Unit II. Red Square

Red Square, located in the centre of Moscow, is the most famous one square in the country. To the west of it is settled the Moscow Kremlin, to the east there are GUM (or State Department Store) and Kitay-Gorod, to the north there are the Historical Museum and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, to the south there is St Basil’s Cathedral. The square is 330 metres long and 70 metres wide. On the square are located Lobnoy mesto (a circular platform to make announcements on from), the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, the (Lenin) Mausoleum, near which there is the Necropolis below the Kremlin wall. Red Square is thought to have been founded in the 90s(at the end) of the fifteenth century and at that time(when) it was called Market or Square of Fires. Since the latter half of the seventeenth century it has been called Red Square, which means Beautiful. Red Square was originally a trade square, but since the sixteenth century there had been solemn processions and the edicts had been announced. Since 1918, when Moscow regained the status of a capital city once again, on Red Square have been held(Red Square has seen) demonstrations and military parades. On June 24, 1945 was staged a Victory parade was staged in commemoration of the rout of Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War.

All understandable, Sandra. Underlined words not required.(in my opinion)

GUM is similar to our shopping villages, full of high-end designer stores, but in an amazing building.

I have been to Red Square in winter, with the ice rink and the Christmas/New Year decorations.