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Unrealised design for the Palace of Soviets, Moscow, by Boris Iofan, 1933

Stalinist architecture (also referred to as Stalin's Empire style or Socialist Classicism) is a term given to constructions that were built in the Soviet Union between 1933, when Boris Iofan's draft for Palace of Soviets was officially approved, and 1955, when Nikita Khruschev condemned excesses of the past decades and disbanded the Soviet Academy of Architecture. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File links Information_icon. ... Image File history File links Palace-of-soviets. ... Image File history File links Palace-of-soviets. ... Categories: Buildings in Moscow | Soviet Union | Stub ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... Iofans Palace of Soviets design Iofans House on Embankmemt, present day Boris Mihailovic Iofan (April 28, 1891–1976) is a Russian Soviet architect, known for his Stalinist architecture buldings like 1931 House on Embankment and the 1931-1933 winning draft of the Palace of Soviets. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვი&#4314... Empire is an early 19th century style of architecture and furniture design that and originates from Napoleons rule of France. ... Iofans Palace of Soviets design Iofans House on Embankmemt, present day Boris Mihailovic Iofan (April 28, 1891–1976) is a Russian Soviet architect, known for his Stalinist architecture buldings like 1931 House on Embankment and the 1931-1933 winning draft of the Palace of Soviets. ... Categories: Buildings in Moscow | Soviet Union | Stub ... Nikita Khrushchev in 1962 Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (Russian: Ники́та Серге́евич Хрущёв) (nih-KEE-tah khroo-SHCHYOFF) (April 17, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was the leader of the Soviet Union...

Features

Typical Stalinist: Peking Hotel in Moscow, 1946-1955

Stalinist architecture is not as such of a true architectural style that is distinct in appearance. Instead it is a from in the way the state communicated with the masses through constructions, using them for Soviet totalitarian expression. The final result is the striking parade monumentalism, the patriotic art decorations and at the same time traditional motives blended together in what has become one of the most vivid examples of Soviet contribution to architecture. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 372 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (400 × 645 pixel, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 372 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (400 × 645 pixel, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... The concept of Totalitarianism is a typology or ideal-type used by some political scientists to encapsulate the characteristics of a number of twentieth century regimes that mobilized entire populations in support of the state or an ideology. ...

The ensemble that a Stalinist building will contain can be very broad, not only in the overall motif, but also in the technology that lies underneath the rich decorations.

In the Soviet policy of rationalisation of the country, all cities were built to a general development plan. Each was split into regions, with allotments drawn based on the city's geography. As a result, one of the biggest features of Stalinist buildings were the scale at which they would be built, as projects would be drawn up for whole districts, visibly transforming the city's architectural image. Planning each project would be assigned to individuals. In the Stalinist militarist society, this would mean that most projects were a result of whole brigades including architects engineers and artists that were in turn supervised by superiors. Militarism is the ideology that military strength is the source of all security. ...

One of the 22 rejected projects for Kiev's reconstruction

Every point in the design had to gain approval of the state. The critique that would come down on a project would vary from slight recommendations to total disapproval. As a result many had to be modeled and remodeled many times. This also had a direct effect on the architects themselves, many of whom would later describe this period as not on what they should build, but on what they are not allowed to include. For example floral motifs of Art Nouveau were never allowed. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Poster by Alfons Mucha Vitebsk Railway Station one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture. ...

The interaction of the state with the architects would prove to be one of the most focal points of this time. The same building could be declared a formalist blasphemy once, and receive the highest praise the next year,^[1] True styles like Zholtovsky's Renaissance Revival, Ivan Fomin's St.Petersburg Neoclassical Revival and Art Deco adaptation by Alexey Dushkin and Vladimir Schuko coexisted with pale imitations and eclectics that became a symbol of that era. The term formalist can have many applications: The Chambers 1994 edition Dictionary indicates a pejorative quality, a person having an exaggerated regard to rules or established usages. In the philosophy of mathematics a formalist is a person who belongs to the school of formalism, a certain mathematical-philosophical doctrine which... Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ... Ivan Aleksandrovich Fomin (February 3, 1872, Oryol – June 12, 1936, Moscow) was a Russian architect and educator. ... Asheville City Hall. ... Alexey Nikolayevich Dushkin (24 December 1904 - 8 October 1977) was a Soviet architect, best known for his 1930s designs of Kropotkinskaya and Mayakovskaya stations of Moscow Metro. ... Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases. ...

At the same time, most of the Soviet political repressions affected only a few architects. This was partly because some of the older generation had good construction and management skills as well as experience with bureaucratical affairs. Moreover Stalin's personal relations guaranteed immunity to many of them. The Soviet Union was a single-party state where the Communist Party officially ruled the country according to the Soviet constitution [1]. All key positions in the institutions of the state were occupied by members of the Communist Party. ...

Technology

Wet stucco over masonry. Early elite block, Patriarshy Ponds, Moscow. Art deco adaptation by by Vladimir Vladimirov

A sanatorium in Saratov, very common provincial application of Stalinist style

In terms of technology methods, most of the structures, underneath the rich wet stucco walls, is simple brick masonry. Exceptions was Andery Burov's medium sized concrete block panel houses (such as the Lace building, 1939-41) and of course large buildings like the Seven sisters which necessitated the use of concrete. The Masonry naturally dictated narrow windows, thus leaving large wall area to be decorated. Fireproof terra cotta finishes were introduced in the early 1950s. ^[2], though this rarely reached outside Moscow.^[3]. Most of the roofing was traditional wooden trusses covered with metallic sheets. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 608 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (640 × 631 pixel, file size: 73 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 608 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (640 × 631 pixel, file size: 73 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Patriarshy Ponds (Russian Патриаршие пруды, nickname Patriki - Патрики) is an old wealthy district in Moscow, an exclusive residential area in the center of the city. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 523 pixel Image in higher resolution (1200 × 785 pixel, file size: 197 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 523 pixel Image in higher resolution (1200 × 785 pixel, file size: 197 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Stucco is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water which is applied wet, and hardens when it dries. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Masonry. ... Masonry in action; a Mason at work. ... Terra cotta is a hard semifired waterproof ceramic clay used in pottery and building construction. ... In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a static structure consisting of straight slender members inter-connected at joints into triangular units. ...

Since 1948, technology improves, at least in Moscow - in favor of faster and cheaper processes; houses become safer by eliminating wooden ceilings and partitions. The standardized buildings of 1948-1955 offer the same level of housing quality as Stalinist classics, are classified as such by real estate agents, but are excluded from the scope of Stalinist architecture: ideologically, they belong to mass housing, an intermediate step before Khrushchyovka. They are presented in this article as much as is necessary to draw the line between two eras. Panel khrushchovka in Tomsk Brick khrushchovka Khrushchovka (Russian: ) is a type of low-cost panelled or brick three to five-storied apartment building which was introduced in Nikita Khrushchevs time in the USSR. // Traditional masonry Stalinist architecture was expensive and labor-intensive. ...

Scope

1931 House on Embankment by Boris Iofan. A home for Stalin's elite, but not Stalinist architecture yet.

Stalinist architecture does not equate to everything built in Stalin’s era. It relied on labor-intensive and time-consuming masonry, and could not be scaled up to the needs of mass construction. When time finally came to tackle the housing crisis, this inefficiency spelled the end of Stalinist architecture and a turn to mass construction while Stalin was still alive and active. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x684, 245 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture Boris Iofan User:NVO/draft7 House on Embankment Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x684, 245 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture Boris Iofan User:NVO/draft7 House on Embankment Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added... The House on Embankment is a block-wide apartment house in downtown Moscow, Russia. ... Iofans Palace of Soviets design Iofans House on Embankmemt, present day Boris Mihailovic Iofan (April 28, 1891–1976) is a Russian Soviet architect, known for his Stalinist architecture buldings like 1931 House on Embankment and the 1931-1933 winning draft of the Palace of Soviets. ...

Although Stalin rejected Constructivism, completion of constructivist buildings extended through the 1930s. Industrial construction, boosted by Albert Kahn and later supervised by Victor Vesnin^[4], was heavily influenced by modernist ideas. It was not as important to Stalin's urban plans, so most industrial buildings (excluding megaprojects like the Moscow Canal) do not fall into the Stalinist category. Even the first stage of the Moscow Metro, completed in 1935, was not on Stalin’s watch list, and so included substantial constructivist input.^[5] Constructivist architecture was a form of modern architecture that flourished in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and early 1930s. ... Albert Kahn (March 21, 1869 — December 8, 1942) was the foremost American industrial architect of his day. ... Mostorg department store, 1928 Viktor Aleksandrovic Vesnin (Russian:Aleksandr Aleksandrovic Vesnin) (born 1882, Yuryevets - died 1950, Moscow), together with his brothers Leonid Aleksandrovic Vesnin and Alexander Aleksandrovic Vesnin he was a leading light of Constructivist architecture. ... A megaproject is an extremely large scale investment project. ... Moscow Canal (Russian: Канал имени Москвы; former name - Moscow-Volga Canal (until 1947)) is a canal that connects the Moskva River with the main transportation artery of European Russia - the Volga. ... A current official map of the Moscow Metro. ...

Thus, the scope of Stalinist architecture is generally limited to urban public and residential buildings of high and middle quality, excluding mass housing, and selected infrastructure projects like theMoscow Canal, the Volga-Don Canal, and the latter stages of the Moscow Metro. Moscow Canal (Russian: Канал имени Москвы; former name - Moscow-Volga Canal (until 1947)) is a canal that connects the Moskva River with the main transportation artery of European Russia - the Volga. ... The Lenin Volga-Don Shipping Canal (In Russian Волго-Донской судоходный канал имени В. И. Ленина) is a canal, which connects the Volga River and the Don River in a closest location between them. ... A current official map of the Moscow Metro. ...

Background (1900-1931)

Before 1917, Russian architectural scene was divided between Russky Modern (a local interpretation of Art Nouveau, stronger in Moscow), and Neoclassical Revival (stronger in Saint Petersburg)^[6]. Neoclassical school produced mature architects like Alexey Shchusev, Ivan Zholtovsky, Ivan Fomin, Vladimir Schuko and Alexander Tamanian^[7]; by the time of Revolution they were established professionals in their fourties, with their own firms, schools and followers. These people will eventually become Stalin's architectural elders and produce best examples of his period.
Poster by Alfons Mucha Vitebsk Railway Station one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Alexey Viktorovich Shchusev (Russian: ) (September 26, 1873, Kishinev—May 24, 1949, Moscow) was an acclaimed Russian architect whose works may be regarded as a bridge connecting Revivalist architecture of Imperial Russia with Stalins Empire Style. ... Ivan Vladislavovich Zholtovsky (Иван Владиславович Жолтовский, 1867-1959) was a Russian-Soviet architect and educator. ... Ivan Aleksandrovich Fomin (February 3, 1872, Oryol – June 12, 1936, Moscow) was a Russian architect and educator. ... Alexander Tamanian (1878-1936) was an Armenian architect, who is remembered today for his work in the city of Yerevan. ...

Another school that emerged after the Revolution is now known as Constructivism. Some of Constructivists (the Vesnin brothers) were young professionals who established themselves before 1917, others have just completed professional education (Konstantin Melnikov) or didn't have any. They associated themselves with vocal groups of modern artists, compensating lack of experience with public exposure. When New Economic Policy turned the nation to post-war reconstruction, publicity paid back with real architectural commissions. Experience does not come overnight, and many constructivist buildings were fairly critisized for irrational floorplans, cost overruns and low build quality^{[8] [9]}.
Constructivist architecture was a form of modern architecture that flourished in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and early 1930s. ... The Vesnin brothers were three brothers who became leading lights of the Russian Constructivist architecture movement during the 1920s. ... One of buildings designed by Melnikov Konstantin Stepanovitch Melnikov (Russian Константин Степанович Мельников; July 22 (August 3) 1890, Moscow - November 28, 1974, Moscow) was a Russian architect and major figure member of the Constructivist avant-garde in the early 20th century. ... Silver Ruble 1924 Gold Chervonetz (1979) The New Economic Policy (NEP) (Russian: Новая экономическая политика - Novaya Ekonomicheskaya Politika or НЭП) was officially decided in the course of the 10th Congress of the All-Russian Communist Party. ...

For a short period of time (New Economic Policy of mid-1920s), architectural profession operated the old-fashioned way, with private firms, international contests, competitive bidding and paper wars in professional magazines. Foreign architects were welcomed, especially in the end of this period, when the Great Depression cut down their jobs at home (Ernst May, Albert Kahn, Le Corbusier)^[10]. The line between traditionalists and constructivists was not abslolute. Zholtovsky and Shchusev hired modernists as junior partners in their projects^[11], and at the same time incorporated constructivist novelties in their own designs^[12].
Silver Ruble 1924 Gold Chervonetz (1979) The New Economic Policy (NEP) (Russian: Новая экономическая политика - Novaya Ekonomicheskaya Politika or НЭП) was officially decided in the course of the 10th Congress of the All-Russian Communist Party. ... The Great Depression was a time of economic downturn, which started after the Stock Market Crash on October 29, 1929, also known as Black Tuesday. ... Ernst May (July 27, 1886, Frankfurt am Main—September 11, 1970, Hamburg) was a German architect and city planner. ... Albert Kahn (March 21, 1869 — December 8, 1942) was the foremost American industrial architect of his day. ... Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, widely known as Le Corbusier (October 6, 1887– August 27, 1965), was a French Swiss born architect, famous for his contributions to what is now called modernism, or the International Style. ...

Urban planning developed separately. Housing crisis in big cities and industrialization of remote areas called for mass housing construction, development of new territories and reconstruction of old cities. Theorists devised a variety of strategies and caused hot politicized discussions without practical output; State intervention was imminent.

The beginning (1931-1933)

Textile Institute (Moscow), constructivist building completed 1938

Stalinism by constructivist Ilya Golosov, Moscow, completed 1941

This section is based on Dmitry Khmelnitsky's "Stalin and Architecture" (Russian: www.archi.ru) Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Zuev Workers Club, 1926 Ilya Alexandrovich Golosov (born 1883, Moscow - died 1945, Moscow) was a Russian Constructivist architect and brother of Panteleimon Golosov. ...

Stalin's personal taste in architecture and his own input to it remains, for the most part, a matter of deduction, conjecture and anecdotal evidence. The facts, or their reflection in public Soviet documents, revolve around the Palace of Soviets contest of 1931-1933:

• February, 1931, leading Soviet architects received invitations to bid for the Palace of Soviets concept (first contest)
• June, 1931, the Party Plenum authorized three megaprojects: Reconstruction of Moscow, Moscow Canal and Moscow Metro.
• July 1931, architects presented 15 concepts. Then a second, open, international contest is announced
• February, 1932, second contest prize was awarded equally to 3 drafts (Iofan, Zholtovsky, Hector Hamilton). All modernist designs were discarded.
• March, 1932, 12 architects received an invitation to the third contest.
• April, 1932, Party outlawed all independent artistic associations. Victor Vesnin is assigned to lead the official Union of Soviet architects.
• July, 1932, 5 architects receive an invitation to the fourth contest.
• August, 1932, Stalin (then in Sochi) wrote a memo to Voroshilov, Molotov and Kaganovich. He explained his vision of contest entries, picked Iofan's draft and proposed specific changes to it. This memo, published in 2001, is the base for all conjectures on Stalin's personal input.
• February, 1933, contest closed, no winner announced
• May, 1933, public approval of Iofan's draft.
• September, 1933, all Moscow architects were assigned to 20 Mossovet workshops, most of them headed by traditionalist architects (Shchusev, Zholtovsky etc.). Once-independent profession joined the ranks of State.

The architects invited to lead these workshops included traditionalists - Ivan Zholtovsky, Alexey Shchusev, Ivan Fomin, Boris Iofan, Nikolai Kolli, Vladimir Schuko, but also practicing constructivists: Ilya Golosov, Panteleimon Golosov, Konstantin Melnikov, Victor Vesnin, Moisei Ginzburg and Nikolai Ladovsky. This set an important trend until 1955. Stalin chose Iofan for one project, but retained all competing arhitects in his employ. As Dmitry Khmelnitsky put it, "Comparison with Nazi architecture works to some degree, yet there is a major difference. Stalin never picked a single architect, or a single style, as Hitler picked Speer. No elite group could claim victory ... neither constructivists, nor traditionalists... Stalin forged his "Speer" from whatever he could find." Moscow Canal (Russian: Канал имени Москвы; former name - Moscow-Volga Canal (until 1947)) is a canal that connects the Moskva River with the main transportation artery of European Russia - the Volga. ... A current official map of the Moscow Metro. ... Coordinates: Russia Russia District Southern Russia Subdivision Krasnodar Krai Incorporated 1896 Government  - Major Viktor Kolodyazhny Area  - City 3,508 km²  (1,354. ... Marshal of the Soviet Union Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (Климе́нт Ефре́мович Вороши́лов) (January 23, 1881 - December 2, 1969) was a Soviet military commander and... Molotov can refer to: Vyacheslav Molotov - a Soviet politician and diplomat under Stalin The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, signed by Molotov, also known as the Nazi-Soviet Pact The Molotov Line, a line of fortifications built by the Soviet Union in World War II following the Nazi-Soviet Pact Molotov cocktail... Lazar Kaganovich Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich (Ла́зарь Моисе́евич Кагано́вич) (November 22, 1893–July 25, 1991) was a Soviet politician and a supporter of Joseph Stalin. ... Mossovet (Моссовет), an abbreviation of Moscow Soviet of Peoples Deputies, was the informal name of parallel, shadow city administration of Moscow, Russia run by left-wing parties in 1917 city administration of Moscow in Soviet period (1918-1991). ... Zuev Workers Club, 1926 Ilya Alexandrovich Golosov (born 1883, Moscow - died 1945, Moscow) was a Russian Constructivist architect and brother of Panteleimon Golosov. ... Panteleimon Alexandrovich Golosov (born 1882, Moscow - died 1945, Moscow) was a Russian Constructivist architect and brother of Ilya Golosov. ... One of buildings designed by Melnikov Konstantin Stepanovitch Melnikov (Russian Константин Степанович Мельников; July 22 (August 3) 1890, Moscow - November 28, 1974, Moscow) was a Russian architect and major figure member of the Constructivist avant-garde in the early 20th century. ... Mostorg department store, 1928 Viktor Aleksandrovic Vesnin (Russian:Aleksandr Aleksandrovic Vesnin) (born 1882, Yuryevets - died 1950, Moscow), together with his brothers Leonid Aleksandrovic Vesnin and Alexander Aleksandrovic Vesnin he was a leading light of Constructivist architecture. ... Competition entry for the Palace of the Soviets, 1934 Moisei Ginzburg (Russian: ) (June 4, 1892 [O.S. May 23],Minsk – January 7, 1946, Moscow) was a Soviet constructivist architect, best known for his 1929 Narkomfin Communal House in Moscow. ... Collective House, 1921 Metro Station, 1935 Nikolai Alexandrovich Ladovsky (born 1881, Moscow - died 1941, Moscow) was a Russian Constructivist architect. ... Germany pavilion at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne in Paris, 1937. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Another important point is that before cracking down independent groups, Stalin's megaprojects created thousands of professional jobs. As a result, once-vocal youth was absorbed into real-world practice, and abstained from discussions, just like the elders. They had jobs to do.

Pre-war Stalinist architecture (1933-1941)

Early Stalinism (1933-1935)

Propaganda statue in front of Ilya Golosov's building

The first years of Stalinist arhitecture are marked by standalone buildings, or, at most, single-block development projects. Building up vast spaces of Moscow proved far more difficult than razing historical districts. Three most important Moscow buildings of this time stand on the same square, all built in 1931-1935, yet each draft evolved independently, with little regard to overall ensemble (see prewar movie stills 1936 1938 1939). Each set it's own vector of development for the next two decades. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (600 × 800 pixel, file size: 100 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture Ilya... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (600 × 800 pixel, file size: 100 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture Ilya...

• Mokhovaya Street Building by Zholtovsky, an Italian Renaissance fantasy, is a direct precursor of post-war exterior luxury (Stalin's Empire). However, it's size is in line with nearby XIX century buildings.
• Moskva Hotel by Shchusev, grim and heavy, dwarfs everything around it. This line of development was uncommon in Moscow (a tower on top of Tchaikovsky Hall was never completed), but similar grand edifices appeared in Baku and Kiev. Slim roman arches of Moskva balconies were common all over the country in 1930s. After the war they persisted in southern cities but disappeared from Moscow scene.
• Finally, Arkady Langman's STO Building (later Gosplan, currently, State Duma) - a modest but not grim structure with strong vertical detailing. This style, a clever adaptation of American Art Deco, required expensive stone and metal finishes, thus the limited following - House of Soviets in Leningrad, topped out in 1941, and Tverskaya Street in Moscow.

А separate line of development, called early stalinism or postconstructivism,^[13] evolved in 1932-1938. It can be traced both to simplified Art Deco (Schuko, Iofan), and to indigenous constructivism, slowly migrating to neoclassicism (Ilya Golosov, Vladimir Vladimirov). These buildings retain simple rectangular shapes and large glass surfaces of constructivism, but they already have ornate balconies, porticos and columns (usually, rectangular and very lightweight). By 1938, it went out of style and has not recovered after the war. Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ... View on the hotel from Manege Square. ... Municipality: Baku Area: 1000 km² Altitude: -28 m Population: 2,074,300 census 2003 Population density: 1280 persons/km² Postal Code: AZ10 Area code: +99412 Municipality code: BA Latitude: 41° 01 52 N Longitude: 21° 20 25 E Weather types: 9 of 11 Mayor: Hajibala Abutalybov The Baku region. ... Location Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted. ... Gosplan (Госпла́н) was the committee for economic planning in the Soviet Union. ... For other uses, see State Duma (disambiguation). ... Asheville City Hall. ... Tverskaya (Тверская) is a Moscow Metro station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line. ... Moscow, Park Kultury, Entrance pavillion, by G.T.Krutikov, V.S.Popov, 1935, demolished 1949. ...

Mokhovaya Street Building, by Ivan Zholtovsky, 1931-1934 Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 557 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (640 × 689 pixel, file size: 121 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture Ivan...

Moskva Hotel, by Alexey Shchusev, 1932-1935 Image File history File links Manege4. ...

STO Building, by Arkady Langman, 1932-1935 Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 730 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (800 × 657 pixel, file size: 132 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User...

Norhern River Terminal of Moscow Canal, by Alexey Rukhlyadev, 1937 Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Moscow Master Plan (1935)

Standalone projects threatened to become a mess of styles and sizes. In July, 1935 the State evaluated the results and finally issued a decree on Moscow Master Plan. The Plan, among other things, projected a clear message of Stalin's urban development ideas:

• New development must proceed by whole ensembles, not by standalone buildings.
• City block size should increase from current 1.5-2 to to 9-15 ha.
• New development must be limited in density to 400 person per 1 ha.
• Buildings should be at least 6 story high; 7-10-14 story on first-rate streets.
• Embankments are first-rate streets, only zoned for first-rate housing and offices^[14]

These rules effectively banned low-cost, mass construction in the old city and first-rate streets, as well as single-family homebuilding. Low-cost development proceeded in remote areas, but most funds were diverted to new, expensive ensemble projects which placed facade grandeur above real-world needs of overcrowded cities. A hectare (symbol ha) is a unit of area, equal to 10 000 square metres, commonly used for measuring land area. ... A hectare (symbol ha) is a unit of area, equal to 10 000 square metres, commonly used for measuring land area. ...

Moscow Canal (1932-1938)

Main article: Moscow Canal

Please help improve this article by expanding this section. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded. This article has been tagged since February 2007.

Moscow Canal (Russian: Канал имени Москвы; former name - Moscow-Volga Canal (until 1947)) is a canal that connects the Moskva River with the main transportation artery of European Russia - the Volga. ... Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ...

Moscow Avenues (1938-1941)

Rosenfeld's twin towers in Dorogomilovo, 1946 completion of 1938-1941 development plan

In late 1930s, construction industry gained enough experience for large, multi-block urban redevelopment - so far, in just one city. Three most important Moscow projects were Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 93 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 93 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User...

• Gorky Street (Tverskaya), where Arkady Mordvinov tested the so-called flow methode of simultaneously managing building sites in different stages of completion. In 1937-1939, Mordvinov completes rebuilding the central stretch of Gorky Street to Boulevard Ring (with some exclusions like Mossovet headquarters).
• Dorogomilovo (including part of present-day Kutuzovsky Prospekt). Unlike uniform, tight rows of buildings of Gorky Street, Dorogomilovo road was lined with very different buildings, with wide spaces between them. It was an experimental stretch for Burov, Rosenfeld and other rising architects. These buildings were not as thoroughly engineered, as on Tverskaya: wooden ceilings and partitions, wet stucco exterior lead to higher maintenance costs in the future. Yet it is here where the Stalin's Empire canon was forged, in its clearest form.
• Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya (now Leninsky Prospect), a similar greenfield development of standard block-wide buildings east of Gorky Park

Kutuzobsky 26, Brezhnev's home, Moscow-City behind. Tverskaya (Тверская) is a Moscow Metro station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line. ... Kharkiv Post Office Arkady Grigoryevich Mordvinov (Russian: ), born Arkady Grigorievich Mordvishev (Мордвишев, January 27, 1896 - 1964) was a Soviet architect and construction manager, notable for stalinist architecture of Tverskaya Street, Leninsky Prospect, Hotel Ukraina skyscraper in Moscow and his administrative role in Soviet construction industry and architecture. ... A facade on Tverskoy Boulevard The Boulevard Ring, russian: Бульварное кольцо, is a circular boulevard in the centre of Moscow, Russia. ... Mossovet (Моссовет), an abbreviation of Moscow Soviet of Peoples Deputies, was the informal name of parallel, shadow city administration of Moscow, Russia run by left-wing parties in 1917 city administration of Moscow in Soviet period (1918-1991). ... Coat of arms Dorogomilovo on the map of Moscow Dorogomilovo District (Russian: ) is a district in Western Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia. ... Kutuzovsky Prospekt with the triumphal arch Kutuzovsky Prospekt, (russian: Кутузовский Проспект), is a major thoroughfare in Moscow, Russia. ... Gorky Park (Moscow) - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 462 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 577 pixel, file size: 164 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev  listen? ( Russian: Леони́д Ильи́ч Бре́жнев) ( December 19, 1906 – November 10, 1982) was effective ruler of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982, though at first in partnership with... Moscow-City (Russian: Москва-Сити) or Moscow International Business Center (Московский Международный Деловой Центр) is a projected part of central Moscow, Russia. ...

Dorogomilovo West, city "gates" Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 398 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 498 pixel, file size: 141 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User...

Dorogomilovo West, city "gates". Obelisk added in 1990s. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 701 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (800 × 684 pixel, file size: 169 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User...

Slim mediterranean arches, typical for 1930s Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 586 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (600 × 614 pixel, file size: 95 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User...

Present-day Cosmos pavillion is one of 1939 originals, remodeled in 1950s. The rocket replaced Stalin's figure (of about the same size) - see pre-war movie still.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2566x1897, 442 KB) Photo made by my brother, Alex Zelenko. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2566x1897, 442 KB) Photo made by my brother, Alex Zelenko. ...

All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (1939)

Main article: All-Russia Exhibition Centre

In 1936, annual Agricultural Exhibition was transferred into a green field to the north of Moscow. By August 1, 1939, over 250 pavillions were built on 1.36 square kilometers. A 1937 statue by Vera Mukhina, once a Soviet showcase at Paris Expo, was rebuilt at the entrance gates. Pavillions were set in national styles of Soviet republics and regions; a walk of exhibition recreated a tour of the huge country. Central pavillion by Vladimir Schuko was remotely based on the abortive 1932 Palace of Soviets draft by Zholtovsky ^[15]. Unlike the "national" buildings, it didn't survive to date (central gates and major pavillions were rebuilt in early 1950s).
Exhibition grounds feature numerous fountains. ... A portrait of Vera Mukhina, the work of Russian artist Mikhail Nesterov The Worker and Kolhoz Woman Vera Ignatyevna Mukhina (Russian: ; July 1, 1889 [O.S. June 19] in Riga — 6 October 1953 in Moscow) was a prominent Soviet sculptor. ... The Soviet pavilion was crowned with a gigantic statue of Labourer and Kolkhoz Woman, by Vera Mukhina. ...

Surviving 1939 pavillions are the last and only sign of Stalin's monumental propaganda, concentrated in their original setting. Such propaganda pieces were not built to last (like Shchusev's War Trophy Hangar in Gorky Park), some were torn down during destalinization of 1956, others simply fell apart. Gorky Park (Moscow) - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... De-Stalinization and the Khrushchev era For further details, see Nikita Khrushchev After Stalin had died in March 1953, he was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and Georgi Malenkov as Premier of the Soviet Union. ...

Post-War (1944-1950)

Post-war architecture, sometimes perceived as a uniform style, was fragmented into at least four vectors of development

• Luxurious residential and office construction for the newly-emerged generation of Victors, the post-war elite
• Equally Victorious infrastructure projects (Metro in Leningrad and Moscow, Volga-Don Canal)
• Rebuilding war damage of Kiev, Smolensk, Stalingrad, Voronezh, and hundreds of smaller towns
• And the drive for new, low-cost technologies to resolve the housing crises, evident since 1948 and the official state policy since 1951
• Builging of new citys in especially in Siberia:Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Dzerzhinsk and others.

House of Lions, 1945, Patriarshy Ponds, Moscow. One-of-a-kind top level downtown residence.

Residential construction in post-war cities was clearly segregated according to the ranks of tenants. No effort was made to conceal luxuries; sometimes they were evident, sometimed deliberately exaggerated (in contrast with Iofan's stern House on Embankment). Country residencies of Stalin's near-royalties are on the top level; so is the 1945 House of Lions by Ivan Zholtovsky^[16], a luxurious downtown residence for Red Army Marshals. 1947 Marshals Apartments by Lev Rudnev, on the same block, is just a step down, also a top brass residence but in a less extravagant exterior package. There was a type of building for every level in Stalin's hierarchy^[17]. Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград) may mean: St. ... A view of Smolensk in 1912. ... Stalingrad is the former name of two cities: Volgograd, Russia Karviná-Nové Město, near Ostrava, Czech Republic Other uses: The Battle of Stalingrad (a major turning-point of World War II and arguably the bloodiest battle in human history) Stalingrad (German film set during the above battle) Stalingrad... Voronezh (Russian: ) is a large city in southwestern Russia, not far from Ukraine. ... Siberian Federal District (darker red) and the broadest definition of Siberia (red) arctic northeast Siberia Udachnaya pipe Siberia (Russian: , Sibir; Tatar: ) is a vast region of Russia constituting almost all of Northern Asia and comprising a large part of the Euro-Asian Steppe. ... Location of Novosibirsk in Russia and the Oblast Coordinates: Oblast Novosibirsk  - Mayor Vladimir Gorodetskiy Area    - City 447. ... Kemerovo (Russian: Кемерово) is an industrial city on the River Tom situated east-northeast of Novosibirsk in Siberia, Russia (55 25N 86 05E). ... Dzerzhinsk (Дзержинск) is a city of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia along the Oka River, about 240km east of Moscow. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 666 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (800 × 720 pixel, file size: 204 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture Ivan... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 666 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (800 × 720 pixel, file size: 204 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture Ivan... Patriarshy Ponds (Russian Патриаршие пруды, nickname Patriki - Патрики) is an old wealthy district in Moscow, an exclusive residential area in the center of the city. ... The House on Embankment is a block-wide apartment house in downtown Moscow, Russia. ... The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union (Russian: Marshal Sovietskogo Soyuza [Маршал Советского Союза]) was in practice the highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ... Lev Rudnev Lev Vladimirovich Rudnev (Russian: ; 13 March 1885 [O.S. 1 March]-November 19, 1956) was a Russian architect, representant of the Stalinist architecture. ...

High-class buildings can be easily identified by tell-tale details like spacing between windows, penthouses and bay windows. Sometimes, the relative ranks and occupation of tenants is reflected in ornaments, sometimes - in memorial plaques. Note that these are all Moscow features. In smaller cities, social elite usually fitted into just one or two classes; St.Petersburg always had a supply of pre-revolutionary luxury space. A penthouse apartment or penthouse is a special apartment on the top floor of a building. ... Bay windows in San Francisco, California. ...

Penthouse, pre-war postconstructivist building by Vladimir Vladimirov. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Entrance with side views for security guards. Marshals Apartments by Rudnev, 1947 Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 454 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (480 × 633 pixel, file size: 72 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User...

Details indicate social strata - House of Actors, Gorky Street Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Bay windows, another luxury sign, a late 1952 Rosenfeld block. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Volga-Don Canal (1948-1952)

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Main article: Volga-Don Canal

Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... The Lenin Volga-Don Shipping Canal (In Russian Волго-Донской судоходный канал имени В. И. Ленина) is a canal, which connects the Volga River and the Don River in a closest location between them. ...

Underground (1938-1958)

Main article: Moscow Metro

Moscow Metro, Elektrozavodskaya station (opened 1944)

This section is based on "70 years of Moscow Metro", a Russian edition of World Architecture Magazine, 2005. All station names are current, unless noted. A current official map of the Moscow Metro. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The first stage of Moscow Metro (1931-1935) emerged as just another city utility. There was a lot of propaganda about building it, but the subway itself wasn't perceived as a piece of propaganda. "Unlike other projects, Moscow Metro was never called Stalin's metro"^[18]. Old architects^[19] stayed away from Metro commissions, clearing the road to the young. Attitudes changed when the second stage work started in 1935. This time, subway was a political statement and enjoyed far better funding^[20]. Second stage produced such different examples of Stalinist style as Mayakovskaya (1938), Elektrozavodskaya and Partizanskaya (1944). 1944 stations were the first permanent Patriotic War memorial. edit Mayakovskaya vestibule Mayakovskaya Russian: , a Metro on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line, is one of the worlds best-known and most-photographed subway stations and a symbol of the Metro system. ... edit Elektrozavodskaya (Электрозаводская), located on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line, is one of the more spectacular and better-known stations on the Moscow Metro. ... edit Partizanskaya (Партизанская), known until 2005 as Izmaylovsky Park, is a station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. ...

Arbatskaya (deep alignment). Unusual parabolic vault instead of circular

After the war, architects waited in line for the Metro contests; it took 6 years to complete the first post-war line (a 6.4 stretch of the Ring Line. These stations were dedicated to Victory. No more Comintern^[21], no more World revolution, but a clear statement of victorious, nationalist Stalinism. Oktyabrskaya station by Leonid Polyakov was built like a Classicist temple, with a shiny white-blue altar behind iron gates - a complete departure from prewar atheism. To see this altar, rider had to pass a long row of plaster banners, bronze candlesticks and assorted military imagery. Park Kultury (2) featured true Gothic chandelliers, another departure. Metrostroy operated its own marble and carpentery factories, producing 150 solid, whole block marble columns for this short stretch. The second stretch of Ring line was a tribute to Heroic Labor (with the exception of Shchusev's Komsomolskaya, set up as a retelling of Stalin's speech of November 7, 1941). ^[22]. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... edit The Koltsevaya Line (Russian: ), also known as the Ring Line, is a line of the Moscow Metro. ... The Comintern (Russian: Коммунистический Интернационал, Kommunisticheskiy Internatsional – Communist International, also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organization founded in March 1919, in the midst of the war communism period (1918-1921), by Vladimir Lenin and the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik), which intended to fight by all available means, including... World revolution is a Marxist concept of a violent overthrow of capitalism that would take place in all countries, although not necessarily simultaneously. ... edit Oktyabrskaya (Октябрьская) is a station on the Koltsevaya Line of the Moscow Metro. ... edit Park Kultury (Russian: ) is a station on the Koltsevaya (Circle) Line of the Moscow Metro. ... edit Komsomolskaya (Russian: ) is a station on the Koltsevaya Line of the Moscow Metro, arguably the most opulent in a system known for its palatial stations. ...

VDNKh, opened in 1958, stripped of excesses. Green oil paint replaced Favorsky's mosaics.

April 4, 1953, the public learnt that a 1935 stretch from Alexandrovsky Sad, then Kalininskaya, to Kievskaya is closed for good and replaced with a brand-new, deep-alignment line. No official explanation of this expensive twist exists; all speculations revolve about bomb shelter function. One of the stations, Arbatskaya (2) by Leonid Polyakov, became the longest station in the system, 250 meters instead of standard 160, and probably the most extravagant. "To some extent, it is Moscow Petrine baroque, yet despite citations from historical legacy, this station is hyperbolic, ethereal and unreal" ^[23]. Actually, its vaults are parabolic. Image File history File linksMetadata Vdnkh. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Vdnkh. ... Alexandrovsky Sad Alexandrovsky Sad (Russian: ) is a Moscow Metro station on the Filyovskaya Line. ... edit Kievskaya (Киевская) is a station on the Filyovskaya Line of the Moscow Metro (though it was originally part of the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line). ... Arbatskaya Arbatskaya (Russian: ) is a station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. ...

Stalinist canon was officially condemned when two more stretches, to Luzhniki and VDNKh, were under construction. These stations, completed in 1957 and 1958 were mostly stripped of excesses, but architecturally they still belong to Stalin's lineage. The date of May 1, 1958 when the last of these stations opened, marks the end of all late Stalinist construction. Luzhniki may refer to: Luzhniki (locality), a locality in Moscow, Russia Luzhniki Palace of Sports, an arena in Moscow, Russia Luzhniki Stadium, a stadium in Moscow, Russia Category: ... VDNKh may refer to one of the following. ...

Seven Sisters (1947-1955)

Chechulin's draft for the never-built Zaryadye skyscraper

Echo of the Sisters: Fountain and central pavillion, All-Russian Exhibition (1954)

Main article: Seven Sisters (Moscow)

Stalin's 1946 idea of dotting Moscow skyline with skyscrapers resulted in a January, 1947 decree that started a six-year-long publicity campaign. By the time of official groundbreaking, September 1947, eight construction sites where identified (one, in Zaryadye, would be cancelled). Eight design teams, lead by the new generation of chief architects (37 to 62 years old), churned out numerous drafts; there was no open contest or evaluation commission, which is an indicator of Stalin's personal management. Image File history File links The 8th of Seven Sisters (Moscow), projected but not built in Zaryadye district of Kitai-gorod. ... Image File history File links The 8th of Seven Sisters (Moscow), projected but not built in Zaryadye district of Kitai-gorod. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x769, 219 KB) Summary http://fotocomp. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x769, 219 KB) Summary http://fotocomp. ... For other uses, see Seven Sisters. ... Zaryadye (Russian: ) is a historical district in Moscow established in 12-13th centuries within Kitai-gorod. ...

All lead architects were awarded Stalin prizes in April, 1949 for preliminary drafts; corrections and amendments followed until very late completion stages. All the buildings employed overengineered steel frames with concrete ceilings and masonry infill, based on concrete slab foundations (which sometimes required ingenious water retention technology).

Skyscraper project required a lot of new materials (especially ceramics) and technologies; solving these issues contributed to later housing and infrastructure development. However, it came at cost of slowing down regular construction, at a time when the country was lying in ruins. The toll of this project on real urban needs can be seen from these numbers:

• In 1947, 1948, 1949 Moscow built a total of 100000, 270000, and 405000 square meters of housing.
• The skyscrapers project exceeded 500000 square meters (at a higher cost per meter)^[24]

Similar skyscrapers were built in Warsaw and Riga; the tower in Kiev was completed without crown and steeple.
Palace of Culture and Science The Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki, PKiN) in Warsaw is a controversial gift from the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to the people of Warsaw in Poland, which, at the time (the 1950s), was a satellite state of the USSR... Latvian Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences is the official science academy of Latvia and is an association of the countrys foremost scientists. ... Location Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted. ...

Upward surge of the Sisters, publicised since 1947, was recreated in numerous smaller building across country. 8 to 12 story high towers marked the 4-5 story high ensembles of post-war regional centers. The Central Pavillion of All-Russia Exhibition Centre, reopened in 1954, is 90 meters high, has a cathedral-like main hall, 35 meters high, 25 meters wide with Stalinist sculpture and murals ^[25].
Exhibition grounds feature numerous fountains. ... A cathedral is a religious building for worship, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican and some Lutheran churches, which serves as a bishops seat, and thus as the central church of a diocese. ...

Dual towers, flanking major city squares, can be found from Berlin to Siberia:

Moscow, Gagarin square; note different finishes Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1134 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Russian architecture Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Gagarin may refer to: Yuri Gagarin, the first man to travel in outer space. ...	Minsk, Railway Terminal square Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 628 KB) Photo made by my mother, Hanna Zelenko. ... Location Location of Minsk, shown within the Minsk Voblast Government Country Subdivision Belarus Minsk Founded 1067 Mayor Mikhail Pavlov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 305. ...	Berlin, Frankfurter Tor Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 998 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture Hermann... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...	Kharkiv, Railway Station Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Location Map of Ukraine with Kharkov highlighted. ...
Red Square in Kursk Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 276 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kursk Architecture Metadata... Kursk (Russian: ; pronunciation: koorsk; IPA: ) is a city in the western part of Central Russia, at the confluence of Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. ...	Novosibirsk opera and ballet theatre seen from the sky Image File history File links Theatre32. ... The theatre and Lenin monument in front of it Novosibirsk opera and ballet theatre (in Russian Новосибирский театр оперы и балета) is the most important theatre of Novosibirsk and Siberia. ...

Rebuilding Kiev (1944-1955)

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Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... Hotel Ukrayina (Ukrainian: , Russian: ) is a three-star Hotel in central Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. ...

Regional varieties

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Soviet Embassy (1952), Helsinki.

National republics were entitled to develop their own Stalinist styles, with more or less freedom. When local forces were not enough, Russian architects were summoned (Shchusev designed an oriental-looking theater in Tashkent, etc.). Alexander Tamanian, appointed as the chief architect of Yerevan, is largely responsible for the Armenian variety of Stalinist arhitecture. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 2. ... Tashkent Tashkent (Uzbek: , Russian: , English: ) is the current capital of Uzbekistan and also of Tashkent Province. ... Location Location of Yerevan in Armenia Government Country Armenia Established 782 BC Mayor Yervand Zakharyan Geographical characteristics Area  - City 227 km² Population  - City (2004)    - Density 1,226,000   5196. ...

Stalinist architecture was for a time employed in all of post-war Eastern Bloc, notably the Stalin Allee in Berlin. In East Asia, some examples may be found in North Korea and China, e.g., the Shanghai Exhibition Center, originally built as the Palace of Sino-Soviet Friendship. Stalinist styles were used in the design of Soviet embassies overseas, notably the embassy (1952) in Helsinki, Finland. The building, designed by architect E.S.Grebenshthikov, has a certain resemblance to Buckingham Palace in London; this is said to be due to the then Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov's liking for the official residence of the British monarch. Karl-Marx-Allee, towards Strausberger Platz. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 2027 KB) Shanghai China 2004 Author: Rüdiger Meier (The author made the picture especially for this purposes and fully agrees to this license-model) License: File links No pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file. ... Founded 1550 Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Area[1] - Of which land - Rank 185. ... Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial. ... For other uses, see Molotov (disambiguation). ...

1949 Stalin Prize

Zemlyanoy Val 46-48, MGB Apartments by Yevgeny Rybitsky, 1949

Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya 7 by Ivan Zholtovsky, 1949, a half-way attempt to make Stalinist style affordable

Stalin Prize for the year 1949, announced in March, 1950, showed a clear and present division of Stalinist architecture - extravagant, expensive buildings are still praised, but so are attempts to make Stalinist style affordable. 1949 prize was given exclusively for completed apartment buildings, a sign of top priority. It also demostrates clear class stratification of eligible tenants of this time. Three Moscow buildings received awards: Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... The Ministry of State Security (MGB) ( Russian: Министерство государственной безопасности (Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti)) was the name of the Soviet secret police agency from 1946 to 1953. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 534 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (637 × 715 pixel, file size: 110 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ivan Zholtovsky. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 534 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (637 × 715 pixel, file size: 110 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ivan Zholtovsky. ...

• Zemlyanoy Val, 46-48 by Yevgeny Rybitsky stands out in exterior luxury, even by 1949 standards. In addition to bay windows, it has elaborate rooftop obelisks, porticos and complex cornices. Even more is hidden inside. It was built for top MGB brass, with 200-meter apartments and a secure 2-level courtyard. Workforce included German POW's; wiring, plumbing and finishes used requisitioned German materials^[26]. In 1949, it was praised, in 1952 criticized^[27], and in 1955 Khruschev personally labelled it as "a pinnacle of excesses".
• Sadovo-Triumphalnaya, 4 by Rosenfeld and Suris is just one step below the ladder. Walls, deeply cut by bay windows and horizontal cornices, are finished in granite and terra cotta. Overall image is so heavyweight, it projects luxury as effectively as Rybitsky's work. A nice design feature is a second set of stairs for the servants.
• Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya, 7 by Zholtovsky is one of the first recognized attempts to cut costs per unit, while retaining Stalinist standards of quality and masonry technology. Two-room apartments are small by Stalinist standards, yet with plenty of storage space and a smart floorplan that discouraged conversion of single-family units to multi-family kommunalka. Externally, it's a flat slab with modest decorations following Zholtovsky's Florentine canon; no statues or obelisks, no bay windows. It was a sign of things to come.

The Ministry of State Security (MGB) ( Russian: Министерство государственной безопасности (Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti)) was the name of the Soviet secret police agency from 1946 to 1953. ... Not by Their Own Will. ... Kommunalka (коммуналка) - is a shared apartament in Russia. ...

Folding down (1948-1955)

A switch from Stalinist architecture to standard prefabricated concrete is usually associated with Khruschev's reign and in particular the November 1955 decree On liquidation of excesses ... (November, 1955)^[28]. Indeed, Khruschev was involved in cost-cutting campaign, but it began in 1948, while Stalin was alive and active. A turn to mass construction is evident in economy Stalinist buildings like Zholtovsky's Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya, 7. Based on masonry, they provided only a marginal gain; there had to be a technology breakthrough. In 1948-1955, various architectural offices conduct an enormous feasibility study, devising and testing new technologies^[29]. A feasibility study is a preliminary study undertaken before the real work of a project starts to ascertain the likelihood of the projects success. ...

Frame-and-panel experiment (1948-1952)

Lagutenko-Posokhin block, Moscow, 1948-1952. Looks like masonry but is in fact a prefab-concrete frame with concrete panel skin

In 1947, engineer Vitaly Lagutenko was appointed to lead the experimental Industrial Construction Bureau, with an objective to study and design the low-cost technology suitable for fast mass construction. Lagutenko focused on large prefabricated concrete panes. He joined rising architects Mikhail Posokhin (Sr.)^[30] and Ashot Mndoyants, and in 1948 this team built their first concrete frame-and-panel building near present-day Polezhaevskaya metro station. Four identical buildings followed nearby; similar buildings where built in 1949-1952 across the country^[31]. This was still an experiment, not backed by industrial capacity or fast-track project schedules. Posokhin also devised various pseudo-Stalinist configurations of the same building blocks, with decorative excesses; these didn't materialize. Concrete frames became common in industrial construction, but too expensive for mass housing. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 487 pixel Image in higher resolution (3008 × 1832 pixel, file size: 635 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 487 pixel Image in higher resolution (3008 × 1832 pixel, file size: 635 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Vitaly Pavlovich Lagutenko[1] (Виталий Павлович Лагутенко, 1904, Mogilev – 1967, Moscow) was a Soviet architect and engineer. ... Vitaly Pavlovich Lagutenko[1] (Виталий Павлович Лагутенко, 1904, Mogilev – 1967, Moscow) was a Soviet architect and engineer. ... Prefabrication is the practice of manufacturing the parts of an assembly in one location, ready for them to be assembled in another place. ... Polezhaevskaya (Russian: ) is a station on MetrosTagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya Line. ...

January, 1951: Moscow Conference

It is not known for sure which Party leader personally initiated the drive to cut costs. The need was imminent. What is known is that in January, 1951, Khrushchev - then City of Moscow party boss - hosted a professional conference on construction problems^[32]. The conference decreed a transition to plant-made, large-sized concrete parts, building new plants for prefab concrete and other materials, and replacement of wet masonry technology with fast assembly of prefab elements. The industry still had to decide - should they use big, story-high panels, or smaller ones, or maybe two-story panels, as Lagutenko tried in Kuzminki^[33]? Basic technology was set, feasibility studies continued. A year later, this line of action - setting up prefab concrete plants - was made a law by the XIX Party Congress, Stalin attending. Major public buildings and elite housing were not affected yet. Kuzminki may refer to: Kuzminki District, a district of Moscow Kuzminki (Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro Vlakhernskoye-Kuzminki, a former Stroganov and Golitsyn estate in Moscow Category: ...

Peschanaya Square (1951-1955)

Rosenfeld's Peschanaya Street project, Moscow, 1951-1955. Masonry, with prefab concrete exterior details

A different line of experiments tackled improvement of project management, switching from single-building to multi-block project scale. This was tested live during Peschanaya Square development (a territory north from 1948 Posokhin-Lagutenko block). Using flow methode^[34] of moving crews through a chain of buildings in different completion stages, and a moderate application of prefab concrete in an otherwise traditional masonry, builders managed to complete typical 7-story buildings in 5-6 months^[35]. Instead of wet stucco (at least two months delay), these buildings are finished in open brickwork outside and drywall inside; from a quality of life viewpoint, these are true - and the last - Stalinists buildings. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

The end of Stalinist Architecture (November 1955)

When Stalin was alive, luxury empire and mass construction coexisted; support for Lagutenko did not mean demise for Rybitsky. It changed in November, 1954, when critics openly bashed the excesses and the will to build 10-14 story buildings, Stalin's own will; according to Khmelnitsky^[36], this had to be triggered by Khruschev personally. For the next year, the campaign grows, preparing public to a formal farewell with stalinism.

Decree On liquidation of excesses... (November 4, 1955) provides some data on the cost of Stalinist excesses, estimated at 30-33% of total costs. Certainly, these examples were carefully hand-picked, but they are reasonable. Alexey Dushkin and Yevgeny Rybitsky received a special beating for triple cost overruns and luxurious floorplans; Rybitsky and Polyakov were stripped of their Stalin prizes. This was followed with specific orders to develop standardized designs and install an Institute of Standardized Buildings in place of former Academy^[28]. Alexey Nikolayevich Dushkin (24 December 1904 - 8 October 1977) was a Soviet architect, best known for his 1930s designs of Kropotkinskaya and Mayakovskaya stations of Moscow Metro. ...

Stalinist architecture agonized for five more years - work on old buildings was not a top priority anymore. Some where redesigned from scratch; some, structurally complete, lost all the excesses. The story ended with completion of Hotel Ukrayina (Kiev) in 1961. Hotel Ukrayina (Ukrainian: , Russian: ) is a three-star Hotel in central Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. ...

The majestic Stalin Allee in Berlin, also completed in 1961, was conceived in 1952, and didn't have too much to lose: the bulks of these buildings are definitely Stalinist, but the modest finishes lean to Jugendstil and Prussian Neoclassicism. Karl-Marx-Allee, towards Strausberger Platz. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Jugendstil is defined as a style of architecture or decorative art similar to Art Nouveau, popular in German-speaking areas of Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries [1]. Jugendstil was also popular in the Nordic countries, where it became integrated with the National Romantic Style. ... The Old Museum in Berlin Karl Friedrich Schinkel (March 13, 1781 - October 9, 1841) was a German architect and painter. ...

Legacy and Revival

GALS Tower, Tverskaya Street

Certain buildings of Brezhnev era, notably the White House of Russia, can be traced to Stalin's legacy. Deliberate recreations of his style appear in Moscow since 1996, either as infill into period neighborhoods, or as standalone development. Some lean to pure Neoclassical or Art Deco; with a few exceptions, their architectural quality and role in urban development is disputed. Examples of the least controversial kind are: Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 372 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (542 × 872 pixel, file size: 89 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 372 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (542 × 872 pixel, file size: 89 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stalinist architecture User... Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev Russian: ; January 1, 1907 [O.S. December 19, 1906] – November 10, 1982) was the effective ruler of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982, at first in partnership with others. ... White house of Russia under siege The White House of Russia, also known as the Russian White House, is a government building in Moscow that housed the Soviet Unions Congress of Peoples Deputies and Supreme Soviet until the crisis of 3 October 1993 when an uprising lead to...

• Triumph Palace in Moscow, known as the eighth sister, is one of the most prominant buildings, with a sillhoute identical to the Stalinist constructions.
• Roman Court (Римский Двор, 2005) by Mikhail Filippov; probably better classified as neoclassical fantasy, yet related to early Stalinist buildings ^[37]
• GALS Tower (Cистема ГАЛС, 2001) by a team of Workshop 14 architects fills a gap between midrise period buildings on Tverskaya. Not intended to dominate the neighborhood, it just marks the corner of a block. Despite mixed citations from Art Nouveau and Art Deco, it blends well with its Tverskaya setting^[38]
• Preobrazhenskaya Zastava (Преображенская Застава, 2003) is a whole block (308 apartments and retail stores) designed in early 1930s style approaching the Art Deco adaptations by of Iofan and Vladimirov. An unusual example which actually looks like a period piece, not a modern replica.

Triumph palace and the typical Soviet block of flats Triumph-Palace, view from Peschanaya Street Triumph-Palace is the name of an apartment building in Moscow. ... Tverskaya (Тверская) is a Moscow Metro station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line. ...

See also

Enlish-language books:

• Architecture of The Stalin Era, by Alexei Tarkhanov (Collaborator), Sergei Kavtaradze (Collaborator), Mikhail Anikst (Designer), 1992, ISBN 978-08-4781-473-2
• Architecture in the Age of Stalin: Culture Two, by Vladimir Paperny (Author), John Hill (Translator), Roann Barris (Translator), 2002, ISBN 978-05-2145-119-2
• The Edifice Complex: How the Rich and Powerful Shape the World, by Deyan Sudjic, 2004, ISBN 978-15-9420-068-7

Footnotes