Kitai-Gorod is one of the oldest historical parts of Moscow. It joins the Kremlin from the east side, and Moscow River - from the south side. In the north it borders with Okhotny Ryad, and in the north-east - with Old and New squares.
The south part of Kitai-Gorod is the oldest one. It is well known that in the 11th century it had already been inhabited. In the 14th century the territory was occupied by traders and craftsmen. The name "Kitai-Gorod" appeared in the 16th century when the craftsmen were replaced by the boyars and clergy representatives. The name has nothing to do with China, which is "Kitai" in Russian. Most probably, it comes from the old Russian word "kita" that is a bunch of poles that was used for fortification construction.
Originally, Kitai-Gorod was surrounded with earth rampart and wooden fortifications, and in 1535-1538 on their site the Kitaigorodskaya Wall was put up. By that time Kitai-Gorod along with Red Square was an important trade center of Moscow. It was also famous as the place where the Printing Typography started to function in the 16th century, and printing pioneer Ivan Fyodorov worked. At the end of the 17th century in Kitai-Gorod the Mint was opened, and in 1687 the Slovenian-Greek-Latin Academy that was the prototype of the University was founded in the monastery of Our Savior Behind the Icons.
In 1812 when Moscow was captured by the army of Napoleon, Kitai-Gorod burnt down. When the city was set free and reconstruction works started, Kitai-Gorod was built up with stone constructions.
At the end of the 19th-the beginning of the 20th century Kitai-Gorod became a business center of Moscow. It was the place where banks, the Exchange, and trade centers were located. Elegant many-storied buildings in the Art Nouveau style were constructed for some of them. Nikolskaya Street of Kitai-Gorod was the center of book trade. The largest in the city Sytin's bookstore was also located there.
At the end of the 19th century the Upper and the Middle trade rows were put up. Today on the site of the Upper rows the GUM Department Store is located. The Lower trade rows that existed in Kitai-Gorod since the 17th century were repeatedly rebuilt, and finally demolished.
During the time of Soviet power, Kitai-Gorod was reconstructed several times. The tumbledown buildings were pulled down, the narrow lanes were broadened, and the metro stations were constructed. Nowadays Kitai-Gorod ranges among the nine "preserving zones" that were created by the government decision. It is not allowed to put up new constructions in Kitai-Gorod. The restored old mansions and churches are used as museums, concert halls, and other cultural institutes.
It was formerly enclosed by a 2.6 kilometer-long wall, constructed originally by Petrok Maly from 1534-38, during the ‘reign’ of Elena, Regent during Ivan 4’s minority. This wall ran from the Arsenal Tower of the Kremlin, and ran back to the Kremlin along the river. Two sections of this wall still exist - adjacent to the Rossiya Hotel and adjacent to the Metropol Hotel, and indeed most sections seemed to have survived until their dilapidated remains were removed by Metro building et al in the 1930s. The walls were so broad that a horse-drawn carriage could be ridden across the top.
During the 1400s, noble families started moving out of the Kremlin and into Kitay Gorod, displacing the artisans living there at the time. Later, rich merchants formed the dominant population, as the noble families moved even further out. The rich merchants eventually moved out as well, leaving it as a predominantly commercial area.
The two main thoroughfares are Nikolskaya Ulitsa and Ulitsa Ilinka
The Synodal Printing House in Nikolskaya sits on the site of the Royal Print Yard, which in the 1500s produced Russia's first printed books. The printer was Ivan Fyodorov and his first book was The Apostle, first appearing in 1564. The story is that Ivan the Terrible visited every day until the first edition came off the press. However, Muscovites themselves stormed the press, forcing Fyodorov to flee. In 1703, Russia's first newspaper Vedomosti was produced here.
The Ulitsa Ulinka was formerly the financial center of the Kitai Gorod. It derives its name from the Church of St. Elijah.
The Monastery of the Epiphany, behind GUM, was founded by Prince Daniel, and is the second oldest monastery in the city.
Kitai Gorod includes the district of Zaryade.
Tretyakovskiy Gate later gate put through by Sergei Tretyakov in 1871. The gates are adjacent to the Lubyanka (Nikolskaya Ulitsa) Ilinsky Gate at the end of Ulitsa Ilinka. The Ilinsky Gardens are named after the Ilinsky Gate.
