No European city has undergone as much upheaval in the last fifteen years as Moscow. The stage for the fall of a world empire and the rebirth of a globally connected Russia, Moscow has transformed from a monochrome capital city to a new Babylon iridescent with neon lights. Karl Schlögel’s Moscow offers a fascinating and engaging portrait of this international metropolis in transformation.

First published in German in 1984, and now rapidly attaining the status of a classic work, this debut English edition of Moscow has been updated with a new introduction and conclusion covering the post-Soviet period. Schlögel describes the modern history of Moscow from various aspects, as he explores the city’s streets and unearths the rich histories of its buildings, monuments and parks. He traverses Moscow’s streets like a flâneur, unravelling the meanings and stories of monasteries and cemeteries, railway stations, barracks, Jugendstil villas, underground stations and more.

Moscow is a city where the past and future continually clash, and it struggles to define its global role in the twenty-first century. Karl Schlögel’s insightful observations provide a valuable window into the complex and resilient character of the ever-evolving capital and its citizens.