned into a part-time job. I arrange tours around Moscow where I show hidden gems and less touristic sights. If you have already been to Moscow or live here, if you have seen the Red Square and VDNKH - you're welcome to join my tours! Together we can discover Moscow from different historic&cultural prospectives, e.g. we'll see the Moscow of merchants, of poets - or of vagabonds, orphans and thieves, or we can see the Jewish or feminist Moscow. I adore discovering the city from the point of view of muscovites - e.g. via diaries, letters, recollections etc. - and then collecting from those pieces a bigger, more general historic, social or cultural context. Welcome - let's plunge together into the different layers of muscovite history.
Merchants of Moscow are one of the most contradictory social groups before the revolution. Former slaves and peasants, they earned millions and ran dozens of factories. They led Moscow to thriving - by donating or founding literally everything, from hospitals, orphanages and institutions to help the poor, to theaters, libraries and scientific inventions - but were despised by almost every other muscovite. They did good and evil in equal proportions, reflecting the turbulent era of pivotal social, political, economic, scientific and cultural changes. By getting acquainted with the life of merchants, one can envision both the development of Moscow and life in the late-XIX century Russia in general.
We'll see the neighborhood related to Russian merchants: we'll look at their former mansions, including the famous mansions of Ryabushinsky, Arseny Morozov and Zinaida Morozova.
We'll also take a look at some of the rental houses, including the one of former city mayor - what a nice opportunity to talk about merchants among local authorities! We'll also see charity institutions founded or sponsored by the merchants of Moscow, as well as a renowned Levenson printing house and the Gubonin industrial college.
We'll see most outstanding examples of Russian Art-Nouveau during our 2 hours walk from Arbat to Triumphalnaya square.
Join our walk an dive into the era of merchants together!
I'll be waiting for you by the exit from Arbatskaya station (exit to Vozdvizhenka street) with a teddy bear in my hand
Mansions of Arseny and Varvara Morozoffs. "Golden youth"&charity in Moscow
Life of typical Russian Merchants. The background of merchants: how peasants started earning millions.
Social, political and ecconomic changes in the pre-revolutionary Russia
Merchants and their contribution to arts
The mysteries and reality of the most famous Russian Merchant
Foreign (non-Russian) merchants in Moscow
Merchants among local authorities of Moscow
Development of jewelry in Moscow
The impact of Merchants on education and science
The charity of merchants in Moscow
A famous typography
Mansion of Architect Shekhtel
Former industrial college
Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).