The first tribes of people appeared in the territory of the future Moscow in the Neolithic epoch. The oldest settlements, dated three thousand years before our era, were discovered within the area of the present-day city.
In the second half of the first millenia of our era, Slavic tribes occupied areas near Moscow, these were the "vjatichi", who are regarded as a kernel of the future Moscow population.
A reference to Moscow, as a town, is recorded in an old manuscript of 1147. In 1156, Prince Yury Dolgoruky erected timber walls around Moscow along with a moat. He is frequently regarded as a founder of Moscow, and his monument is among the most honored in Moscow.
The Tatar-Mongolian invasion in 1237-38 produced great destruction of Moscow. However, Moscow recovered rather rapidly (in the second half of the 13th century), and became the capital of the independent Moscow principality.
The Arbat
During the 14th and first half of the 15th centuries Moscow was a relatively large city with a big industrial/trade population.
At the end of 15th century, under Ivan III, Moscow became the capital of Russia. In Moscow, the Kremlin was built in the beginning of the 15th century, and is a benchmark of that epoch. For the purpose of improving the defense of Moscow and of its inhabitants, a number of defense buildings and big clusters, like Novodevichy - from the south-west, Donskoy and Danilovsky - from the south, Simonov and Novospassky - from the south-east and Andronnikov - from the east, were constructed.
The development of commerce and trade served as an impetus for new advances in the sciences and arts. So, a number of fundamental manuscripts, great architectural buildings and the first Russian printed book - "Apostol" by Ivan Feodorov were created.
Moscow was attacked by the Polish-Lithuanian army in the 17th century and was conquered by them. Then the salesman Minin and the Prince Pozharsky organized the People's Militia, and Moscow was liberated in 1612.
During the reign of Peter the First, arts and science in Moscow, as well as the whole of Russia, progressed strongly. In 1703 the first printed newspaper ("Vedomasti") appeared, and in 1755 Moscow University was opened.
Moscow architecture reached its peak level of perfection in the second half of the 18th century due to advanced Russian architects V.I. Bazhenov (Pashkov's house), and M.F. Kazakov (Senate building).
In the 19th century Moscow remained an important political, governmental and economic center. During the French invasion Napoleon said: "If I capture Kiev, I take Russia by its feet, if I capture Petersburg, I take it by its head and if I capture Moscow, I destroy its heart".
A folk army had been organized in 1812 to withstand the French invasion. The famous Borodino battle took place in August not far from Moscow. This battle is thought to be a prerequisite for the victory in the war, although the battle itself was more a failure than a victory. Moscow was left to Napoleon's troops, but before that happened, Muscovites burnt Moscow almost entirely. Fires and hunger compelled the French army to leave Moscow, which the Russian army entered soon - in October. After the liberation of the city a commission was authorized for the reconstruction of Moscow after the fire, and talented architects were its members (Beauve, Grigoriev).
The present-day appearance of the center of Moscow was founded in those times.
Thus, Alexandrov Garden, and Theatre Square appeared with the Bolshoi and Maly theatres, as well as the buildings of Manezh and the first gradskaya hospital.
The rivers and bridges of Moscow
A new manner of living became the norm in Moscow after its reconstruction. Earlier, at the turn of the century, Moscow was a feudal town, whereas after 1812 it lost features of the aristocratic town and acquired those of a bourgeois one. Towards the end of the 19th century it became the second industrial center in Russia (after Saint-Petersburg), partially due to the rapid growth of railway communication.
The first telegraph line was constructed in 1852, it connected the two Russian capitals, and the town railway with horses ("konka") started operating in 1872. In 1867 gas illumination of many streets had been initiated, and the first electric lanterns appeared in the Prechistenka gates in 1883. The first telephone lines were organized between Moscow and Petersburg in the late 1890-ies.
The 19th century was known to be a "golden age" for arts and science, and Moscow was the birthplace for many famous artists, writers, painters and scientists; a number of outstanding politicians were also Muscovites. You are, of course, familiar with the following names, whose talent and ideas were the glory of Russia: Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoi, Chekhov, Herzen, Pirogov, Sklifosofsky, Vasnetsov, Serov, Levitan and many others.
The Don monastery
Communistic ideas of Karl Marx became popular in Moscow, they were studied in secret meetings by workers and intelligentsia, who became very enthusiastic about them and organized revolutionary groups. Their activities resulted in a series of rebellions, one of them was mentioned frequently as the most successful - The Krasnaya Presnya rebellion of 1905. The July strikes of 1914 were the next conspicuous stage in the revolutionary process, which was finalized by the February and the "Great October" Revolution of 1917. The new government was headed by V. Lenin and the capital was again transferred from Petersburg-Petrograd to Moscow.
The Soviet Union was announced December 30, 1922 by the All-Russia Communist Party of Bol'sheviks (VKPB) and Moscow became its capital. The social structure of Moscow's inhabitants started to change in the 1920-ies on the account of peasants leaving their villages in search of jobs and a "new life"; later on the most poor part of population came to Moscow as non-qualified workers in factories and in house building. Thus, the percentage of workers living within the Garden Ring (central region) increased from 5% to 45% during this first decade. Hence, Moscow architecture changed: the proportion of blocks inhabited by workers increased drastically, the city sprawled outside, many churches were destroyed or transformed into "Palaces of Culture", clubs, stores for vegetables or for building materials. The most active construction of living blocks was initiated by Nikita Khruschev in the 1960-ies, and many families moved from extremely overcrowded multi-family apartments, where more than 5 people were living in one small room to individual, although small apartments. They were constructed quickly to meet the urgent demands, and, therefore, they are far from being beautiful and diverse.
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The services of A Distant Light™ are available to all adult persons of good character, everywhere in the world. Our prospective foreign bride listings now number more than 37,000, representing some 60 nations.
Ladies are welcome to submit their profiles for publication, without charge, on our Web sites. Gentlemen who want to promote themselves to the ladies can publish their profiles in our magazine.
Note: Please be assured that the women featured here are not somehow less accessible than others. Each dear heart listed with our service wishes for a caring man to share her life. As such, you needn't hesitate to approach any of the ladies with whom you might be compatible.
A Distant Light™ Romance Tours by A Foreign Affair are extraordinary travel adventures. Beyond the excitement of exploring faraway places, imagine having a lovely woman like one of those featured here – or one of many hundreds of other beautiful hearts – as your companion and guide. Consider the possibility of her becoming a lifetime companion. This could happen for you!
If you don't have a special lady in mind to meet, where would you like to go exploring? To find which of our tours appeals to you most, begin at the Romance Tours Index. If you've chosen a foreign sweetheart who lives far from any of our Romance Tours destinations, or you prefer to meet independently, we can provide Travel Information to help facilitate your meeting.
As you know, children can be one of life's greatest rewards. Certainly, you shouldn't rule-out any prospective foreign bride just because she is childless, for together you could do something about that. But neither should you exclude her just because she already has children, for together you could form an instant family! That could benefit you in several ways. Consider having two, or more, foreign sweethearts.
An intercultural relationship may not be for everyone. Yet, if you will invest the necessary time, effort and money into a relationship, and be reasonably flexible, tolerant and patient, your chances of finding happiness with a foreign bride are good. Whichever path you choose, our wish for you is that your journey will be pleasant and that you will find, in life, everything that you seek.
Foreign Courtship Advice and Recommendations From the Editors of A Distant Light™
Q: To a prospective foreign bride who doesn't specify an age preference, how much of an age difference might customarily be acceptable?
A: Surveys have shown that when considering age apart from other factors, 98 to 99 percent of single Ukrainian women and single Russian women seeking marriage would readily accept a partner as much as ten years their elder. The rate of such ready acceptance among women of the former Soviet Union declines to 50 percent as age disparity increases to 15 years.
In predominantly Buddhist cultures of the Far East, as for example in Thailand, elder persons are revered for their accumulated wisdom. So, some of the single Asian women seeking marriage, in particular, might accept or even welcome somewhat greater age disparities.
For an international introductions agency to promote so-called May–December romances might be good for business, in the short term, but would it be good for you? For the prospective foreign bride? Around here, we believe that what's best for business is the long-term success of your intercultural relationship. So, rather than encourage a fifty-year-old man to pursue, say, Colombian single women in their twenties, or a man of forty to chase single Latin women still in their teens, we would respectfully suggest that you listen to your own voice of reason and common sense.
If you don't fully recognize the value in this, you might find it helpful to read A Long Way to Go for a Date, by Henry Makow. The outcome of Mr. Makow's real-life personal adventure may surprise you. Find it listed under Foreign Bride Resources, below.)
A foreign sweetheart is more likely to become the foreign bride of a gentleman who demonstrates an interest in, and some knowledge of, her native culture. A Lonely Planet ® Travel Survival Kit™ (right sidebar) can be helpful. Besides the practical advice for travelers, they provide some historical background and discuss relevant social, political and economic aspects of modern society.
You can benefit from the experiences (both good and bad) of others, in the pursuit of intercultural relationships, by referring to these worthwhile additional foreign bride resources. And remember, at A Distant Light™ we're here to help! You can contact us by phone, fax, e-mail or postal mail, or visit us (no appointment is necessary during regular business hours) at any of the AFA offices worldwide.
And for an uplifting example of romance gone right, take time to enjoy the Web site of Jeffrey and Emelda Hollis. Screenwriter Jeff's engaging stories of courtship and marriage with Emelda (who is absolutely adorable) will touch your heart.
"Relationships are like Rome – difficult to start out, incredible during the prosperity of the 'Golden Age' and unbearable during the fall. Then a new kingdom will come along and the whole process will repeat itself – until you come across a kingdom, like Egypt, that thrives and continues to flourish. This kingdom will become your best friend, your soul mate and your love."
This popular American singer and songwriter of German and Brazilian descent is admired by generations of music lovers everywhere. Her name is practically synonymous with the bossa nova style of her native Brazil, and her endearing voice can be one of the most seductive on the planet. Yet, there is more to be said of this remarkable woman, of which you may have been unaware. She is also a talented graphic artist. Through sales of the reproductions and prints of her original artworks (which can make unforgettable gifts, especially when signed by the artist herself), she supports efforts to protect animals from mistreatment. Please see the charming (if, at times, necessarily intense) Web pages that have been created, with love, by this profoundly
beautiful human being,
[The Editors of A Distant Light™ are privileged to express our appreciation of Ms. Gilberto and her work. Ms. Gilberto is not a participant in our service.]
