Triumphal Square (Triumfalnaya Ploshchad)

Triumphal Square (Triumfalnaya Ploshchad) Review

This major intersection is where the grand boulevard of Moscow, the Garden Ring, crosses Tverskaya ulitsa. Traffic here also passes through a tunnel running below Tverskaya ulitsa, and there's an underpass for pedestrians. A statue of the revolutionary poet Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930) stands in the center of the square. It's generally believed that Mayakovsky committed suicide out of disillusionment with the revolution he had so passionately supported.

The square is a center of Moscow's cultural life. The Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, opened in 1940, stands on the corner nearest you. In its foyer are various food outlets, where you can get anything from pizza at Pizza Hut to croissants and coffee at the dependable Brioche. The Satire Theater is right next door, on the Garden Ring. On the far side of the square stands the Moskva Cinema; the popular Mossoviet Theater is also nearby, at 16 Bolshaya Sadovaya. To your far left is the multitiered tower of the imposing Peking Hotel, opened in 1956 as a mark of Sino-Soviet friendship. Looking to your right, you'll see the American Bar and Grill and City Grill, popular with Russians as well as the foreign community.

While you're here, it's worth riding the escalator down for a peek at the spectacular interior of the Mayakovskaya metro station, which like many early stations, lies deep underground (it doubled as a bomb shelter during World War II). Stalin made a famous speech here on the 24th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, at the height of the Siege of Moscow. Colorful, pastel mosaics depicting Soviet achievements in outer space decorate the ceiling.