Kitai Gorod Area in Moscow

contents: description - map - places - special facts - walking around

Click on the highlighted area to see Kitai Gorod map.

Kitai Gorod means China Town in Russian, however this area is in no way connected with China or Chinese. It is perhaps the most interesting area in Moscow, as it is the center of the city's club life and culture. Most of the buildings here are a mix of traditional, 'art noveau', and monumental Soviet-era architecture. Kitai Gorod is a home to Lubyanka, where former KGB still resides; a favourite place to go out (with so many cafes, bars, and clubs); and just a nice area to walk around. Kitai Gorod is really tranquil, there are many small streets, interesting courtyards, a small green park and ponds. metro: Lubyanka (red), Kitai Gorod (orange or violet), Chistye Prudy (red); area: center east

About Kitai Gorod Area: Kitai Gorod used to be the area where rich Moscovitan merchants used to live some centruries ago, so there you can see richly decorated old mansions and churches. Later in the 19th century the area was filled with the banks and offices, so people called it "Moscow city". "Kitai" is translated as "China" in modern Russian, "Gorod" means "Town", but this is not a China-Town. Nobody knows for sure, why the area has this name, but there is one commonly accepted theory. There were several walls around Moscow: first line is Kremlin, then the walls of Kitay-gorod (you can see a restored part of it at the Teatralnaya square), then the walls of Beliy gorod (in the19th century these walls were demolished to build a new ring road - Bulvarnoe Koltso). So in ancient Russian language "Kitai" meant "Middle", so the middle walls of the city and the area near it was known as Kitay-Gorod or Middle Town.
Nowadays Kitai Gorod is perhaps the best area in central Moscow to live or to work. There is lots of nice and quiet streets, plenty of cafes, and restaurants. Moscow's most interesting clubs are located in this area as well.

Chistye Ponds area

If you walk from Lubyanka square (where the former KGB headquarters is) along the busy Myasnitskaya street to Chistye Prudy metro, you'll get to a nice park and Chistye Ponds, which is one of the favourite places for Moscovitans. It is not as "posh" as Patriarshi Ponds, which has now became an elite residential area, so you'll see a lot of young people around as well. Nearby, there's a nice chinese tea place, Rolan cinema, which shows the best Russian and foreign films, and a very nice Syrnaya Dyrka swiss restaurant.
Walking down from Chistye Ponds towards Taganka, will bring you to one of the most ancient central residential areas, and Yauza river embankment. There you can find the British Council offices, foreign languages library, Illuzion cinema, which shows classic and independent movies, and the best Moscow clubs (Fabrique, Kult, Propaganda, Kitaisky Letchik).