The Old Arbat is famous street in Moscow. You can get your portrait done in just 10 seconds and listen to renditions of songs by The Beatles, Bach or Bulat Okudzhava, whose statue stands here. The streets starts at the foot of the Stalinist skyscprapers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and runs for about a kilometre. It is a pedestrian zone full of buskers, painters, jugglers, entertainers, magicians and other people who create this place’s unique history, its spirit and relaxed atmosphere.
By Wikipedia:
The Arbat (Russian About this sound Арба́т (help·info)) is an approximately one-kilometer long pedestrian street in the historical centre of Moscow. The Arbat has existed at least since the 15th century, thus laying claim to being one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. It forms the heart of the Arbat District of Moscow. Originally the street formed part of an important trade route and was home to a large number of craftsmen.
In the 18th century, the Arbat came to be regarded by the Russian nobility as the most prestigious living area in Moscow. The street was almost completely destroyed by the great fire during Napoleon’s occupation of Moscow in 1812 and had to be rebuilt. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it became known as the a place where petty nobility, artists, and academics lived. In the Soviet period, it was the home of many high-ranking government officials.
