House of the Unions

Coordinates: 55°45′32″N 37°36′59″E / 55.7589°N 37.6164°E / 55.7589; 37.6164
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The House of the Unions.

The House of the Unions (Russian: Дом Союзов, romanizedDom Soyuzov, also called Palace of the Unions) is a historic building in the Tverskoy District in central Moscow, Russia. It is situated on the corner of Bolshaya Dmitrovka and Okhotny Ryad streets.[1]

History

The first building on this location was constructed in the early 1770s, and originally belonged to Moscow

Ball venue for the Russian nobility
.

Soviet era

After the October Revolution the building was assigned to the Moscow Council of Trade Unions, hence its current name.[1]

During the

Communist Party Congresses and conferences, and governmental award ceremonies, and also as a concert platform for classical and popular music performances including those by Emil Gilels, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Klavdiya Shulzhenko and Lev Leshchenko
.

Its political significance extended to the

interment in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis on Red Square.[2] Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, also had a lying in state in the hall following his death in 2022; he was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow next to his wife Raisa, in accordance with his will.[3]

The House of the Unions was also the venue of the notorious

Soviet secret police staged in 1936, 1937, and 1938.[4]

Architecture

Pillar Hall

A concert in Kazakov's Pillar Hall

Between 1784 and 1787 the original building was redesigned and rebuilt by Russian architect

faux marble
finish.

In 1860 Russian Musical Society began a tradition of symphony concerts in the Pillar Hall. Their organizer and conductor was Nikolai Rubinstein.

Today the building's appearance is still very close to Kazakov's original, despite numerous exterior alterations (the last of which was made in 1903-1908).

Other halls

In addition to the Pillar Hall, the building houses several other large rooms such as the October Hall, Hall No 1 (the Round Hall), Hall No 2 (the Banquet Hall), and numerous lobbies.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c The official website of the House of the Unions
  2. ^ a b Blagorodnoye Sobraniye Archived 2010-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, an article from "Encyclopedia 'Moscow'", 1997, Great Russian Encyclopedia publishing house (in Russian)
  3. ^ "Gorbachev to be buried next to his wife Raisa in Moscow". The Guardian. 30 August 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. ), endpaper map legend No. 4 and p. 68.

55°45′32″N 37°36′59″E / 55.7589°N 37.6164°E / 55.7589; 37.6164