Lomonosov Moscow State University

We're nearing the end of the Top Ten sights now but this, I think, is a must. Not just for its dramatic splendour rising out of a tree lined avenue but for its majestic position overlooking the river and the centre of the city that sprawls before it as far as the eye can see to the right and left.

The university, when it was completed in 1953, was the tallest building in Europe. The spire rises 240 metres (790 feet) and is crowned with a star ringed by carved ears of wheat (you can see the detail better if you look large). The star weighs 1" tons or 11,980 kg! The four wings house dormitory style rooms and are adorned with a clock, a thermometer and a barometer which were once the world's largest.

The university is the oldest in Russia, founded in 1755 and was renamed in honour of its founder, Mikhail Lomonosov in 1940. It is the place of study of more than 40,000 undergraduates and 7,000 advanced degree students.

As I said earlier its location provides a stunning view of the city .