The Basmanny district, perhaps more than all other parts of Moscow, has been associated with foreigners for several centuries. Foreigners have settled here since the XVI century.
The walking route passes through the German settlement, the Baumanskaya metro area. It was here that the young Peter I was insanely inspired by European culture. And it was from here that the general Europeanization of Russia began. Here the tsar found his love Anna Mons and his best friend Franz Lefort.
The tour will start at the Baumanskaya metro station, where you'll learn about the history of the German settlement. Then, you'll walk to Aptekarsky Lane, where the first private pharmacy in Moscow once opened. Next, you'll turn off the main street — Baumanskaya Street and walk along the old alleys of the district. Learn how the Germans, Dutch, English, and French lived here and what they did.
At the end of the walk, you'll walk along the buildings of the former imperial school (now Bauman University), several buildings of which were built by the genius of Art Nouveau — Lev Kekushev, mixing all the multinational past of the district in architecture. Here you'll also see the main building of the university, the former Sloboda palace, and the palace built by Peter I for his friend Franz Lefort.
Self-guided in-app audio tour in Russian
