Place Theater Square

In the center of Moscow lies the famous Theater Square, which houses both of Moscow's main theaters, the Great and the Small. In the middle of the square stands an amorphous monument to Karl Marx. The large theater was opened in 1776. Many times it was reduced to ashes and many times it was rebuilt. Its present appearance with the statue of Apollo and its sleigh dates from 1853. The small theater on the right side of the Great, was the leading stage in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Right behind it is the CUM building – a neo-Gothic department store from 1908.