Triumfalnaya Square in Moscow. How to get there, what to see

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Triumfalnaya Square can rightly be called one of the sights of Moscow. This place has a long and interesting history. The square has repeatedly changed its name, and on the old maps of the city of Soviet times, it is listed as Mayakovskaya. Triumfalnaya Square has always played a prominent role in the social life of the capital. At first it was a market, then - the focus of a large number of theaters. With the opening of the monument to Vladimir Mayakovsky, poetry lovers often gather at the foot of the monument and read poetry. The traditions of the literary opposition of the times of the Soviet Union (after all, the works were not censored) are also reflected in the modern political life of Russia. Regularly, every 31st day of the month, it is on Triumfalnaya Square that rallies are held in support of the 31st article of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Read more about what a tourist should see here.

History

Triumfalnaya Square (Moscow) was simply doomed to bear that name. It was first mentioned in 1709. Then this place was the outskirts of Moscow. Here, on the Tverskoy tract, there was an earthen rampart, signifying the border of the city. On the occasion of Russia's victory in the Battle of Poltava, the first triumphal arch was installed on this site. When Peter the Firstmoved the capital to St. Petersburg, this place did not remain forgotten. After all, all coronations took place in Moscow. And to meet the future ruler, the inhabitants of Belokamennaya went out to the triumphal gates, which were updated every time for this occasion. In 1722 the arch was already made of stone. And the square on which she stood was called Triumfalnaya. After the victory over the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte and the rebuilding of the burned Moscow, new gates were built at the then border of the city - at Tverskaya Zastava (now the Belorussky railway station is located there). And the old "triumphal" square turned into a market square. Here they traded firewood, coal, building stone.

Theatre Square

By the end of the nineteenth century, the center of Moscow began to approach this former outskirts. The market was moved to another place, the center of the square was decorated with a flower garden. In 1902, a certain entrepreneur, Charles Aumont, bought the building at the corner of Sadovaya and Tverskaya and, after reconstruction, opened the Buff Theater in it. This building, within the walls of which vaudeville was staged, was destined for a great future. In 1918 it housed the State Theater. Meyerhold. Mayakovsky's play "The Bedbug" was shown at GosTIM. But this is not the only theatre. At the beginning of the 20th century, Triumphalnaya Square was decorated with another building that was built for the circus. Until 1926, it was used for its intended purpose. During the NEP years, it housed the Moscow Music Hall. And since 1965, the Theater of Satire has been working here. On the other side of the square, near the Beijing Hotel, until 1974 there was a building wherehoused the studio "Contemporary". Later, the troupe moved, and the dilapidated house was dismantled. And to top it off, one more theater should be mentioned. True, instead of a stage there was a big screen. This is the oldest Moscow cinema.

Mayakovsky Square

In 1958, on July 19, a monument to the Soviet poet was solemnly opened here. When the officialdom ended, the audience was not going to disperse. At the pedestal they began to read the poems of Vladimir Mayakovsky. This literary tradition has taken root. Until 1961, on the anniversary of the opening of the monument, Triumphalnaya Square was filled with lovers of Mayakovsky's work, who came to listen and read his poems. From 1960, on weekends, completely unknown authors performed with their works at the pedestal of the monument. Some poets, such as Andrey Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Robert Rozhdestvensky, presented their poems to the public for the first time under Mayakovsky.

Triumfalnaya Square as a place of the Fronde

Spontaneous meetings, even if they were held in the format of poetry evenings, were not welcomed by the Soviet leadership. Therefore, unauthorized gatherings were dispersed. Three students (E. Kuznetsov, V. Osipov and I. Bokshtein) even received long prison terms. Because of this, Triumfalnaya Square became famous as a gathering place for those who are dissatisfied with the regime. Members of the SMOG initiative group came here in 1965 with demands for creative freedom. In 1969, two students came to Triumphalnaya Square witha placard in support of Czechoslovakia… There were also rallies there, but any events of this kind were suppressed in every possible way. During perestroika, literary reading resumed. But already in 1990, when three thousand people gathered at the monument to Mayakovsky, an unauthorized rally dedicated to the anniversary of the February Revolution of 1917 was dispersed by riot police.

Infrastructure

Triumfalnaya Square was under reconstruction for a long time. It reopened for Muscovites and tourists in early September, on the eve of City Day. Now Triumfalnaya Square has changed even more. She became lighter and seemed to be wider. The lawn in the middle received spectacular illumination, retro-style lanterns shone around the perimeter. Now it is a pedestrian zone. Only motorists remained dissatisfied. Indeed, after the reconstruction, parking on Triumfalnaya Square is prohibited. The city authorities have big plans for the further improvement of this place. It was even decided to break a lilac square here. Under the square, work is underway to build a multi-level underground parking. In the meantime, the "iron horse" can be left nearby. It is best to come to see the monument to V. Mayakovsky by public transport. Very convenient to use the subway. Triumphalnaya Square is easily accessible from the Mayakovskaya station, one of whose tunnels leads directly to this corner of Moscow.

Can I watch the rally on Triumfalnaya Square and is it dangerous?

Since 2015, the city authorities began to give "go-ahead" for holding actions inwithin the "Strategy-31". Lately, people no longer read poetry on Triumfalnaya Square, but mostly talk about the political situation in eastern Ukraine. They collect funds for the residents of Donbass.