Vienna

Vienna is a city of Central Europe located on the banks of the Danube, in the valley of the Vienna Woods, at the base of the foothills of the Alps.

General characteristics

-It is the capital of Austria and one of its nine federal states.

-With a population of 1.712.903 inhabitants, Vienna is the biggest city, cultural and political center of Austria.
-Its metropolitan area has 2,4 million inhabitants.
-The official language is German.

-It has an important artistic heritage. It has always been one of the great music capitals of the world and one of the main cultural centers worldwide.

Important monuments

The Kremlin

It’s the most important monument. It’s a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River (to the South), Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square (to the East) and the Alexander Garden (to the West).

In 1990 the architectural art ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin together with the adjacent Red square was included into the List of UNESCO worldwide heritage.

The red square

The major and most famous square of the Russian capital appeared in Moscow at the end of the XV century during the reign of Ivan III. 

This Moscow ruler who was the first to obtain the title of Grand Prince of All Russia was known for consolidation of the Russian lands, as well as large-scale construction.

To fulfill this, Ivan III invited Italian and Greek architects and gathered the best Russian ones: the intensive reconstruction of the Kremlin started due to their efforts.

Theatre Square 

Theatre Square (Teatralnaya Square) is one of Moscow’s most glorious squares.

 It derives its name from the theatres located on it: the world-renowned Bolshoi Theatre, Maly Theatre and the Russian Academic Youth Theatre (formerly Central Children’s Theatre).

For a certain period in the beginning of the 19^th century, the square held the name Petrovskaya, thanks to the adjacent Petrovka Street. Yet after the theatres were constructed, the square received its current name.

Make Way for Ducklings 

This unusual monument has been fixed up in the park near the Novodevichy Convent. 

The duck is called Mrs. Mallard, and she came to the Moscow Park from the United States of America. There, in the Boston Central Park, there is exactly the same statutory group.  

Iberian Gate (Iverskie vorota)

Iberian Gate (Iverskie vorota) is formed by two arc spans with overbuilt double-store chambers of red brick with two octagonal marquises. The Iverskaya Chasovnya is situated between them. 

Museum of Chocolate and Cocoa History 

The Museum of Chocolate and Cocoa History showcases the products of Russia’s most renowned chocolate factories — Red October, Babayevsky Concern and Rot Front. 

Historical Museum (SHM) 

The work on formation of the permanent exhibition was founded in 1872 and it came to the end only in 2006.

 Every new decade showed the necessity of a new approach to what should be displayed first before the visitors. About 22,000 objects are constantly displayed in the museum.

The Museum building attracts special interest. Made of hard-burned brick, it harmoniously fits the ensemble of the Kremlin and Red Square. 

Hermitage Garden

Hermitage Garden is one of the oldest recreation places in the Russian capital: it celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2004.

The garden is located in the centre of Moscow. It has three theaters, the famous outdoors stage, a water fountain and children`s playground with rides.

 The garden features a monument dedicated to “All People in Love”, a Tea Culture Club, an art studio, a dancing studio and some restaurants.

The Hermitage Garden for many years has been the venue for annual jazz festivals, including the Moscow festival of brass music: “Moscow Brass Seasons”.

Russian Ballet

  Russian ballet

Russia is well-known for its ballet. In the early 19th century, the theaters were opened up to anyone who could afford a ticket.

There was a seating section called a rayok, or 'paradise gallery’, that consisted of simple wooden benches. 

This allowed non-wealthy people access to the ballet, because tickets in this section were inexpensive.

There are a lot of a ballet companies in Moscow, such as the Bolshoi Ballet.

Names structure

Russian names are comprised of:

-A first name, which is the person's given name.

-A middle name, which is a version of the father's first name formed by adding '- vich' or '-ovich' for a male and '-avna' or '- ovna' for a female.

-A last name, which is the family or surname. 

Customs

   Gift giving customs

When you are invited to a Russian home for a meal, you should bring a small gift, male guests are expected to bring flowers, but never yellow. 

When you want to give a baby gift, you have to wait until after the baby is born. It is bad luck to do it sooner.

 Greeting customs

The typical greeting is a firm, almost bone-crushing handshake while maintaining direct eye contact and giving the appropriate greeting for  the time of day. 

- When men shake hands with women, the handshake is less firm.

-When female friends meet, they kiss on the cheek three times, starting with the left and then alternating. 

-When close male friends meet, they may pat each other on the back and hug.

Famous inhabitants

Anna Kournikova

She’s a famous tennis player born in 1981.

With Martina Hingis as her partner, she won Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002. She never won a WTA Title in singles.

Traditional food

      Traditional food

About food, there are plenty of different dishes. Some examples are these:

Shchi (cabbage soup) is a cold soup that had been the predominant first course in Russian cuisine for over a thousand years. It can be eaten regularly, and at any time of the year.

The richer variant of shchi includes several ingredients, but the first and last components are cabbage, meat (very rarely fish or mushrooms), carrots, basil or parsley roots, spicy herbs (onions, celery, dill, garlic, pepper, bay leaf) and sour components (smetana, apples, sauerkraut, pickle water).

Kholodets: Jellied chopped pieces of pork or veal meat with some spices added and minor amounts of vegetables.  The meat is boiled in large pieces for long periods of time, then chopped, boiled a few times again and finally chilled for 3–4 hours forming a jelly mass, though gelatine is not used because calves' feet, pigs' heads and other such offal is gelatinous enough on its own. It is served with horseradish, mustard, or ground garlic with smetana.

Syrniki are fried curd fritters, garnished with sour cream, jam, honey, and/or apple sauce.

Vatrushka is a kind of cake with a ring of dough and tvorog (cottage cheese) in the middle, often with raisins or bits of fruit, from about five inches to two and a half feet in diameter.