Social Program
SIGHTSEEING TOURS

Special tours and excursions have been arranged exclusively for the Delegates and Accompanying person at the 2nd Eastern European Psychiatry Congress 2009. All participants and accompanying persons can take part in these tours and participants will pay for them individually.

All tours include a bus transport, English speaking guide, lunch and admission fees to historical monuments or other needed reservation fees and will leave and return to Cosmos hotel. A minimum number of participants are 20. Congress Administration reserves the right to cancel the tour for which a minimum number of participants have not registered. In this case another tour will be offered or a refund will be paid at the Registration Desk.

Booking in advance is recommended, on-site availability cannot be guaranteed. To book the tours, please fill in the relevant section in the Tour Form. The form will be available on the official Congress website.


City Tour and Novodevichiy Convent (5 hours; about 35 Euro per person)


During the tour of Moscow, the capital o Russia, you will see all the major sights that include the Red Square, Novy Arbat Street, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Poklonnaya Mountain with the extensive Victory Park that was laid down to commemorate WWII victory, Vorobievy Mountains, Bulvarnoye Koltso and other city attractions. Also, you will visit one of the oldest convents in Russia, the Novodevishiy Convent.

The Novodevichy Convent is one of the most famous in the country. It was founded in 1524 by Grand Duke Vasily III. Some time the convent served as a place of imprisonment for those who were out of favor. For instance, Peter the Great s sister Tsarevna Sofia and his first wife Evdokia Lopuhina had to live here (after they were forced to take the veil).

The architectural ensemble of the convent comprises fortifications, Smolensky Cathedral, a belfry, dwelling houses and church buildings.

During the Patriotic War of 1812 Napoleon gave an order to blow up the convent. Nevertheless, the nuns managed to save it. At the end of the 19th century, an orphan-asylum for ignoble children was established in the convent. In 1922, the convent was abolished, and on its territory a museums was established. In 1994, the convent was re-established.


Kremlin, Cathedral, Armory, Diamond Fund (3 hours; about 40 Euro per person)


We offer you to take a tour of the most exciting sights of the capital of Russia. In the course of the excursion you will learn many interesting facts about Russian history, get acquainted with the legendary places of Moscow and admire the treasures of the Armory Museum and the Diamond Fund.

During the tour you will make a stop in the Kremlin, which is the symbol of Russian statehood and contains historic relics, cultural and artistic monuments. Its walls and towers, gilded domes of cathedrals and magnificent palaces rise high above the Moscow River and create a splendid architectural ensemble.

The ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin with its palaces and cathedrals had been formed for many centuries. It is included in the list of the UNESCO cultural and natural heritage. The Kremlin always served as the administrative center of Russia, and it still remains as such. Nowadays on the Kremlin territory the residence of the President of Russian Federation is situated.

You are welcome to visit the main attractions of the Kremlin, which include the detailed excursion to one of the cathedrals located on the territory of Kremlin of your choice. The Arkhangelsky Cathedral is the burial place of the great Moscow princes and tsars. Here there are graves of Ivan Kalita, Dmitri Donskoi, Ivan the Terrible, Mikhail and Aleksey Romanovs. In the cathedral, there are 47 tombstones and 2 shrines. The walls of the cathedral are decorated with the unique portrait gallery of Moscow rulers and their glorious ancestors.

The Uspensky Cathedral for many centuries had been the main temple of Russia. It was here that the official ceremonies of the Emperors’ coronations and other state important events took place. Nowadays the visitors of the Uspensky Cathedral can see the magnificent iconostasis, one of the largest in Russia collections of ancient icons, the famous prayer place of Ivan the Terrible and unique historical necropolis.

The Annunciation Cathedral used to be the private temple of Moscow princes and tsars. It contains the valuable collection of monumental painting and precious iconostasis. Some of the icons of the cathedral might be painted by famous Feofan Grek and Andrey Rublev.

The Armory started to function in the early 16th century as the storehouse for the Kremlin weaponry. However, within a few decades the structure had gained the added function of a workshop and repository for all sorts of treasures of the Imperial court. In 1813 the Armory building became an exhibition hall and museum. The collection of the Armory is overwhelming. It contains such exhibits as the chalice of Yuri Dolgorukiy, the helm and armor of Boris Godunov, collection of over fifty Faberge eggs, golden and silver works of applied art by Russian, European and Oriental masters, precious weapons and other works made of precious metals and stones.

Next door, at the Diamond Fund, the visitors can admire the world-famous 190-carat Orlov Diamond and the Coronation Crown of Catherine the Great. The collection features marvelous jeweled necklaces and earrings, as well as the world's largest sapphire and other jewelry decorations.

Tretiakov Gallery (2 hours; about 20 Euro per person)


We will be pleased to organize a conducted tour of the Tretiakov Gallery for you.
The State Tretiakov Gallery is the largest museum of Russian art in the world. It was founded in Moscow by the merchant and textile manufacturer Pavel Tretiakov, after whom the gallery was named. The museum represents the whole history of Russian art from the ancient period to our contemporaries. Its superb collection consists of numerous icons, paintings, sculptures and graphics.

The museum is housed in the Tretiakovs’ former house, the main facade of which, designed by famous Russian artist V.M. Vasnetsov, was constructed in 1902-1904. The Tretiakov Gallery may boast of its 62 halls, packed with artistic items.

The most unique collections of the museum are the Collection of Russian Art of the 9th-10th centuries and the Collection of Soviet Art 1920 -1980.

The Tretiakov Gallery, founded in 1856 as a private collection, will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2006. Special exhibitions and publications will be dedicated to this event.