Alexandrovsky Garden

The first public park in Moscow, Alexandrovsky Garden sits along the Kremlin’s western wall. Colourful flower beds and impressive Kremlin views make it a favourite strolling spot for Muscovites and tourists alike. Back in the 17th century, the Neglinnaya River ran through the present gardens, with dams and mills along its banks. When the river was diverted underground, the garden was founded by architect Osip Bove, in 1821. Enter through the original gates at the northern end. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Mogila neizvestnogo soldata) at its north end is a kind of national pilgrimage spot, where newlyweds bring flowers and have their pictures taken. The tomb contains the remains of one soldier who died in December 1941 at Km 41 of Leningradskoe sh – the nearest the Nazis came to Moscow. The inscription reads: ‘Your name is unknown, your deeds immortal.’ There’s an eternal flame, and other inscriptions listing the Soviet hero cities of WWII – those that withstood the heaviest fighting – and honouring ‘those who fell for the motherland’ between 1941 and 1945. South of the tomb, a row of red urns contains earth from the ‘hero cities’. The changing of the guard happens every hour. Further south, the obelisk was originally a monument to commemorate the House of Romanovs. In 1918 it had a dramatic change in mission when it was redesignated the Monument to Revolutionary Thinkers, in honour of those responsible for the spread of communism in Russia.