Yury Luzhkov’s 18 years as Moscow mayor saw serious changes in the architectural image of Russia’s capital. In particular, a new Christ the Savior Cathedral was built in the 1990s where the original was demolished in 1931.
Yury Luzhkov’s 18 years as Moscow mayor saw serious changes in the architectural image of Russia’s capital. In particular, a new Christ the Savior Cathedral was built in the 1990s where the original was demolished in 1931, and it is believed that the return to Moscow of the monument to victory in the war of 1812 was mainly due to Luzhkov.
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In 2004, the Hotel Moskva was demolished and has been rebuilt, although the date of its opening has been postponed numerous times. Experts say the building did not need to be reconstructed and it is one of Luzhkov’s most criticized acts in the architectural sphere. According to vesti.ru, more than $87 million have been lost to corruption during the reconstruction of the hotel.
In 2005, the Tsaritsino museum and reserve became the property of the city and within two years a large-scale rebuilding project had turned ruins untended for 200 years into a modern museum and exhibition complex.
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In the 1990s, a large underground shopping center Okhotny Ryad was build under Manege Square. Critics said its construction “practically destroyed” the square. Photo: Manege Square in 1965 and 2002.
On March 5, 2009, after 10 years of reconstruction, Petrovsky Palace was opened. After the external works were completed, the interior of the palace, built on the order of Catherine II in 1776-1780 in honor of the successful end of a Russian-Turkish war, was presented in its original appearance.
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© Photo : Photo by "Moskva kotoroy net" project
Voentorg on Vozdvizhenka Street was a Style Moderne building constructed in 1910-1913. Despite public protests, it was demolished on Luzhkov’s orders in 2003 and the new building is much-changed from the original.
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© RIA Novosti . Anton Denisov
In the 1990s the memorial complex on Poklonnaya Gora was built in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War. A granite plaque was installed on Poklonnaya Gora on February 23, 1958, declaring that a monument to the war would be built on the site, but the complex was only completed when Luzhkov became mayor. In 2003, a chapel built in memory of Spanish volunteers who perished in the war opened on the territory of the memorial.
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In 2006, the building of the State Central Institute of Kurortology, constructed in 1931-1935 upon design of Anatoly Samoilov, was destroyed. It was a combination of constructivist basis with decorative elements in the style of art deco, reflecting a transitional period in the history of the Soviet architecture.
The Moscow metro expanded the number of its stations to 182 during the period when Luzhkov occupied his post.
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A five-star Ritz-Carlton hotel was built in 2005-2007 on the site of the former Intourist hotel.
And this building no longer exists. The Hotel Rossiya was demolished in 2006.
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Moscow’s Manege was erected on November 30, 1817, to hold a parade marking the fifth anniversary of Alexander I’s defeat of Napoleon’s army. The building was severely damaged in a fire of 2004 and was reconstructed. Its interior and exterior were completely changed.
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Moscow Planetarium in 1972 and 2008.
