Last week I finally guided my first excursion in English for two intrepid French ladies. Instead of the regular 2,5 hours we walked for the whole four!
Ivan’s Hill is a historic district within one kilometer away from the Kremlin. In the 15th century it housed the residence of the Great Prince Ivan III, as well as the princely gardens and the royal mews. Later, the residence moved farther away, and the streets were inhabited by icon painters and choir singers, aristocrats and merchants, and – would you believe it?! – trumps and thieves. There were also different nationalities, like Jews, Ukrainians, Moldavians, Syrians, and all sorts of Lutherans (Germans, Estonians, and Latvians). And, of course, Ivan’s Hill houses several temples, including a monastery, a Lutheran and a Baptist churches, and a synagogue.
I spent my youth here because the Russian State Historical Library stands right next to the Lutheran church of Sts Peter and Paul. I used to come there nearly every day and spent a few hours reading for my seminars, exams and papers.
I was overjoyed when it turned out that the excursion was going to be in English! Better still, Priscilla is on a journey through Russia at the moment, and she’s writing her own blog about it:
https://www.polarsteps.com/saperlipopette1/15688642-tales-from-priscilla-in-russia-and-turkiye?s=40233067-b081-4998-9bf8-8d26930e199d
Here are some photos of the district, taken at different seasons.
