Before & After: How Moscow's Face Has Changed Over Decades

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Moscow Day is traditionally celebrated on the first or Second Saturday of September. This year the celebration falls on September 9-10 and will see the 876th anniversary of the Russian capital.
Moscow was first mentioned in 12th century chronicles as a fiefdom of Prince of Rostov and Suzdal Yuri Dolgoruky, and the year 1147 is considered to be the date of its founding.
Having become the capital of the centralized Russian state in the second half of the 15th century, Moscow saw its population expand and despite the fact that since 1712 it ceded the place of the capital to St. Petersburg, it remained the country's major religious, political, economic and cultural center.
After coming to power, the Soviet government made Moscow the capital of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1918 and then of the entire Soviet Union in 1922.
For a long time, there was no tradition of celebrating City Day in Moscow as such. It is known that on January 1, 1847 Moscow marked its first jubilee – the 700th anniversary. The capital celebrated its next anniversary only a hundred years later with flags, fireworks and festivities. Since 1997, City Day has been celebrated annually on the initiative of the Moscow authorities.
Moscow Day has become a bright national holiday that gathers thousands of Moscow residents and guests in the squares and streets of the capital. This year's celebration program includes about 150 major events, including a gala show at the Luzhniki Grand Sport Arena, free amusement parks for residents and guests, a parade of ships, trains, streetcars and countless other events.
Today Moscow is a modern metropolis with all the conveniences of life. Last year, the Russian capital ranked third in the UN-HABITAT City Prosperity Index, behind only Singapore and Toronto.
Take a look at Sputnik's gallery covering the evolution of Moscow through time.
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Lubyanka Square in Moscow in 1899.

Lubyanka Square in Moscow in 1899. - Sputnik Africa
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Lubyanka Square in Moscow in 1899.

© Sputnik . Vladimir Pesnya / Go to the mediabank

Lubyanka Square in Moscow nowadays.

Lubyanka Square in Moscow nowadays. - Sputnik Africa
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Lubyanka Square in Moscow nowadays.

© Sputnik . Vladimir Akimov / Go to the mediabank

Nikolskaya Street in Moscow in 1968.

Nikolskaya Street in Moscow in 1968. - Sputnik Africa
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Nikolskaya Street in Moscow in 1968.

© Sputnik . Pavel Bednyakov / Go to the mediabank

Pedestrians on Nikolskaya Street in modern Moscow.

Pedestrians on Nikolskaya Street in modern Moscow. - Sputnik Africa
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Pedestrians on Nikolskaya Street in modern Moscow.

© Sputnik . Igor Mikhalev / Go to the mediabank

View of the construction site of the Moscow International Business Center in 2003.

View of the construction site of the Moscow International Business Center in 2003.  - Sputnik Africa
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View of the construction site of the Moscow International Business Center in 2003.

CC BY 2.0 / kishjar? / Moscow

The Third Ring of Moscow and the Moscow International Business Center, 2022.

The Third Ring of Moscow and the Moscow International Business Center, 2022. - Sputnik Africa
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The Third Ring of Moscow and the Moscow International Business Center, 2022.

© Sputnik . Mikhail Ozerskiy

Moscow, 1928. Sukharevsky market (Kolkhoznaya Square).

Moscow, 1928. Sukharevsky market (Kolkhoznaya Square). - Sputnik Africa
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Moscow, 1928. Sukharevsky market (Kolkhoznaya Square).

© Sputnik . Alexey Maishev / Go to the mediabank

A landscaped pedestrian zone on Bolshaya Sukharevskaya Square in Moscow nowadays.

A landscaped pedestrian zone on Bolshaya Sukharevskaya Square in Moscow nowadays. - Sputnik Africa
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A landscaped pedestrian zone on Bolshaya Sukharevskaya Square in Moscow nowadays.

© Sputnik . Ivan Denisenko

Construction of the Rossiya Hotel in Zaryadye,1960s.

Construction of the Rossiya Hotel in Zaryadye,1960s. - Sputnik Africa
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Construction of the Rossiya Hotel in Zaryadye,1960s.

© Sputnik . Alexander Vilf

Zaryadye Park, Red Square in Moscow nowadays.

Zaryadye Park, Red Square in Moscow nowadays. - Sputnik Africa
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Zaryadye Park, Red Square in Moscow nowadays.

© Sputnik . Anatoliy Garanin

View of Alexander Garden and the Kremlin from Manezh Square. Moscow, 1937.

View of Alexander Garden and the Kremlin from Manezh Square. Moscow, 1937. - Sputnik Africa
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View of Alexander Garden and the Kremlin from Manezh Square. Moscow, 1937.

© Sputnik . Alexander Vilf

View of the Moscow Kremlin towers, Alexander Garden and Manezh Square, 2012.

View of the Moscow Kremlin towers, Alexander Garden and Manezh Square, 2012. - Sputnik Africa
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View of the Moscow Kremlin towers, Alexander Garden and Manezh Square, 2012.

© Sputnik . Aleksandr Nevezhin / Go to the mediabank

Construction of the building complex of the Secretariat of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance on Novy Arbat street, 1965 (since 1991 – the building of the Moscow Government).

Construction of the building complex of the Secretariat of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance on Novy Arbat street, 1965 (since 1991 – the building of the Moscow Government).  - Sputnik Africa
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Construction of the building complex of the Secretariat of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance on Novy Arbat street, 1965 (since 1991 – the building of the Moscow Government).

CC BY-SA 4.0 / Ivan Krylov / Government House of the Russian Federation (cropped photo)

Government House of the Russian Federation, 2019.

Government House of the Russian Federation, 2019. - Sputnik Africa
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Government House of the Russian Federation, 2019.

© Sputnik . Evgenyi Leonov / Go to the mediabank

Moscow. Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street. 1887.

Moscow. Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street. 1887. - Sputnik Africa
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Moscow. Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street. 1887.

CC BY 2.0 / Gennady Grachev / Moscow, beginning of 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street

Moscow, beginning of 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street nowadays.

Moscow, beginning of 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street nowadays. - Sputnik Africa
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Moscow, beginning of 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street nowadays.

© Sputnik . Anatoliy Garanin / Go to the mediabank

Triumphal Square in Moscow, 1943.

Triumphal Square in Moscow, 1943.  - Sputnik Africa
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Triumphal Square in Moscow, 1943.

© Sputnik . Evgeny Odinokov / Go to the mediabank

Panoramic swings on Triuphfal Square in Moscow, 2020.

Panoramic swings on Triuphfal Square in Moscow, 2020. - Sputnik Africa
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Panoramic swings on Triuphfal Square in Moscow, 2020.

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