Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street appeared in the Middle Ages as a big thoroughfare, but soon turned into a dividing line.

In 1565, to curb the power of the nobility, Tsar Ivan the Terrible split the country, including Moscow, into two parts. One, called Oprichnina, from the words “apart from,” effectively became a separate state ruled by the Tsar. The other part, Zemshchina, was governed by the nobility. Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street marked the border between the two.

From those days comes the name of the nearby Bolshoy Kislovsky side street, which was home to “kisloshniki” – the people who provided salted and sour delicacies for the Tsar’s table.

Bolshaya Nikitskaya itself was called after the Nikitsky Convent that once stood here. In atheistic Soviet times, the name was changed to Herzen Street in honor of writer Aleksandr Herzen, known as the “Father of Russian Socialism.” In 1994, however, the historic name was returned.

The convent itself was destroyed in the 1930s and replaced with a metro station. Luckily, many other churches did survive, such as the St. Tatyana chapel of Moscow State University established on January 25, 1755 – St. Tatyana’s Day. It is celebrated as student’s day in Russia, while St. Tatyana is the patron saint of students. In Soviet times, much of the campus was moved away from central Moscow, but the street still has many university buildings.

Since the 17th century, the area was popular with the nobility. Many mansions on the street belonged to Russia’s most well-known families. One of the houses is said to even have an underground passage to the Kremlin.

Another building, although its original look has changed, was owned by one of Peter the Great’s statesmen, Yakov Bryus. The nearby side street bears his name.

Read more about Peter the Great on Russiapedia

Perhaps the most famous landmark on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street is the Moscow Conservatory, named after the renowned composer Pyotr Chaikovsky. Founded in 1866, it is reputedly one of the world’s finest music schools.

The statue of Chaikovsky in front of the conservatory was created by the great Soviet sculptor Vera Mukhina. At first, Mukhina intended for the composer to be standing, but a large sculpture would be out-sized in this small yard, so it was decided to sit him down. Then Mukhina thought of adding a figure of a peasant boy here, symbolizing Chaikovsky’s interest in Russian folk music.

The idea caused much debate, so the boy was replaced by a statue of a peasant man that was in turn also discarded. The official decision on the final look took so long that the statue was only unveiled in 1954, a year after Mukhina’s death.

Another of Moscow’s most celebrated churches situated on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street is the Church of the Great Ascension, where Russia’s legendary poet Aleksandr Pushkin got married.

Thanks to its Pushkin connection, the church was not destroyed after the Revolution, but was closed in 1931 and was only returned to the Orthodox Church after the fall of the Soviet Union.

So do take a stroll in this living museum to discover the way Moscow was hundreds of years ago – and, in fact, still is today.