Moscow 1997 is quite another town than the Moscow I know from past visits. Now you find coffe-shops at many corners, more and more cars jam the streets, and the city gets more and more colored.

The whole town seems to be clean-washed for the city's 850th anniversary in 1997.

Two new buildings joined the seven sisters: the new Cathedral and the horrible monument of Peter the Great.

The new cathedral is erected at the same place as the old main cathedral was situated. This old church was destroyed in Stalin time and was substituted by a swimming hall.

Now, the golden roofs of the church are visible from many parts of the town, thus demonstrating the strengthening power of the Orthodox Church in Russia.

Visitors even worship at the construction fragments, which are not blessed yet.

The orthodox church seems to be one of the main motors of the change (beside money), which takes place in this time. Everywhere in the city you find new renovated churches like the one at the Poljanka-Station, which I visited once, when it was a rotten shelter for a poor kindergarten. Now it is reconstructed and repainted, but the colors are not well chosen, I think.

This shop cares for mental and physical health as well. Pharmacy and Lawka (church shop) under one roof, near the new Cathedral.

You can find everything from pain relief to complete bishop robes here.

The monument of Peter the Great, by Teretelli, is so ugly that I don't want to show it in 'full' size. It is placed on an artificial island near the central house of artists, beside a gambling casino.

This monument is a present of Russia's New Russians, which was first meant to be a present to New York, showing Christopher Columbus.
The city of New York was well advised to reject this present, and so Columbus turned to Peter the Great.

I still can't understand why the moscowitans accept such a monument of that man, who dislocated the capital from Moscow to the newly founded St. Petersburg.

But not everything is backwards-orientated in the 850 year old Moscow:

An Internet Fair is announced to take place in the renowned Manege Exhibition Hall.