Tour of the German Sloboda

German Sloboda is a historical district of Moscow, known since the 17th century. Here, at the behest of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, foreigners settled - English, French, Dutch, Germans. Many of them were officers in the royal service. They came with families, servants, as usual brought with them and friends - merchants, doctors, teachers. They built houses as they did in their homeland.

The district of the German settlement looked like a small town in the center of Europe - with neat clean houses, tiny well-groomed gardens under windows, gleaming heads of flowers and trimmed bushes. On the paved streets walked business men and elegant women in beautiful and neat clothes.

It is no wonder that young Peter, who lived nearby in the village of Preobrazhensky, was subdued by the way of this town, its difference from Moscow, courteous manners and cheerful disposition of its inhabitants. Here he found his first love Anna Mons, a friend and mentor of Franz Lefort, a valet who became his ally Alexander Menshikov.

The German settlement is also connected by another page in the history of Moscow - Alexander Pushkin was born here. And that's what we're going to talk about.

On the tour, we will walk along the ancient district of Moscow German Sloboda, along the streets that keep its history in their names - Aptekarsky Lane, German Street, Lefortovo Lane, Starokirochny Lane. We will see the place where the house of blond fraulin Anna Mons is located; The German market, there are still preserved shopping arcades; where the famous medieval manuscript “The Word of Igor’s Regiment” was stored and burned;

We will see the Lefortovo Palace, built for his friend Peter I; the Sloboda Palace; the place where Alexander Pushkin was born; the famous temple where the future poet was baptized for several days; the house where Pushkin's uncle lived and where the disgraced poet came immediately after returning from exile. You will see the buildings of famous architects: Kazakov, J. Quarenghi, D. Gilardi.

You will learn why the memorial plaque indicating the birthplace of Pushkin was moved from place to place; how the leader of the Roman slaves Spartacus is associated with the German settlement; why the German settlement was called Kukuy; the origin of the name Basmannaya Street; why our famous poet became the favorite poet of Ethiopia; the history of the creation of the library-reading room named after A.S. Pushkin, as well as the sad fate of the eldest daughter of the poet - M.A. Hartung and much more

Guide services