The GUM and St Basil's

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THE GLAVNYI Universalnyi Magazin is known locally in its abbreviated form, the GUM. The name translates to the Main Universal Store. It is a famous shopping centre that has over nearly five centuries evolved from three streets of market stalls and has quite a fascinating history behind it as I would soon find out.

The GUM

Heading across the square, we went into the main entrance of the 242 metre long GUM. A row of scraggly trees starting to lose their autumn leaves lined the outside of the GUM, being the only vegetation on this side of the square to break the cold stonework of the GUM and of the cobblestone square. From here we could see back over the Kremlin wall to the top of one of the presidential cathedrals on the other side.

Inside the GUM

The GUM entrance was elaborately made from stone or concrete. The grey entrance led into a three level shopping centre. Although fairly dark inside, it had a large glass roof making an excellent skylight. The pillars holding up the main cavern had wall lights providing additional illumination. We were already on the second level. The ground floor was under the level of the square outside. The glass roof sealed the overhead space between what appeared to be separate stone buildings following the original street where the market stalls once stood before this building was constructed. The original market street was established under Ivan the Terrible following the great fire of 1547 which had wiped out most of the buildings of the city that had occupied the area now forming Red Square. The market stalls traded along this street for 348 years before the GUM itself was built over the streets between 1890 and 1893.

Fountain

The level where we were walking along had a cantilevered walkway on either side. The level above me had arched walkways crossing over the mall making quick access across to the shops on the other side.

On the ground floor below us was a large fountain surrounded by a few small artificial trees with their leaves in autumn colours. From there another mall ran off deeper into the GUM, following perhaps a side street. This would have led to two more streets running parallel to the street now occupied by the mall. History records the market containing three streets.

Lunch in the GUM

We headed along one of the wings of the GUM to the Ctonobar No 57 restaurant at the far end. There we ordered some Russian food – I asked Pavel what is Russian food, and he mentioned the food traditionally eaten here was very similar to European food. I had meat balls and rice, a salad and a purple dessert, and a cranberry juice. We found a seat under an umbrella at the end outside an antique clock shop to have lunch and rest in anticipation of a long walk ahead of us for the rest of the day.

Pavel had moved here from Murmansk about two years ago looking for work, and had successfully landed his role as a tour guide. There was obviously a lot more work here with Moscow being along the main tourist routes of Russia. He said this was one of his main walking tours, which he customised for every group or independent traveller. Being relatively new to the city himself, he still had enough tourist in him to not take everything for granted as happens with most locals too familiar with their city.

St Basil's

My impression of Moscow was very good so far. It was a unique city unlike any other I had seen before. Moscow is the capital of by far the largest country on Earth, and also perhaps one of the most inhospitable covering much of northern Eurasia concealed between the Arctic Ocean to the north and the barrier of the Himalayas to the south.

Following lunch, we left the GUM and walked along to the next building going through renovations with four large cranes towering above it. Outside it was a stone pedestal area locally known as the place of execution. But no one has been executed here. It was built in the 1530s and named Lobnoye mesto (forehead place). This was the platform from where Ivan the Terrible conducted his speeches.

St Basil's

Ivan the Terrible was the leader responsible for expanding Russia from a small medieval state into an enormous empire crossing two continents, and crossing over Bering Strait into the land now occupied by Alaska. Through his reign Russia impressively expanded to cover the area very similar to the current bounds of today’s Russian Federation.

Alaska would much later be gifted to the Americans. It would seem ironic now, but at the time the Russians were fearful the British would take Alaska it as they had already taken over neighbouring Canada as part of their empire. The United States had become independent of the rapidly expanding British Empire which the Russians feared. Russia and the USA were friendly, so it made sense to gift Alaska to them to stop the spread of the British Empire onto Eurasian Russia. This all happened long before the days of communism which caused Russia and the USA to become hostile.

St Basil's

From the place of execution, we headed across to St Basil’s Cathedral, where the multi coloured domes towered out of the seven churches. There seemed to be a distinct orderliness to the random clutter architecture, almost perfection. Each tower stood distinct at different heights and of different styles. They were tightly compacted touching each other in a perfect formation.

St Basil's

It was built upon the moat under Ivan the Terrible and named the Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin. This became the first part of what is now the modern skyline of Red Square. When the cathedral was opened, Red Square became a sacred and ceremonial place. The most prominent ceremony to take place here was the Palm Sunday celebrations where the patriarch sat on a donkey led out from the church leading the procession on a donkey to the Kremlin.

Spasskaya Tower

Heading past the cathedral the square ended as the ground descended from the low hilltop towards the Moskva River. The walls of the kremlin continued to our right. The wall itself was lower and there were a couple of smaller towers rising from it. A few tour buses were parked under the wall in an area where executions used to take place over Russia’s history.

From the end of the square a road headed downhill towards a stone bridge crossing the Moskva River.

Red Square

The GUM was still visible framing the right-hand side of Red Square, standing as a long permanent monument to the trade that has happened in the square for many centuries.