moscow the capital of russia

Ответ от Ёанька Лункин[гуру]
Тоже хороший текст, и про Юрия Долгорукого есть. Moscow, the Capital of Russia In the early 19th century the prominent Russian historian Nikolay Karamzin said: "If you want to know Russia go to Moscow." By the end of the 20th century we have every reason to repeat these words. It is the city where every stone breathes history. Moscow was founded in 1147 by the Prince of Suzdal, Jury Dolgoruky. Although there were settlements on the site of modern city long before 1147, this was the year when Moscow was first mentioned in the written records. Moscow has the priority right to be the capital of the Russian State. Its wise founder built it in the middle of a densely populated country. It is protected by rivers and a fortress. In the opinion of many scientists the city will never lose its significance and the leading role in the development of the country. Moscow, like ancient Rome, stands on seven hills. The principle is the Borovitsky, the hill on which the Kremlin stands. Moscow's early architecture was simple but expressive. The larger part of the city was occupied by private houses made of wood. But such city's structures as fortress walls, bridges, churches and cathedrals were made of brick and white stone decorated with ceramic. Eventually these buildings crested Moscow's architectural image of a city of white stone. Large-scale stone construction was performed during the reign of Catherine the Great. Several first-class foreign architects were invited to build a number of architectural monuments in Western style. Some of them have survived to our days and are carefully preserved by the city authorities. In 1812 during Napoleon's invasion a terrible fire raged in the city for several days. It was calculated that more than 7,000 buildings were destroyed and the city's central area was completely gone. This disaster, however, prompted a real housing boom. Standard projects had to be used to facilitate rapid restoration of the city and preserve the city's architectural uniformity. This task was successfully carried out. As a result a great number of stone houses with much better facilities appeared in the city. They were completely different from those of the previous years. As the time passed, the city's boundaries expanded considerably. New dwelling districts and industrial enterprises were built on the outskirts of the city. A major feature of Moscow's present development is the establishment of the industries requiring highly-skilled labour, and the branches producing high-quality apparatus, as well as the development of new technologies and know-how. Alongside industrial development much attention is paid by the city administration to the construction of cultural, educational institutions and sports facilities.