Self-Guided Kitay-Gorod Quest: Traces of Vanished Moscow

Most Muscovites walk right past Kitay-Gorod without even noticing it. Yet this was once the main stock exchange of the Russian Empire, and on Varvarka foreign merchants traded with Moscow long before skyscrapers and railways existed. And no, the district's name has nothing to do with China. This quest is about the traces of vanished Moscow: they are hidden in plain sight on facades and monuments. How it works • The bot sends you a task and hints where to go next. • You find the answer with your own eyes, not in a search engine: it is hidden in a facade, a bas-relief or an inscription. • For each answer you get a short story about the place, in text and audio. If you get stuck, take a hint: it will tell you where to look, but won't give away the answer. Route • Resurrection Gate: where the name Kitay-Gorod actually came from • Nikolskaya Street: a mythical creature on the university facade • Epiphany Monastery: the brothers who founded Russia's first higher school • Ilyinka Street: the financial center of old Moscow • Old English Court: where foreign merchants brought their goods from • Romanov Boyars' Chambers: a white-stone pattern right under the roof • Church of St. George the Victorious on Pskov Hill: the saint and his eternal adversary • Kitay-Gorod Wall: a surviving fragment of the old fortress • Zaryadye Park: several of Russia's natural zones in just a couple of minutes • Floating Bridge: the finale above the river with a view of the Kremlin Sample tasks • Find the bas-relief of a mythical creature on the university facade on Nikolskaya. Who is it? • Read the inscription on the monument by the Epiphany Monastery. Who were the Likhud brothers? • Look at the white-stone band under the roof of the Romanov Chambers. What pattern does it form? How hard is it The tasks are about what is right in front of you, so attentiveness matters more here than erudition. Who it's for • Visitors to Moscow: in an hour and a half you'll see the oldest district of the center without the crowds at the main sights. • Muscovites who visit Nikolskaya and Zaryadye but have never looked closely at these facades. • Families with children aged 6 and up: hunting for a unicorn and dragons is more fun than listening to a lecture. • Groups of friends: one phone for everyone, and you can argue over who finds the answer first.