Mug Shot — «Moscow - Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building»

City: Moscow Country: Russia Edition: 08 Icon Edition Belongs to: 252 users (18 trading, 69 seeking)

Moscow is the capital city and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural and scientific center in Russia and in Europe. According to Forbes 2011, Moscow has the largest community of billionaires in the world. Moscow is the northernmost megacity on Earth, the most populous city in Europe, and the 5th largest city proper in the world. It's also the largest city in Russia with a populationof 11 mln. Moscow is situated on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District of European Russia. In the course of its history the city has served as the capital of a progression of states, from the medieval Grand Duchy of Moscow and the subsequent Tsardom of Russia to the Soviet Union. Moscow is the site of the Moscow Kremlin, an ancient fortress that is today the residence of the Russian president and of the executive branch of the Government of Russia. The Kremlin is also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city. Both chambers of the Russian parliament (the State Duma and the Federation Council) also sit in Moscow. The city is served by an extensive transit network, which includes four international airports, nine railway terminals, and one of the deepest underground metro systems in the world, the Moscow Metro, third to Tokyo and Seoul in terms of passenger numbers. It is recognized as one of the city's landmarks due to the rich and varied architecture of its 185 stations. Over time, Moscow has acquired a number of epithets, most referring to its size and preeminent status within the nation: The Third Rome, The Whitestone One, The First Throne, The Forty Churches.

Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building is one of seven stalinist skyscrapers laid down in September, 1947 and completed in 1952, designed by Dmitry Chechylin and Andrei Rostkovsky. The main tower has 32 levels and is 176 meters tall. The building also incorporates a 9-story apartment block facing Moskva River, designed by the same architects in 1938 and completed in 1940. Originally build in stern early Stalinist style, with wet stucco wall finishes, it was re-finished in terra cotta panels in line with the main tower and acquired ornate pseudo-Gothic crowns over its 12-story raised corners and center tower. By the end of World War II, the side wing was converted to multi-family kommunalka housing, in a contrast to the planned elite status of the main tower. The main tower, of a conventional steel frame structural type, has a hexagonal cross-section with three side wings. While it is not exceptionally tall or massive, the "upward surge" of five stepped-up layers, from a flat 9-storey side wing to the spire, produce a visual image of a far superior structure. The structure hides behind itself a so-called "Shvivaya Gorka", a hill with historical architecture and a maze of steeply inclined streets. Chechulin was initially criticized for complete disregard of this area, but his bureaucratic influence brushed off any criticisms.

photo by lucky
edited by mobydick74

  Russia, Moscow, 08 Icon Edition

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