10 days in Russia

I just came back from a 10-days trip to Russia. Before leaving I did not know anything (or almost anything) about this enormous country. Obviously, we visited the classical touristy attractions: the Kremlin, the Red Square, the Hermitage museum, etc.

The Hermitage museum in St-Petersburg

Moscow is a big city. Everything there is big, starting by the street that have up to 18 lanes!!! Impossible to cross the street (even if they have only 4 lanes as NO car will stop just because they see a human body on the way!) Cars, cars, cars: in Moscow cars are everywhere (and they are generally not the cheapest cars one can buy!)

During my trip to Russia I went on an architectural tour of the city given by MAPS (Moscow Architecture Preservation Society). Therefore, I discovered the Seven Sisters towers: a series of skyscrapers built under Stalin for the glorification of the Soviet State after WWII. These amazing building were all designed in a so-called ‘wedding-cake’ style and inspired by the Palace of Soviet, a building suppose to be 415 m tall and designed before WWII but that was never actually built. These ‘sisters’ are now occupied by the Moscow State University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, the Hotel Ukraina, the Hotel Leningradskaya, the Kudrinskaya Square (apartment block) and the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment (apartment block).

One of the seven sisters

During our architectural tour we also discover the Narkomfin (or the Ginzburg) building built between 1928 and 1932 by the constructivist Russian architect Moisei Ginzburg. This building is in an advance state of decay. Indeed, it looks so much as a ruin we were really surprise to learn that 12 families are still living there. One of the resident finally accepted to let us go inside the building. This apartment block was originally designed for workers at the Commissariat of Finance. This building is know as being a precursor of a new way of living – a ‘social condenser’ – as it offered many communal spaces (such as kitchen, creche and laundry) for the residents. Also, this building is considered historical because it influenced the architect Le Corbusier (who studied the building during his visits to the Soviet Union) as well as Moshe Safdie (for habitat 67 project), and Denys Lasdun (for his luxury flats in St James’, London).

Narkomfin Building – Outside

Narkomfin Building -Corridor

Narkomfin Building -Roof

Narkomfin Building – Inside

There is presently a big debate going on in Moscow about what to do with the Narkomfin building. Architects and historians are horrified thinking that this treasure may be destroyed in order to build one of these typically horrible contemporary apartment building (or hotel) that we see everywhere in Moscow. No decisions have been taken yet as to what to do with the building. Nevertheless, the Narkomfin building is at the top of UNESCO’s ‘Endangered Buildings’ list, and there is an international campaign to save it.

Finally, during the visit, we also stopped by the Melnikov house (built in 1927 by the famous Russian architect Konstantin Melnikov). Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the house, as it is now close. Apparently, the new owner of the house, Mr.Gordeev (a real-estate entrepreneur who also recently bought the archives of architects Ivan Leonidov and Alexei Shchusev) is planning to do transform the house into a museum (like the LeCorbusier Villa Savoye or the John Soane house in London.)

Melnikov House

In Moscow we also visited ART4.ru a museum/gallery showing all the best of Russian contemporary art. The place is covered by a fake grass style green carpet and is full of sculptures, paintings and photographs.

Art4.ru

After Moscow, we left for St-Petersburg. A six-hour train journey brought us to a completely different Russian city. Indeed, while Moscow is gigantesque, rather chaotic and doesn’t seem to be planed or aesthetically regulate, St-Petersburg is a nice, middle size, quiet city. As Peter the Great whished it, St-Peterburg is a great mix of Venice, Amsterdam and, maybe some Scandinavian town. To me it seemed like a known territory. The legend says that St-Petersburg was built like a work of art in a place chosen by Peter who, when he arrived at the actual emplacement of the city declared: “Here Shall be a town.”

“Here Shall be a town”

The perfectly proportioned street in St-Petersburg

In St-Petersburg, apart from the hermitage museum and the Marinski theatre, we visited the nice summer residence of the Tsars: Peterhoff. A twenty minutes boat ride brought us to a town of parks, palaces and fountains founded in the XVIIIth century. It was Peter the Great who conceived the idea for the whole project. He wanted to have his own little Versaille.

Peterhoff

Peterhoff – Fountain

In general, I found my trip to Russia really interesting. Culturally and historically, there is a lot to learn from Russia. Sometime I felt like the communist epoch was not far behind and could still be perceived in so many aspect of the day-to-day life.

Russian cameras

But if you want to travel to Russia, you better prepare you wallet and bring a good dose of patience with you. Everything is expansive, people are not always nice and smiley and the majority do not speak English at all (even in places like the Domodedovo International Airport !!!)

~ par szackablog le mai 30, 2008.