I've always been fascinated (and a bit shocked, at first) to see how Russian cities still have active power plants right in the middle of the city, often in nice, upscale, residential neighborhoods. This is not a case of a city "growing around" industrial buildings that were, once, in the outskirts or even in the... Continue Reading →
In my previous post I mentioned how expensive renting or buying a house or an apartment in Moscow can be. Today I want to focus on how rewarding it might be, though. Let's pretend money is not an issue. What is the best of the best of the best you can buy in Moscow, real... Continue Reading →
In Russia it is often the case that the museums themselves (meaning the buildings where they are housed) are as beautiful and as interesting, if not more, than the artwork they display. One of such examples is, I think, the State Historical Museum of Russia in Moscow. Housed in one of Russia's most recognisable structures, wedged... Continue Reading →
Those who have never visited Russia might associate its architecture with the gray, drab building that characterized Soviet cities and were purposefully portrayed in many "western" movies and documentaries about the USSR. I am not trying to say that these were a "western propaganda" invention, because this would be a colossal lie, but I want... Continue Reading →
Zaryadye Park, inaugurated on 9 September 2017, near the Red Square in Moscow, on the former Rossiya Hotel site, is the first public park built in Moscow in exactly 70 years, the last being the Soviet Friendship Park, built for the 1957 Festival of Youth and Students. The area of the park is around 78 thousand square meters, of... Continue Reading →
In the fall of 2015 the City of Moscow unveiled a monument to the famous Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, in front of the only building that the architect designed in Russia’s capital. Located on the historical Myasnitskaya street, this is one of the favorite spots for architectural walking tours, along with the famous Stalin skyscrapers, but... Continue Reading →
The Moscow Metro station of Krasnye Vorota actually has two entrances. The most famous one, and the one you see pictured above, is the South entrance, a subterranean vestibule with mezzanine stairwells and a distinctive shell-like pavilion designed by Nikolai Ladovsky, that stands on the south side of the Garden Ring (with an open Red Gates - Krasnye Vorota... Continue Reading →
I was walking around the ultramodern neighbourhood of “Moscow City” (or the Moscow International Business Center) and enjoying the blue autumn sky reflecting on the skyscrapers when I noticed something funny. When looking straight up from between the Imperia Tower and the spectacular Evolution Tower, they look like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, which are just about to... Continue Reading →
After a 150-year-long history as a glass factory, in 2009 the complex of industrial buildings in Bolshaya Novodmitrovskaya Street in Moscow were repurposed to become a colourful urban space dedicated to the more creative ends of the business spectrum. One part of the former-factory area functions as office space for media groups, PR agencies, design bureaus, art... Continue Reading →
Russia Through The Lens 