New Arbat Avenue

Coordinates: 55°45′08″N 37°35′28″E / 55.75222°N 37.59111°E / 55.75222; 37.59111
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
New Arbat Avenue
Smolenskaya
Coordinates55°45′04″N 37°35′28″E / 55.75111°N 37.59111°E / 55.75111; 37.59111

New Arbat Avenue (Russian: Новый Арбат) is a major street in Moscow running west from

Moskva River. The modern eight-lane avenue (originally named Kalinin Prospekt in 1968–1994), along with two rows of high-rise buildings, was constructed between 1962 and 1968, and was literally cut through the old, narrow streets of the Arbat District
.

Within the Garden Ring

New Arbat Avenue from a higher perspective

A modern avenue running parallel to the picturesque

Moskva, creating the beginning of Kutuzovsky Prospekt
, and completing the main part of New Arbat by 1968.

The southern side of the avenue (excluding the historical buildings of the Praga Restaurant and the Grauerman Nursery near Arbat Square) is dominated by a series of V-shaped, 26-storey office built atop a long two-storey structure housing restaurants, retail establishments and two underground levels for storage and delivery. Despite the government's public statements against gambling, more than half of this space was for a long time occupied by casinos. On July 4, 2009, a new government ban restricted gambling to four permitted zones, effectively putting an end to the industry in Moscow; the Novy Arbat casinos have subsequently either closed or morphed into entertainment centers and restaurants.

The northern side, has five narrow 26-storey apartment towers positioned perpendicularly to the avenue. The space between the towers is occupied by (west to east):

Native Muscovites sometimes refer to the office blocks as "the dentures".

Beyond the Garden Ring

The short stretch beyond Novoarbatsky Bridge is lined with Stalinist apartment buildings; a five-story postconstructivist block on the south side was recently torn down and replaced with luxury apartment buildings.

  • The tallest building, the 31-storey Comecon tower, was completed in 1965–1970
  • The grounds of the US Embassy are located just north from Comecon tower
  • The
    White House
    , the seat of Russia's government, stands on the embankment west of the US Embassy
  • The new embassy of UK stands on the embankment south of the avenue

Popular culture

  • A scene in the 1986 sci-fi film
    Kin-Dza-Dza!
    was filmed on the Avenue, at No. 26.

Gallery

  • New Arbat Avenue in 1999
    New Arbat Avenue in 1999
  • May 9 parade in 2008
    May 9 parade in 2008
  • Church of Simeon Stylites
  • The varied architecture on the Northern side of New Arbat Avenue
    The varied architecture on the Northern side of New Arbat Avenue
  • New Arbat Avenue in 2013
    New Arbat Avenue in 2013
  • New Arbat Avenue in the evening, 2014
    New Arbat Avenue in the evening, 2014
  • The queue to the Black Star Burger restaurant, 2017
    The queue to the Black Star Burger restaurant, 2017
  • Luxury cars in New Arbat Avenue
    Luxury cars in New Arbat Avenue
  • Shopping and Restaurants in New Arbat Avenue
    Shopping and Restaurants in New Arbat Avenue

References

  • (in Russian) Александров, Ю.А., "Силуэты Москвы", М, 1978, стр.135-141

External links

Media related to New Arbat Street at Wikimedia Commons

55°45′08″N 37°35′28″E / 55.75222°N 37.59111°E / 55.75222; 37.59111