Kiến trúc Nga

Thế kỷ 15 – 18

Nước Nga rất ít được chú ý đến những công trình kiến trúc ở Moscow mãi cho đến năm 1477
nền kiến trúc của Nga mới có phần khởi sắc. Khi đó những kiến trúc sư và những thợ thủ công
người Ý được Aristotile Fioravanti của Bologna đã trực tiếp thuê về nước Nga để xây dựng lại
Thánh đường Dormition. Ông quyết định xây dựng lại công trình này theo phong cách của nước
Nga, tuy nhiên vẫn ông vẫn cho sử dụng các phương pháp xây dựng của Ý. Những thiết kế khác
của Ý như cung điện Facets ở Moscow hoặc tu sửa và xây dựng lại Kremlin vào những năm
1485 – 1492 đã đem lại một sự pha trộn kiến trúc gây ấn tượng rất mạnh. Công trình xây dựng
Thánh đường St Basil Ban phúc lành năm 1555, cùng nhiều nhà thờ khác với kiểu kiến trúc
nhiều mái vòm được tiếp tục thực hiện trong kế hoạch xây dựng của nước Nga ở thế kỷ thứ 16
Saint Basil's Cathedral (1555-61)
Dormition Cathedral, Kremlim, Moscow
Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Moscow Kremlin
 Archangel Cathedral, Kremlim, Moscow
Khi thành phố mới mang tên St Petersburg được Nga hoàng Peter Vĩ đại thành lập và xây dựng
vào năm 1703, những kiến trúc sư đã xây dựng đồ án thiêt kế cho thành phố chủ yếu là: kiến trúc
sư Zemtsov của Nga, những kiến trúc sư người Ý là; Michetti và Trezzini (người đã dựng đồ án
thiết kế các Thánh đường St Peter và St Paul, 1714), kiến trúc sư người Đức là Schadel và kiến
trúc sư người Pháp Le Blond. Cách bố trí sơ đồ và sắp xếp xây dựng các tòa nhà trong thành phố
được thiết kế theo phong cách Phục hưng nhiều hơn là phong cách La mã truyền thống. Dưới
triều đại của Nữ hoàng Elizabeth (1741–62) những người chủ đạo trong thiết kế kiến trúc thành
phố là: kiến trúc sư người Ý, Rastrelli (ông thiết kế đồ án xây dựng Cung điện Mùa đông năm
1754) và Rinaldi. Người kế vị của Nữ hoàng Elizabeth là Nữ hoàng Catherine Vĩ đại, những kiến
trúc sư tiếp tục phát triển nền kiến trúc của thành phố là các kiến trúc sư người Nga; Bazhenov,
Kazakof và Starov cùng một kiến trúc sư người Ý là Quarenghi và một kiến trúc sư Xcôtlen,
Charles Cameron,
 Thế kỷ 19.

Tại Đông Âu trong một phần tư đầu của thế kỷ thứ 19, ở đây, lối thiết kế mang phong cách Hy
Lạp phục hưng được phát triển và phong cách thiết kế kinh điển cũng được hồi sinh vào giữa thế
kỷ này. Kiến trúc sư người Nga có ảnh hưởng mạnh mẽ nhất trong thời kỳ này là Thon, ông đã
thiết kế xây dựng công trình kiến trúc nhà thờ lễ Truyền tin tại St Petersburg và Thánh đường St.
Saviour đồ sộ ở Moscow (1838 – 83 theo phong cách Lomba La Mã), cả hai công trình này đã bị
phá hủy. Công trình Bộ hải quân của Zakharov ở St Petersburg (1806) là dấu hiệu đặc trưng nhất
vẫn tồn tại của một công trình kiến trúc mang phong cách thiết kế tân cổ điển.

St Petersburg

Thế kỷ 20
Hầu hết các công trình kiến trúc từ năm 1850 – 1917 không có nét gì nổi bật, thường là thực hiện
kém chất lượng và mang sự hỗn độn của các phong cách thiết kế. Trong thời gian cách mạng,
những kiến trúc sư trẻ đã theo phong trào thiết kế có xu hướng tạo dựng và phong cách thiết kế
kiến trúc hiện đại mới được cổ vũ nhiệt liệt. Năm 1932 phong cách chủ nghĩa kinh điển hầu như
lấn át trên sân kiến trúc của nước Nga, nó được tôn vinh cho đến tận những năm 60. Những công
trình kiến trúc đáng chú ý được dựng lên vào những năm 20 gồm có: Tòa nhà Xô Viết do Yofan
thiết kế, Nhà hát Hồng quân do Alabyan thiết kế, Nhà hát Meyerhold do Schusev thiết kế, Thư
viện Lenin do Shuko thiết kế, Học viện Quân sự do Rudner và Munz thiết kế, Sân bóng nước
Dynamo do Morchan thiết kế, tất cả các công trình đó đều được xây dựng tại thành phố Moscow,
công trình Cựu chiến binh chiển tranh do Simonov thiết kế được xây dựng tại Leningrad; Đập
nước Lenin do Vesnin và nhà hát quốc gia được xây dựng tại Novosibirsk do Greeuberg thiết kế.

Những công trình xây dựng từ thế chiến thứ hai có khách sạn Moscow, Nhà hát quốc gia ở
Batum, những nhà ga xe điện ngầm, nhà bảo tàng Nizami tại Bacu và viện điều dưỡng ở Sochi…
đều là những công trình quan trọng của nền kiến trúc Xô Viết.
Đến ngày nay nước Nga đã có thêm rất nhiều những công trìng kiến trúc hiện đại vào bậc nhất
thế giới, và nó cũng khắc thêm cho kiến trúc Nga những nét sắc màu rực rỡ.
Khách sạn Ukraina là một trong bày tòa nhà chọc trời ở Moscow, khách sạn này được xây dựng
theo chỉ thị của Stalin trong những năm 1950 ở Moscow. Được xây dựng năm 1957, khách sạn
30 tầng và cao 206 mét bao gồm cả 73 mét tháp chuông này được tọa lạc ngay bên dòng sông
Moscow. Khách sạn to lớn này có hơn 1 ngàn phòng đầy đủ tiện nghi và cá đồ đạc trong phòng
rất độc đáo, những bức tranh và những cây đèn bằng đồng ở đây có từ những năm 1950 từ thời
kỳ Stalin. Trên nóc của khách sạn có phòng quan sát, ở đây ta có thể ngắm phong cảnh của thành
phố Moscow rất toàn diện.
Tôi rất thích khách sạn này, nó không đồ sộ như trường đại học quốc gia Moscow, nhưng nó có
một phong cách kiến trúc tao nhã và hết sức quyến rũ trong từng chi tiết của công trình.

Một vài thông tin đáng quan tâm đến công trình khách sạn này:
- Người dân Moscow gọi khách sạn này là "Tòa nhà chọc trời của Stalin" (Stalinskie Vysotki)
- Phong cách kiến trúc – một số thuật ngữ đã được đặt tên cho công trình này: Phong cách chủ
nghĩa kinh điển Xô Viết, phong cách chuyên chế, chiếc bánh cưới
- Công trình xây dựng khách sạn này đã được chính thức khởi công đúng vào ngày kỷ niệm
thành phố lần thứ 800.
- Phía bên phải bức ảnh này ta có thể nhìn thấy tượng đài kỷ niệm của nhà thơ nổi tiếng người
Ukraina – Taras Shevchenko, tượng đài này được xây dựng năm 1974.

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Russian architecture
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Saint Basil's Cathedral (1555-61) is a showcase of medieval Russian architecture.
Russian architecture follows a tradition whose roots were established in the Eastern Slavic state
of Kievan Rus'. After the fall of Kiev, Russian architectural history continued in the
principalities of Vladimir-Suzdal, and Novgorod, and the succeeding states of Tsardom of
Russia, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the modern Russian Federation.

Contents
[hide]
• 1 Medieval Rus' (988–1230)
• 2 Early Muscovite period (1230–1530)
• 3 Middle Muscovite period (1530–1630)
• 4 Late Muscovite period (1612–1712)
• 5 Imperial Russia (1712–1917)
• 6 Post Revolution (1917-1932)
• 7 Post-war Soviet Union
• 8 Modern Russia
• 9 See also
• 10 References
○ 10.1 Further reading
• 11 External links

[edit] Medieval Rus' (988–1230)

Main article: Architecture of Kievan Rus
The medieval state of Kievan Rus' was the predecessor of the state of Russia, and later also of
Belarus, and Ukraine, and their respective cultures, including architecture.
Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (1165), one of the most famous Russian medieval
churches. Part of the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal site, on the UN World Heritage
List.
The great churches of Kievan Rus', built after the adoption of Christianity in 988, were the first
examples of monumental architecture in the East Slavic lands. The architectural style of the
Kievan state which quickly established itself was strongly influenced by the Byzantine. Early
Eastern Orthodox churches were mainly made of wood with the simplest form of church
becoming known as a cell church. Major cathedrals often featured scores of small domes, which
led some art historians to take this as an indication of what the pagan Slavic temples should have
looked like.
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod (1044-52), on the other hand, expressed a new style that
exerted a strong influence on Russian church architecture. Its austere thick walls, small narrow
windows, and helmeted cupolas have much in common with the Romanesque architecture of
Western Europe. Even further departure from Byzantine models is evident in succeeding
cathedrals of Novgorod: St Nicholas's (1113), St Anthony's (1117-19), and St George's (1119).
Secular architecture of Kievan Rus' has scarcely survived. Up to the twentieth century, only the
Golden Gates of Vladimir, despite much eighteenth-century restoration, could be regarded as an
authentic monument of the pre-Mongolian period. In the 1940s, the archaeologist Nikolai
Voronin discovered the well-preserved remains of Andrei Bogolyubsky's palace in
Bogolyubovo, dating from 1158-65.
The city of Novgorod preserved their architecture during the invasion of the Mongols. The first
churches were commissioned by the princes but after the thirteenth century merchants, street
guilds, and communities would then start commissioning cathedrals. The citizens of Novgorod in
the 13th century were known for their shrewdness, diligence, and prosperity. They undertook
colonization from the Baltic to the White Sea. The architecture in Novgorod did not start to
bloom until the turn of the twelfth century. The Novgorod Sophia was modeled after the first
Sancta Sophia, it looks very similar but is just smaller in the width of the building. The cells
inside the Novgorod Sophia are smaller and contribute to the more insistent verticality which
became one of the characteristics for Novgorod architecture. The biggest difference is noticed in
the exterior of the Sophia which has only five main domes. Because of the rapid development of
architecture in Northern Russia, we see the bulbous, or the onion domes instead of the cupolas.
The main supervision of the construction was from the people of Kiev who went up to look over
the building process along with some brick that was imported from Kiev. The main materials that
were used in building this Sophia were fieldstone and undressed block of limestone. It is said
that the interiors were painted in frescos that have now vanished. However the doors were made
out of bronze.
St. George’s cathedral of the Yuryev was commissioned in 1119 by Prince Vsevolod
Mstislavovich . The architect was Master Peter which is one of the few architects that have been
recorded for this time in Russia. The exterior is detailed by narrow windows and double recessed
niches which proceed in a rhythm across the façade. The walls on the inside reach a height of 20
meters. The pillars are placed very close together which exaggerates the height of the vaulted
ceilings. The inside was covered in frescos from the prince’s workshops, including some of the
rarest paintings from Russian art at this time.
Church of the Transfiguration of the savior was built in memorial to Illya. During the raid of the
Mongols Illya saved this city so this church was constructed for him. The church was constructed
in 1374 During this time the city-state of Novgorod had created a counter part from the princes
and subdivided their city into a series of streets where this church still exist. We can now see that
the series of windows in the churches are becoming more detailed and the niches are getting
deeper and now have a pitched roof still using the dome that is seen in the cathedrals that are
much larger than this church.
This church that closely resembles the church of the transfiguration on Elijah street is The church
of Saints Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki. It was constructed in 1406 the only big difference are the
materials used. The detail is focused on the west and south facades. There are new ornamental
motifs in the brick these are a new detail that was used during this time. Brick was also used for
pilaster strips which delineate the façade. It would have been plastered but it under went
restoration after it was ruined in World War II. Its apse is pointing towards the river which gives
a beautiful sight for ships approaching from the Baltic sea. The shingled roof looks very similar
to a bochka which was the style roof that was used during the time that this church was built. The
walls would have been built from local quarry stone which would contrast with the red bricks.
The ground plan of the church has an almost square shape with four pillars it has one apse and
one dome.
[edit] Early Muscovite period (1230–1530)
The Mongols looted the country so thoroughly that even capitals (such as Moscow or Tver)
couldn't afford new stone churches for more than half a century. Novgorod and Pskov however
managed to escape the Mongol yoke, and evolved into successful commercial republics. Many
dozens of medieval churches, from the twelfth century on, have been preserved in these towns.
The churches of Novgorod, such as the Saviour-on-the-Ilyina-Street (1374), are steep-roofed and
carved in a rough manner. Some of them contain magnificent medieval frescoes. The tiny and
picturesque churches of Pskov feature many novel elements - corbel arches, church porches,
exterior galleries, and bell towers. All these features were introduced by Pskov masons to
Muscovy where they built numerous edifices during the fifteenth century, including the
Deposition Church of the Moscow Kremlin (1462) and the Holy Spirit Church of the Holy
Trinity Lavra (1476).
The fourteenth-century churches of Muscovy are sparse, and their dating is disputed. Typical
monuments—found in Nikolskoe village near Ruza (1320s?) and Kolomna (1310s?)—are
diminutive single-domed fortified churches built of roughly-hewn ("wild") stone and capable of
withstanding brief sieges. By the time of the construction of the Assumption Cathedral in
Zvenigorod (1399?), the Muscovite masons managed to regain the mastership of the pre-
Mongolian builders and solved some of the construction problems that had puzzled their
ancestors. Signature monuments of early Muscovite architecture are to be found in the Holy
Trinity Lavra (1423), Savvin Monastery of Zvenigorod (1405?), and St. Andronik Monastery in
Moscow (1427).
By the end of the fifteenth century Muscovy was so powerful a state that its prestige badly
needed magnificent multi-domed buildings, on the par with pre-Mongolian cathedrals of
Novgorod and Vladimir. As Russian masters were unable to build anything like it, Ivan III
invited Italian masters from Florence and Venice. They reproduced ancient Vladimir structures
in three large cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin, and decorated them with Italian Renaissance
motives. These ambitious Kremlin cathedrals—the Dormition Cathedral, and the Archangel
Cathedral—were imitated throughout Russia during the sixteenth century, with new edifices
tending to be larger and more ornate than their predecessors (for example, the Hodegetria
Cathedral of Novodevichy Convent, 1520s).
Apart from churches, many other structures date from Ivan III's reign. These include
fortifications (Kitai-gorod, Kremlin (its current towers were built later), Ivangorod), towers (Ivan
the Great Bell Tower), and palaces (the Palace of Facets, the Uglich Palace). The number and
variety of extant constructions may be attributed to the fact that Italian architects persuaded
Muscovites to abandon prestigious, expensive and unwieldy limestone for much cheaper and
lighter brick as the principal construction material.
[edit] Middle Muscovite period (1530–1630)

This tent-like church at Ostrov near Moscow is considered typical for Boris Godunov's reign.
In the sixteenth century, the key development was the introduction of tented roof into brick
architecture. Tent-like roof construction is thought to have originated in the Russian North, as it
prevented snow from piling up on wooden buildings during long winters. In wooden churches
(even modern ones) this type of roof has been very popular.
The first ever tent-like church built in brick is the Ascension church of Kolomenskoe (1531),
designed to commemorate the birth of Ivan the Terrible. Its design was prone to most unusual
interpretations. It is likely this type of design, never found in other Orthodox countries,
symbolised high ambitions of the nascent Russian state and liberation of Russian art from
Byzantine canons after Constantinople's fall to the Turks.
Tented churches were exceedingly popular during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Two prime
examples dating from his reign employ several tents of exotic shapes and colours arranged in a
complicated design. These are the Church of St John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye (1547) and
Saint Basil's Cathedral on Red Square (1561). The latter church unites nine hipped roofs in a
striking circular composition.
[edit] Late Muscovite period (1612–1712)

Patriarch Nikon's residence, the New Jerusalem Cloister, is representative of his conservative
aesthetic views.
After the Time of Troubles the state and the church were bankrupt, and could not finance any
construction works. The initiative was taken by rich merchants of the city Yaroslavl-on-the-
Volga. In the course of the seventeenth century, they built numerous large churches of cathedral
type, with five onion-like cupolas, and surrounded them with tents of bell towers and aisles. At
first the churches' composition was sharply asymmetrical, with different parts balancing each
other on the "scale-beam" principle (e.g., the Church of Elijah the Prophet, 1647-50).
Subsequently the Yaroslavl churches were strictly symmetrical, with cupolas taller than the
building itself, and amply decorated with polychrome tiles (e.g., the Church of John the
Chrysostom on the Volga, 1649-54). A zenith of Volga architecture was attained in the Church
of St John the Baptist (built 1671-87), the largest in Yaroslavl, with fifteen cupolas and more
than five hundred magnificent frescoes. All the brick exterior of the church, from the cupolas
down to the tall porches, was elaborately carved and decorated with tiles.
The seventeenth-century Moscow churches are also profusely decorated, but their size is much
smaller. Earlier in the century, the Muscovites still favoured the tent-like constructions. The chief
object of their admiration was the "Miraculous" Assumption Church in Uglich (1627): it had
three graceful tents placed in a row, reminiscent of three burning candles. This composition was
extravagantly employed in the Hodegetria Church of Vyazma (1638) and the Nativity Church at
Putinki, Moscow (1652). Assuming that such constructions ran counter with the traditional
Byzantine type, the Patriarch Nikon declared them uncanonical. He encouraged building of fairy-
like ecclesiastical residences, such as the Rostov Kremlin on the Nero Lake, with five tall
churches, innumerable towers, palaces, and chambers. Nikon personally designed his new
residence at the New Jerusalem Monastery which was dominated by a rotunda-like cathedral, the
first of its type in Russia.

An early Baroque church near Moscow, 1714-22.

Since the tents were banned, the Muscovite architects had to replace them with successive rows
of corbel arches ("kokoshniki"), and this decorative element was to become a hallmark of the
seventeenth-century Moscow "flamboyant" style. An early example of the flamboyant style is the
Kazan Cathedral on Red Square (1633-36). By the end of the century, more than a hundred
churches in the fiery style were erected in Moscow, and perhaps as many again in the
neighbouring region. Among the more splendid specimens are the Moscow churches of the Holy
Trinity at Nikitniki (1653), St Nicholas at Khamovniki (1682), and the Holy Trinity at Ostankino
(1692). Probably the most representative flamboyant style structure was the Church of St
Nicholas "the Grand Cross" in the Kitai-gorod, brutally destroyed at the behest of Stalin.
As Russian architecture degenerated into pure decoration, it was also influenced by the Polish
and Ukrainian Baroque. The first baroque churches were small chapels built on the Naryshkin
family estates near Moscow, hence the name of Naryshkin baroque often applied to this style.
Some of these churches are tower-like, with cubic and octagonal floors placed on top of each
other (the Saviour Church at Ubory, 1697); others have a ladder-like composition, with a bell
tower rising above church itself (the Intercession Church at Fili, 1695). The Baroque and
flamboyant style decoration is often so profuse that the church seems to be the work of jeweller
and not of mason (e.g., the Trinity Church at Lykovo, 1696). Perhaps the most delightful jewel
of the Naryshkin baroque was the multi-domed Assumption Church on the Pokrovka Street in
Moscow (built 1696-99, demolished 1929). Its architect was also responsible for the "red and
white" reconstruction of several Moscow monastic structures, notably the Novodevichy Convent
and the Donskoy Monastery.
Intercession Church at Vytegra. Fine examples of Russian wooden architecture survive on the
shores of the Lake Onega, notably in Kizhi and Kondopoga.
The Baroque style quickly spread throughout Russia, gradually replacing more traditional and
canonical architecture. The Stroganov merchants sponsored construction of majestic Baroque
structures in Nizhny Novgorod (the Nativity Church, 1703) and in the remote tundra region (the
Presentation Cathedral in Solvychegodsk, 1693). During the first decades of the eighteenth
century, some remarkable Baroque cathedrals were built in the eastern towns of Kazan,
Solikamsk, Verkhoturye, Tobolsk, Irkutsk, and elsewhere.
Also interesting are the traditional wooden churches by carpenters of the Russian North.
Working without hammer and nails, they constructed such bizarre structures as the twenty-four-
domed Intercession Church at Vytegra (1708, burnt down 1963) and twenty-two-domed
Transfiguration Church at Kizhi (1714).
[edit] Imperial Russia (1712–1917)
In 1712, Peter I of Russia moved the capital from Moscow to St Petersburg, which he planned to
design in the Dutch style usually called Petrine baroque. Its major monuments include the Peter
and Paul Cathedral, Menshikov Palace, and the Menshikov Tower.
During the reign of Empress Anna and Elizaveta Petrovna, the Russian architecture was
dominated by a luxurious Baroque style of Bartolomeo Rastrelli whose signature buildings
include the Winter Palace, the Catherine Palace, and the Smolny Cathedral. Other distinctive
monuments of the Elizabethan Baroque are the bell tower of the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra and the
Red Gate.
Pashkov House in Moscow typifies an urban residence of the eighteenth-century Russian
nobility.
Catherine the Great dismissed Rastrelli and patronized neoclassical architects invited from
Scotland and Italy. Some of the most representative buildings from her reign are the Alexander
Palace by Giacomo Quarenghi and the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra by Ivan
Starov. During Catherine's reign, the Russian Gothic Revival style was developed by Vasily
Bazhenov and Matvei Kazakov in Moscow.
Alexander I of Russia favoured the Empire Style, which became de-facto 'the only style of his
period, evidenced by the Kazan Cathedral, the Admiralty, the Bolshoi Theatre, St Isaac's
Cathedral, and the Narva Triumphal Gates in Saint Petersburg. Influence of Empire was even
greater in Moscow that had to rebuild thousands of houses destroyed by the fire of 1812.
In 1830s Nicholas I eased regulation in architecture, opening the trade to various incarnations of
early eclecticism. Konstantin Ton's pseudo-Russian designs became the preferred choice in
church construction (Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, 1832-1883), while his public buildings
followed Renaissance tradition, exemplified in the Great Kremlin Palace (1838-49) snd the
Kremlin Armoury (1844-1851).
Subsequent reigns of Alexander II and Alexander III promoted Russian Byzantine Revival in
church architecture, while civil construction followed the same variety of eclectisicm as was
common in all European countries, with continuously growing national revival trends -
vernacular and imaginary (i.e. Pogodin's Hut and State Historical Museum in Moscow).
Between 1895 and 1905 architecture was briefly dominated by Art Nouveau, most active in
Moscow (Lev Kekushev, Fyodor Schechtel, William Walcot). While it remained a popular
choice until the outbreak of World War II, in 1905-1914 it made way to Russian neoclassical
revival that merged Empire style and pallladian tradition with modern construction technologies.
[edit] Post Revolution (1917-1932)
The Hyperboloid lattice shell of Shukhov Tower in Moscow
Main article: Constructivist architecture
In the first year of Soviet Power, all of the architects who refused to emigrate as well as the new
generation denounced any features of classical heritage in their works and started to propagate
formalism, the most influential of all Revivalist themes. Giant plans were drawn for massive
cities with technical advances. The most ambitious of all was Tower of the Third Internationale
planned in 1919 by Vladimir Tatlin (1885-1953), а 400 meter spiral wound around a tilted
central axis with rotating glass chambers. Impossible in real life, Tatlin Tower inspired a
generation of Constructivist architects in Russia and abroad. Real Shukhov Tower, rising 160
meters above Moscow, was completed in 1922. According to the initial project, the Hyperboloid
Tower by Vladimir Shukhov with the height of 350 meters had the estimated mass of only 2200
ton, while the Eifel Tower in Paris with the height of 350 meters weighs 7300 ton.
One of the most important priorities in post-revolutionary period was a mass reconstruction of
cities. In 1918 Alexey Shchusev (1873-1949) and Ivan Zholtovsky founded the Mossovet
Architectural Workshop, where the complex planning of Moscow's reconstruction as a new
Soviet capital took place. The Workshop employed young architects that soon emerged as avant-
garde leaders. At the same time, architectural education concentrated in VKhUTEMAS college,
divided between revivalists and modernist.
In 1919 Petrograd saw a similar planning and educational setup headed by experienced revivalist
Ivan Fomin (1872-1936). Other cities followed suit, and the results of the work carried out there
were to make dramatic changes in tradition Russian city layout. The first large scale
development templates generalny plan were drawn there. Effectively the whole city was planned
as a series of new wide avenues, massive public structures, liquidation of worker quarters and
turning them into proper housing with heating and sanitation. First apartment building of this
period was completed in 1923, followed with a surge of public housing construction in 1925-
1929.
It was in Petrograd that in 1917-19 the first example of the new style was erected on the Field of
Mars consisting of a monument designed by Lev Rudnev (1886-1956) Strugglers of the
Revolution. This complex consisted of a series of laconic and expressive granite monoliths, and
became the focal point of further development in Soviet sculptural and memorial architecture.
However the most famous construction of this time was indeed Lenin's Mausoleum by Alexey
Shchusev. Originally a temporary wooden structure stood, topped with a pyramid, with two
attachments for entrance and departure. In 1930 it was replaced with the present building set in
stone. The combination of dark red and black labradorite punctuated the slenderness and
precision of the construction.

Lenin's Mausoleum remains the best example of post revolution architecture in Russia
The massive development of technological processes and materials also influenced on the
constuctivist elements in structure design. During the erection of the Volkhov Hydroelectric
Station (1918-26, architects O.Munts and V.Pokrovsky), the traditional outlines on the window
arches is still used (despite concrete being employed in construction). However the Dnieper
Hydroelectric Station (1927-32) which was built by the collective of architects headed by Viktor
Vesnin (1882-1950) took an innovative decision that had a curved dam with a rhythmic pattern
of foundations. A large role in the architectural life of 1920s Russia was played by creative
unions, one of which that was formed in 1923, was the Association of New Architects (Asnova),
which put forward an idea of synthesisng architecture and other creative arts in the way that
building gained an almost sculptural external impression, these were to serve as visual points for
orientation of a human in space. Members of Asnova also developed the first designs of
Moscow's skyscrapers, none of which were realised at the time (1923-1926).
Another new creation that came from post-revolutionary Russia was a new type of public
buildings such as Worker's club or Palace of Culture. These became a new focus for architects,
who used the visual expression of large elements blended with industrial motifs. The most
famous of these was the Zuev Club (1927-29) in Moscow by Ilya Golosov (1883-1945), whose
composition relied on the dynamical contrast of simple shapes, planes, complete walls and
glazed surfaces.
The symbolical expression of construction became the showpiece in works designed by
Konstantin Melnikov (1890-1974), notably Rusakov Workers' Club (1927-1929) in Moscow.
Visually the building resembles resembles a part of a gear and each of the three cantilevered
concrete "teeth" is a balcony of the main auditorium that could be used individually or combined
into a large theater hall. The sharpness of the volumetric composition and the "transition" of
internal space (often called by Melnikov himself as a "tensed muscle" made it one of the most
important structures of Soviet Architecture.
[edit] Post-war Soviet Union
• Postconstructivism
Main article: Stalinist Architecture

The main building Moscow State University was once the tallest in Europe.
Stalinist architecture put a premium on conservative monumentalism. In the 1930s, there was
rapid urbanisation as a result of Stalin's policies. There was an international competition to build
the Palace of the Soviets in Moscow in that decade.
After 1945, the focus was on rebuilding the buildings destroyed in World War II but also
erecting new ones: seven high-rise buildings were built at symbolic points in Moscow's space.
The building of Moscow University (1948-1953) by Lev Rudnev and associates is particularly
notable for its use of space. Another notable example is the Exhibition Centre in Moscow which
was built for the second All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV) in 1954, that featured a
series of pavilions each decorated in the style of the feature that they represent. The other famous
examples are the stations of the Moscow Metro and Saint Petersburg Metro's that were built
during the 1940s and 1950s are world famous for their extravagant designs and vivid
decorations. In general the Stalinist architecture completely changed the way many post-war
cities look, and mostly survive to this day in central avenues and public buildings.
However after the death of Stalin in 1953, the social and political changes literally turned the
country over. The construction priorities were too affected and as were the architecture. In 1955,
Nikita Khrushchev faced with the problem of the slow paced construction of housing, called for
drastic measures to accelerate the process, and this involved developing new more mass-
productive technologies and removing "decorative extras" from the buildings.
Compare the two towers of the Gagarin Square intersection, the original project was to have
them be identical, but note how the "struggle with decorative extras" affected the one on the left.
Effectively this put an end to the Stalinist Architecture, however as the transition was slow, most
of the existing projects, that were in plan or even started to be built by 1955 were directly
affected, the result was at times complete squares becoming unsymmetric.
The most famous of which took place in the post-war reconstruction of the Ukrainian capital
Kiev where the planned Kreschatik avenue along with its central square Ploschad Kalinina were
to form a single rich space enclosed by Stalinist constructions. However, as the buildings
enclosing the latter were in process of completion, under direct orders, the architects were forced
to alter them, and as a result the whole ensemble was left unfinished until only the early 1980s.
In particular was Hotel Ukrayina, that was to crown the square which was originally to look
similar to one of Moscow's "Seven sisters", was left as a solid shape without the top spire or any
of the rich external decoration.
Nevertheless, as the buildings became more square and simple, they brought with them a new
style fueled by the Space Age- functionality. The State Kremlin Palace is a merit to an earlier
attempt to make a bridge between the rapidly changing styles as dictated by the state. The
Ostankino Tower by Nikolai Nikitin is more of symbolism of technological advances and future.

White House in Moscow

In terms of simpler buildings, then 1960s are mostly remembered for their massive housing
plans. A new typical project was developed using nothing but concrete panels to make a simple
5-story house. These Pyatietazhki became the most dominant housing constructions. Although
rapidly built, the quality was in nothing compared to earlier housing and their almost identical
look contributed to the grey and dull stereotype of socialist cities.
As the 1970s opened, Leonid Brezhnev allowed more choice to the architects, soon housing of
varying calibers were opened. Slowly the flat blocks gained height in floors and in external
decoration, large mosaics on their side became a feature. In almost all cases these were built not
as standalone constructions, but part of a large estate (housing massif) that soon became a central
feature of Socialist cities. Public buildings were built with varying themes. Some, like the White
House of Russia made direct connections with earlier 1950s architecture, with white marble
faced exterior and large bas-reliefs on the wings.

The rising skyscrapers of Moscow-City framed against the Stalinist Seven Sisters form today's
skyline of the capital
[edit] Modern Russia
As the Soviet Union fell apart many of its projects were put on hold, and some cancelled
altogether. However for the first time, there was no longer any control over what theme or how
high a building should be. As a result, and with generally improving financial conditions,
architecture blossomed in unbelieving rates. For the first time modern methods of skyscraper
buildings were implemented and resulted in an ambitious business centre being built in Moscow
Moscow-City. In other cases architects returned to the most successful designs, particularly
Stalinist architecture which resulted in buildings like Triumph Palace in Moscow.

[edit] See also

• Tented roof
• Stalinist architecture
• Constructivist architecture
• Palace of Soviets
• Latvian Academy of Sciences
• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw
• Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science
• Russian Church, Sofia
[edit] References
• "Architecture: Kievan Rus and Russia" in Encyclopædia Britannica (Macropedia) vol.
13, 15th ed., 2003, p. 921.
 • William Craft Brumfield, Landmarks of Russian Architecture: A Photographic Survey.
Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach, 1997
• John Fleming, Hugh Honour, Nikolaus Pevsner. "Russian Architecture" in The Penguin
Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, 5th ed., [1966] 1998, pp. 493–
498, London: Penguin. ISBN 0-670-88017-5.
• Russian art and architecture, in The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001–05.
• Encyclopædia BritannicaWestern architecture retrieved 12 August 2005
• About.com feature on Russian architecture retrieved 12 August 2005
• Grove Art Online articles on Russian architecture Oxford University Press 2005 retrieved
12 August
• Russian Life July/August 2000 Volume 43 Issue 4 "Faithful Reproduction" an interview
with Russian architecture expert William Brumfield on the rebuilding of Christ the
Saviour Cathedral
[edit] Further reading
• William Craft Brumfield, A History of Russian Architecture. Seattle and London:
University of Washington Press, [1993] 2004. ISBN 0-295-98393-0
[edit] External links
• (English) The William C. Brumfield Collection, part of Meeting of Frontiers: Siberia,
Alaska, and the American West
• (English) Soviet Architecture
• (English) Russian Architecture
• (Russian) Russian photosite of Orthodox architecture
• (Russian) Russian society of architects
• (Ukrainian) "Architectural links between Ukraine and Russia" by Igor Grabar
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i Kingdom (England • Northern Ireland • Scotland • Wales)
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n El · Mordovia · Nagorno-Karabakh1 · Nakhchivan1 · North Ossetia-Alania · Northern
d Cyprus1 · South Ossetia 2 · Svalbard · Tatarstan · Transnistria · Udmurtia · Vojvodina
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Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country. 1 Entirely in Asia, but historically
considered European. 2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions. 3
Transcontinental country.

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Architecture of Asia

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Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan4 · North Korea · South Korea ·
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Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Nepal · Oman ·
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Pakistan · Philippines · Qatar · Russia4 · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria ·
Tajikistan · Republic of China5 · Thailand · Turkey4 · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates ·
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Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen
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D Aceh · Adjara1 · Abkhazia1 · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Altai · British Indian Ocean Territory ·
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Oceania, and also known as Timor-Leste. 4 Transcontinental country. 5 Commonly known as
Taiwan.
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Categories: Russian architecture | Architectural history | Russian art
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