Learning History Through Architecture

One of my personal obsessions is visiting exhibition centres as they always offer interesting lessons not only about architecture, but also about history (and, in some cases, about fashion as well…).

The permanent All-Russia Exhibition Centre in Moscow is a must if you’re into learning such lessons since it perfectly summarises through its buildings the rise and fall of the Soviet dream.

Established in February 1935 to show the success of the Soviet economic system, the centre opened in August 1939, as the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV – standing for Vystavka Dostizheny Narodnogo Khozyaystva SSSR – USSR Economic Achievements Exhibition) (Bсесоюзная Сельско-Хозяйственная Выставка).

Located in a large area in the north of the capital (Moscow's northern suburb called "Ostankino"), the centre includes wide avenues and grandiose pavilions representing all the republics in a variety of architectural styles, built to show the achievements of Soviet industry, transportation, agriculture, science, culture, construction and health care.

The master plan was based on a competition design by Vyacheslav Oltarzhevsky that changed during the construction.

Each year the centre hosted more than 300 national and international exhibitions, conferences, seminars and meetings of scientists and industry professionals, attracting millions of visitors.

Renewed in the ‘50s, the exhibition centre was re-opened in 1954. Further renewing and rebuilding followed and, in 1959, the park was renamed Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy.

After the '60s a more rational style made itself evident, with structures in glass, steel and reinforced concrete devoid of decoration and dedicated to different fields such as engineering, space, atomic energy and radioelectronics.

At the beginning of the ‘90s the exhibition centre turned into the All-Russia Exhibition Centre (VVC) and the pavilions were privatised.

All the pavilions and the fountains were planned by Soviet architects: the main arch at the entrance features a statue of a tractor driver and a farm worker holding a bundle of wheat (second and third image in this post). A statue of Lenin is located in front of the central pavilion (first image in this post).

Many pavilions still look the same, including the pavilions of Georgia (architect A. Kurdiani), Uzbekistan (S. Polukhanov) and Armenia (K.S. Alabyan and S. Safaryan – fourth image).

Some structures and buildings are extremely ornate and pompous, with gilt sculptures and rich decorative motifs.

There are more than 20 fountains in the park, all designed by Soviet artists. Among the most interesting (and spectacular) ones there are the Friendship Fountain with gilt sculptures of young women from the ex-Soviet republics and the Stone Flower Fountain (eighth and ninth images), decorated with coloured stones from the Urals, facing the Ukraine Pavilion (the image on the right in the seventh block of images).

As stated in a previous post, Moscow is a city built on contrasts and what strikes the visitors of the exhibition centre is the clash between the Soviet architecture and the kitsch and tacky shops and restaurants that have now moved in (the technology pavilions with the shops selling assorted electrical appliances are just one example…).

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