Moscow's Arbat Street is one of Moscow's oldest streets and the Arbat District's main thoroughfare. Over the centuries, Arbat Street has evolved from being a major gathering place for craftsmen and merchants to prime real estate for Moscow's nobility. Today, it is a popular Moscow tourist attraction. While visitors to Moscow can dine out or shop on Arbat Street, these two activities are not recommended due to the Arbat's high prices. However, visitors to the Arbat can still enjoy remnants from Moscow's past, including Constructivist, Empire, and Art Nouveau style architecture, the Pushkin House-Museum, churches, and monuments.
Arbat Street has worked its way into Russian Culture because, like the Kremlin, it has existed as a part of Moscow for centuries. Arbat Street has seen historic events, like Napoleonic troops using it to reach the Kremlin. Russia's most famous poet, Pushkin, lived here, as well as the writer Andrei Bely. Bulat Okudzhava, a singer-songwriter who lived on the Arbat, was inspired by this important street and wrote songs dedicated to it. The Arbat is also referenced in paintings, documentaries and films, and works of literature.
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Arbat Street photo credit: iStockphoto/fomin_valeriy