Architecture · Faith · Moscow · Observations · Heritage · Society

I am simply horrified: under the guise of "restoration", the necropolis of the Novodevichy Convent has been literally destroyed

I am simply horrified: under the guise of "restoration", the necropolis of the Novodevichy Convent has been literally destroyed. See for yourselves. Levelling hundreds of burials to the ground and dismantling monuments, gravestones and the remains of crypts is now what passes for restoring a cemetery. If any

Architecture · Faith · Moscow · Museums · Heritage

At the Shchusev Museum of Architecture an exhibition has opened that will become a new part of the permanent display: three halls have been given over to the restored frescoes of the 15th-century Trinity-Makaryev Monastery at Kalyazin, blown up and floode

At the Shchusev Museum of Architecture an exhibition has opened that will become a new part of the permanent display: three halls have been given over to the restored frescoes of the 15th-century Trinity-Makaryev Monastery at Kalyazin, blown up and flooded in 1940 during the construction of the

Architecture · Moscow · Observations · Heritage · Education

Memorial plaque to Iosif Kobzon appears on the Shuvalova House of the Gnessin Institute

A memorial plaque to Iosif Kobzon has appeared on one of the buildings of the Gnessin Institute of Music and Pedagogy. I pass the music salon of the Shuvalova house, which is now the correct name for this building, almost every day, and yet I am seeing the commemorative plaque

Architecture · Art · Cinema · Moscow · Observations · Heritage

Sculptor Alexander Burganov and his statue of the Marquis de Sade at Lacoste castle in Provence

As a native of Khamovniki, I find the name of the sculptor Alexander Burganov stirs mixed feelings in me: I recall his ungainly studio in the lanes off Prechistenka, but also, on the other hand, some of his remarkable works. Several of them adorn the ruined château of Lacoste in

Architecture · Observations · Mores · Saint Petersburg

Avito continues to delight with unique lots

Avito continues to delight with unique lots. This time, for a modest 89 million roubles (almost 40 million more than last year's price), this flea market of the whole universe has put up for sale a 240-square-metre, six-room flat with a terrace in the centre

Architecture · Faith · Heritage · Society

The concert hall of the Kaliningrad Regional Philharmonic will sound anew: the building is to be renovated and given a new multifunctional, as is now the fashion, cultural space with new lightsoundvideo equipment and venues for…

The concert hall of the Kaliningrad Regional Philharmonic will sound anew: the building is to be renovated and given a new multifunctional, as is now the fashion, cultural space with new lightsoundvideo equipment and venues for lectures, masterclasses and other activities. Curiously, the reorientation of the Philharmonic's premises

Architecture · Moscow · Heritage · Society

Demolition of the Chernikov apartment house of 1914 on 2nd Neopalimovsky Lane in Moscow

This is how Chernikov's house on 2nd Neopalimovsky Lane looks now, although formally the demolition, the result of fraudulent dealings by a band of black-market developers, was not due to begin until the second half of September. The comrade swindlers are in a hurry to destroy an

Architecture · Heritage · Society · Rome

French cannonball of 1849 in the staircase of Cardinal Colonna's palace in Rome

A trace of the brief days of the Roman Republic in 1849: a cannonball lodged in the staircase of the Great Salon of Cardinal Girolamo Colonna's Baroque palace. The shots were fired at random from the Janiculum Hill into the centre of Rome, which the republicans had held

Architecture · Moscow · Observations · Heritage

After decades of neglect and ruin, the legendary Northern River Terminal, which, like many of our architectural monuments, was only a couple of years ago under threat of collapse, now looks like this: restoration work is in full swing…

After decades of neglect and ruin, the legendary Northern River Terminal, which, like many of our architectural monuments, was only a couple of years ago under threat of collapse, now looks like this: restoration work is in full swing, and they are preparing to open the building in time for

A golden metal star with a hammer and sickle set with gems stands on a support at a building site behind a mesh fence.

NB! · Architecture · Moscow · Observations · Heritage · Reportage

Completion of the 2.5 billion rouble reconstruction of the Northern River Station and the star for its spire

Came to see the completion of the reconstruction of the Northern River Terminal, at a cost of 2.5 billion roubles. The star will not be hoisted onto the spire today because of the squally wind. The gemstones of the hammer and sickle all seem to be in place

NB! · Architecture · Moscow · Observations

Moscow's Nineteenth-Century "Modern": A Residential House of the 1830s-1850s in Maly Kislovsky Lane

Moscow's nineteenth-century "modern": a residential house of the 1830s-1850s in Maly Kislovsky Lane. It is the only mansion in the city in the form of a tower, strongly reminiscent of Victorian building, and was turned into an apartment house at the start of the

Architecture · Art · Moscow · Observations

Five podcasts about Moscow to listen to while walking around the city

A little more on the subject of podcasts: they really are universal, and can prove useful in the most varied circumstances. Here is a selection of podcasts to listen to on a walk. For example, “A Walk around Moscow with Kazimir Malevich” invites you to go round the places where