Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia, built around the Moscow Kremlin, a fortified complex that has served as the seat of Russian political power for centuries. First recorded in 1147, it has been the capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Soviet Union, and today’s Russian Federation.

Where Is Moscow Located?

Moscow sits on the Moskva River in western Russia, several hundred miles from the country’s borders with Belarus and Ukraine. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of Russia and one of the largest cities in Europe by population.

The Origins and History of Moscow

Moscow first appears in historical chronicles in 1147, when it is mentioned as a small settlement. It grew through the following centuries into the capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which gradually unified surrounding Russian principalities and, by the sixteenth century, had become the Tsardom of Russia under rulers including Ivan the Terrible, crowned the first Tsar of Russia in 1547.

In 1712, Peter the Great moved the Russian capital from Moscow to his newly built city of Saint Petersburg, and Moscow spent the next two centuries as the country’s historic and religious center rather than its seat of government. That changed again in 1918, when the new Soviet government moved the capital back to Moscow following the Russian Revolution, and the city has remained the capital of Russia since, through the Soviet period and into the present Russian Federation.

Government Today

Moscow is the seat of the Russian presidency, government, and parliament, and functions as a separate federal city within the Russian Federation’s administrative structure. The Moscow Kremlin itself houses the official residence of the President of Russia as well as government offices and several historic cathedrals used for state ceremonies.

Culture and Daily Life in Moscow

Moscow is home to major Russian cultural institutions including the Bolshoi Theatre, one of the world’s oldest ballet and opera companies, and Moscow State University, founded in 1755 and among the oldest and largest universities in Russia. The city’s metro system, built beginning in the 1930s, is known for elaborately decorated stations that double as a showcase of Soviet-era public architecture.

Moscow’s Most Famous Landmarks

Red Square, next to the Kremlin walls, is dominated by Saint Basil’s Cathedral, built between 1555 and 1561 under Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan, its cluster of colorful onion domes making it one of the most recognized buildings in the world. The Kremlin itself, a fortified complex of palaces, cathedrals, and government buildings enclosed by walls dating largely from the fifteenth century, sits beside Red Square. In 1990, UNESCO inscribed the Kremlin and Red Square together as a single World Heritage Site.

What Is Moscow Known For?

Moscow is known as the political center of Russia, built around the Kremlin, and for Saint Basil’s Cathedral and its distinctive onion domes on Red Square. It is also known for its ornate metro stations and for institutions such as the Bolshoi Theatre and Moscow State University.

Why Moscow Matters

Moscow matters as the continuous political center of one of the world’s largest countries across nearly nine centuries of recorded history, surviving the shift of the capital to Saint Petersburg and back again, the end of the Tsardom, the Soviet period, and the transition to the present Russian Federation. The Kremlin and Red Square together remain one of the clearest physical records of that long continuity.

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed October 6, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue