Moscow River Trip

In 1947, 1948, 1949 respectively, Moscow built a total of 100,000, 270,000, and 405,000 square meters of housing.

The skyscrapers project exceeded 500,000 square meters (at a higher cost per meter)[2] In other words, the resources diverted for this project effectively halved housing construction rates. On the other hand, the new construction plants, built for this project

(like Kuchino Ceramics), were fundamental to Khrushchev's residential program just a few years later.

Moscow Buildings

Buildings are listed under their current names, in the same order as they appeared in the April 1949 Stalin Prize decree. Note that different sources report different number of levels and height, depending on inclusion of mechanical floors and uninhabited crown levels.

Moscow State University, Sparrow Hills.

Moscow State University during celebrations

Boris Iofan made a mistake placing his draft skyscraper right on the edge of Sparrow Hills. The site was a potential landslide hazard. He made a worse mistake by insisting on his decision and was promptly replaced by Lev Rudnev, a 53-year-old rising star of Stalin's establishment. Rudnev had already built high-profile edifices like the 1932-1937 Frunze Military Academy and the 1947 Marshals' Apartments (Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya, 28), which earned the highest credits of the Party. He set the building 800 meters away from the cliff. The building was constructed in part by several thousand Gulag inmates. When the construction was nearing completion, some inmates were housed on the 24th and 25th levels to reduce transportation costs and the number of guards required.

The main tower, which consumed over 40,000 metric tons of steel, was inaugurated September 1, 1953. At 787.4 feet or 240 metres tall, it was thetallest building in

Europe from its completion until 1990. It is still the tallest educational building in the world.

Hotel Ukraina - Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow

Hotel Ukraina

Ukraina by Arkady Mordvinov and Vyacheslav Oltarzhevsky (leading Soviet expert on steel-framed highrise construction) is the second tallest of the "sisters" (198 meters, 34 levels). It was the tallest hotel in the world from the time of its construction until the

Peachtree Plaza Hotel opened in Atlanta, Georgia in 1975.

Construction on the low river bank meant that the builders had to dig well below the water level. This was solved by an ingenious water retention system, using a perimeter

of needle pumps driven deep into ground.

The hotel reopened its doors again after a 3-year-renovation on April 28, 2010, now called Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow, with 505 bedrooms and 38 apartments.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

This 172 meter, 27 story building was built between 1948 and 1953 and overseen by V.G.Gelfreih and A.B.Minkus. Currently, it houses the offices for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Russian Federation. The Ministry is covered by a light external stone wall with projecting pilasters and pylons. Its interior is splendidly decorated with stones and metals. According to the 1982 biography of Minkus, draft plans were first drawn up in 1946 and ranged from 9 to 40 stories. In 1947 two designs were proposed: one utilized layered setbacks while the other called for a more streamlined construction which culminated into a blunt rectangular top. The second proposal was accepted but as the

Ministry's completion neared, a metal spire, dyed to match the building's exterior (and presumably ordered by Joseph Stalin), was hastily added to tower's roof, assimilating its silhouette with those of the other Sisters.

Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya Hotel

Originally known simply as the Leningradskaya Hotel, this relatively small (136 meters, 26 floors, of which 19 are usable) building by Leonid Polyakov on Komsomolskaya Square is decorated with pseudo-Russian ornaments mimicking Alexey

Shchusev's Kazansky Rail Terminal[citation needed]. Inside, it was inefficiently planned. Khruschev, in his 1955 decree "On liquidation of excesses..." asserted that at least 1000 rooms could be built for the cost of Leningradskaya's 354, that only 22% of the total space was rent-able, and that the costs per bed were 50% higher than

in Moskva Hotel.[10] Following this critique, Polyakov was stripped of his 1948 Stalin Prize but retained the other one, for a Moscow Metro station. After a multi-million dollar renovation ending in 2008, the hotel re-opened as the Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya.

Kudrinskaya Square Building

The Kudrinskaya Square Building.

Designed by Mikhail Posokhin (Sr.) and Ashot Mndoyants. 160 metres high, 22 floors (18 usable in the wings and 22 in the central part). The building is located on the end

of Krasnaya Presnya street, facing the Sadovoye Koltso and was primary built with highend apartments for Soviet cultural leaders rather than politicians.

Red Gates Administrative Building

Main article: Ministry of Construction of Heavy Industry

Designed by Alexey Dushkin of the Moscow Metro fame, this mixed-use block of 11-storey buildings is crowned with a slim tower (total height 133 meters, 24 levels).

In this case, cryotechnology was indeed used for the escalator tunnels connecting the building with the Krasniye Vorota subway station. The building's frame was erected deliberately tilted to one side; when the frozen soil thawed, it settled down - although not enough for a perfect horizontal level. Then the builders warmed the soil by pumping hot water; this worked too well, the structure slightly overreacted, tilting to the opposite side but well within tolerance.

Zaryadye Administrative Building (never built)

Main article: Eighth Sister (Moscow)

Chechulin's draft for the Eighth Sister

In 1934, the Commissariat for Heavy Industries initiated a design contest for its new building on Red Square (on the site of State Universal Store, GUM). A last showcase for constructivists, this contest didn't materialize and GUM still stands.

In 1947, the nearby medieval Zaryadye district was razed to make way for the new 32story, 275-meter tower (the numbers are quoted as in the 1951 finalized draft). It is sometimes associated with the Ministry of Heavy Machinery, the same institution that ran a contest in 1934. However, in all public documents of this time its name is simply

the administrative building, without any specific affiliation. Likewise, association with Lavrentiy Beria is mostly anecdotal.

The tower, designed by Chechulin, was supposed to be the second largest after the University. Eventually, the plans were cancelled at the foundation stage; these foundations were used later for the construction of the Rossiya Hotel (also by Chechulin, 1967, demolished 2006-2007).

Other cities

While many cities in the former USSR and former Soviet Bloc countries have Stalinist towers on top of them, few fall in the same league as the Moscow vysotki. Of these

three, Hotel Ukraina in Kiev was completed in stripped-down form, without the tower and steeple originally planned for them.

Kiev: Hotel Moscow - Hotel Ukraina

Plans to build a skyscraper on the site of the destroyed Ginzburg Hotel emerged in 1948, but the design was finalized by Anatoly Dobrovolsky as late as 1954, when Stalinist architecture was already doomed. Building work proceeded slowly, with numerous political orders to make it simpler and cheaper. It was completed in 1961, without a tower, steeple and any original ornaments.

Related buildings

Many Stalinist buildings have tower crowns, but they do not belong to the vysotki project and their style is completely different. This is evident in Chechulin's Peking building. Seen from a low point of the Garden Ring south, it could be mistaken for a skyscraper, but if viewed from Mayakovsky square it is clear that the building is far less imposing. There are also several smaller Stalinesque towers in Barnaul, St. Petersburg and other cities. Design and construction of such towers became widespread in the early 1950s, although many ongoing projects were cancelled in 1955, when regional "skyscrapers" were specifically addressed by Nikita Khrushchev's decree "On liquidation of architectural excesses..." as unacceptable expense.

Triumph Palace, Moscow, 2003

The high-profile Triumph Palace tower in north-western Moscow (3, Chapayevsky Lane), completed in December, 2003, attempts to imitate the vysotki, and actually exceeds the

University building in structural height. It is criticized for being placed deeply inside a residential mid-rise area, away from major avenues and squares, where it could be an important visual anchor. A close inspection reveals that this white-red tower has little in common with Stalinist style, except for sheer size and layered tower outline[citation needed]. It competes for the 'Eighth Vysotka' title with an earlier Edelweiss Tower in western Moscow[citation needed]. Construction began in 2001. The 57-story building, containing about 1,000 luxury apartments, was topped out on December 20, 2003, making it Europe's tallest building at 264.1 metres or 867 feet. The previous title holder was

the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt. From 2010 to mid-2012, the tallest building in Moscow (and Europe) was the 306 metres (1,004 ft) Moscow Tower of the City of

Capitals complex, until overtaken on July 5, 2012 (official inauguration day) by London's The Shard skyscraper.

The Kremlin

Passing the Kremlin

So magnificent, so...Russian! You'll see the State Kremlin Palace, Archangelsky Cathedral and even Ivan the Great Bell Tower!

The name Kremlin means "fortress", and is often used as a metonym to refer to

the government of the Soviet Union (1922–1991) and its highest members (such as general secretaries, premiers, presidents, ministers, and commissars), in the same way that the metonymÉlysée Palace refers to the President of the French Republic, the White

House refers to the Executive Office of the President of the United States and Number 10 Downing Street or Whitehall refers to the Offices of Prime Minister of the United

Kingdom and the British Government. It is still used in reference to the government of the

Russian Federation and even the Russian President's official website isKremlin.ru.

"Kremlinology" refers to the study of Soviet and Russian politics.

You'll also have a glance at St. Basil's Cathedral, but that's just a sneak preview. To really see the Kremlin, set your foot on the shore, check your camera batteries and storage, take a deep breath and walk inside. It's an entire adventure!

The Kremlin Is Worth A Thousand Words!

The Kremlin is the oldest part of Moscow. It is the historical, political and social "heart" of the nation. It was built in 1147 - more than 860 years ago!

Nearly every building inside the Kremlin belongs to history. Unfortunately, many did not survive the Communist regime.

Such was the sad story of Chudov Monastery, which was built in 1365 and demolished in

1929, together with precious icons and artwork.

Moscow Kremlin has seen Tsars, Soviet leaders and Russian Presidents. These days, it's a major decision-making center, just like it used to be.

I guess some things never change...

But enough with the history. Let's get practical, shall we? There is sooo much you can see!

First of all, get to the Cathedral Square - the center of Moscow Kremlin. You will see three cathedrals.

The first one is called The Dormition Cathedral, or Uspensky Sobor. There were two attempts to build it. The first cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake. Now, if I lived back then - I would surely say it was an omen!

Nevertheless, Ivan III had the nerve to try again. So he invited the Italian architect to rebuild the cathedral, and it was finished in 1479. The persistence paid off, and now this place is all yours to admire!

The second cathedral is The Cathedral of the Archangel. In Russian, it's called Archangelsky Sobor.

Constructed around 1508, it is a home of many beautiful frescoes, icons, and stonework.

In fact, the collection of icons is so large it goes up for 13 meters!

Many of the Russian kings are buried there, including Ivan the Terrible.You can actually see the ornamented tombstones inside the cathedral!

...and it was also a place to celebrate military victories of the Russian empire.

The Cathedral of the Annunciation, or Blagoveschensky sobor, is the last of the tree cathedrals on the square.

Walk through the bronze, gold foiled doors, and dive into the distant past!

Look at the walls - do you see these beautiful murals painted by a famous greek artist Theodosius?

And the icons - aren't they great? Some of them date back to 14th century, and were created by a famous Russian painter, Andrey Rublev.

Check out the whitestone portals on north and west entrances. Aren't they something? Apart from the cathedrals, take a look at the The Palace of the Facets.

This building used to be the reception hall of the Muscovite Tsars. Built it in 1491 by Italian architects,it is used to hold the receptions up until today!

The interior is fabulous. The halls are broad, and the artwork is so uniquely Russian! See the Red Porch? The Tsars walked down that staircase on the way to their coronation. The Red Porch was demolished during Stalin rule, and restored with great effort only in

1994.

By the way, The Palace of the Facets earned its name because of its special facade.

One more building on Cathedral Square deserves your attention. It's Ivan the Great Bell Tower.

This beauty's height is 81 meters. It's the tallest of all the Kremlin bell towers. In the past, it was forbidden to build anything higher than this belfry in the entire Moscow!

It's almost 700 years old. Some say it marks Moscow's geographic center.

This glorious tower pleases the eye with its golden domes, crosses, and nobility. Did you know that not taking a picture of it is a criminal offence in Russia?

Just kidding. But if it doesn't impress you, I don't know

what will.

Moving on.

The Kremlin Armory is a must see!

Established in 1808, this is one of Moscow's oldest museums.

It was originally used as the royal arsenal, responsible for purchasing and storing weapons.

It also took care of jewelry, regalia and other articles of the Tsars.

As you walk the Armory, Russian history unfolds before your eyes. You see historic outfits, swords, muskets, carriages, and armor.

The luxury will stun you!

Get ready to see the Imperial Crown of Russia, the ivory throne of Ivan the Terrible, the collection of Faberge eggs, huge Orloff diamond, Western and Eastern European artwork decorated with precious stones, et cetera, et cetera.

No words could possibly describe it. You've got to see the Armory with your own eyes!

The collection is fascinating. After you've seen it all, you will have this urge to start all over again.

Don't worry - I felt the same. But hey, you can always come back, right?

To conclude our tour, let me introduce you with Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon.

Tsar Cannon is basically a large cannon that was meant to protect the Kremlin. Some experts suggest it was made just for a show, and it's impossible to use it.

In any case, most of them agree that the cannon has never been fired.

It is nicely decorated,though. Take a picture near those two-ton cannonballs piled nearby. Tsar Bell is a... large bell that has never been rung! It was founded from bronze in 1735, and bears beautiful ornaments.

In 1737, when the bell was still in the casting pit, a fire broke out in the workshop. Because of that, a huge piece cracked off, rendering the bell unusable.

It sit in the casting pit for another century. In 1836 it was put near Ivan the Great Bell Tower.

Some people believe that on the Judgement Day, it will ring from the heavens. Well, you can never know...

You've pretty much learned all the popular spots in the Kremlin. As a bonus, you can visit the Kremlin Senate, the Arsenal (not to be confused with Armory), and The Grand Kremlin Palace.

And did you visit The Red Square?

I haven't covered all of the sights. There's more to Moscow river boat trips than you read, but that will be our little surprise.

Cheers!