Moscow’s official founding date is 1147, tied to a chronicle entry describing a meeting hosted in the settlement by Yuri Dolgoruky, a regional prince, for an ally. It’s a convenient date rather than a precise one; archaeological work has found evidence of settlement on the site for centuries before that, and the 1147 date functions more as the city’s traditional birthday than a literal starting point. Dolgoruky is credited with ordering the first fortress built on the site a few years later, on the hill above the Moskva River where the Kremlin still stands today.
From fortress town to capital
Moscow spent its early centuries as a minor outpost of a larger regional power based further east, and was destroyed by Mongol forces in the 13th century along with much of the surrounding region. Its rise came gradually over the following two centuries, as Moscow’s princes expanded their territory and influence, in part by positioning themselves as tax collectors for the Mongol rulers, which paradoxically gave them the resources and authority to eventually outgrow that role entirely. By the late 15th century, under Ivan III, Moscow had shaken off Mongol overlordship and emerged as the centre of a unified Russian state. The Kremlin grew alongside the city’s importance, evolving from a wooden fort into the walled complex of cathedrals and palaces visible today, with its current brick walls dating largely from that same period.
Imperial capital, and then not
Ivan the Terrible, crowned in the 16th century as the first ruler to formally take the title of Tsar, oversaw much of Moscow’s transformation into an imperial capital, including the construction of St Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square to commemorate his military victories. That status didn’t last uninterrupted: in the early 18th century, Peter the Great moved the capital to his newly built city of St Petersburg, deliberately designed as a modern, Western-facing counterpoint to what he saw as an old-fashioned Moscow. The city spent roughly two centuries as Russia’s second city rather than its political centre, even as it remained the country’s spiritual and cultural heart, and the site of every tsar’s coronation, which continued to take place in the Kremlin’s Cathedral of the Dormition regardless of where the government actually sat.
Soviet capital and the modern city
Moscow regained its status as capital in 1918, shortly after the Russian Revolution, when the new Soviet government relocated from Petrograd partly out of concern that the old capital was too exposed to foreign attack. The Soviet government’s decision to build much of its showcase infrastructure in Moscow, including the metro system that opened in the 1930s, shaped a great deal of what visitors see in the city today. The city suffered heavy pressure during the Second World War, with German forces reaching its outskirts in late 1941, but was never occupied, and continued to grow through the Soviet decades as the political, industrial and cultural centre of the USSR.
Since the Soviet collapse in 1991, Moscow has grown into one of Europe’s largest and most economically significant cities, with a skyline and infrastructure that reflect both its imperial and Soviet layers alongside decades of more recent development, including the modern Moscow City business district that now punctuates the western skyline. Whatever the current state of its relationship with the outside world, the city’s underlying story, stretching back over nearly nine centuries, hasn’t gone anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Moscow?
Its traditional founding date is 1147, making it nearly nine centuries old, though the site was likely settled before that date.
Was Moscow always Russia’s capital?
No. It lost that status to St Petersburg in the early 18th century and only regained it in 1918, after the Russian Revolution.
Was Moscow occupied during World War Two?
No. German forces reached the city’s outskirts in late 1941 but never occupied it.
Written by Anastasia Ivanova, Moscow native and author at allaboutmoscow.com. Last updated April 2026.
Anastasia is a Moscow-based travel blog writer who brings a local’s insight to one of the world’s most fascinating and misunderstood cities. Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, Anastasia shares an authentic, on-the-ground perspective on what it’s really like to explore the city beyond the postcards.
Her writing focuses on tourism in Moscow, practical guides for first-time visitors, and hidden corners that most travelers miss. In addition, Anastasia writes extensively about expat life in Moscow, covering everyday realities such as housing, transportation, cultural differences, and settling into life in the Russian capital.
As a solo traveler in her own city, she also documents Moscow through the lens of independence and curiosity — from navigating the metro alone at night to discovering cafés, museums, and neighborhoods that feel welcoming for solo visitors. Her work blends local knowledge with honest personal experience, helping travelers and expats alike feel more confident, informed, and inspired when discovering Moscow on their own terms.