VDNKh: description, history, excursions, exact address. Exhibitions and concerts: cultural program at VDNKh

How many stories are connected at VDNKh! Both we and our mothers and fathers, grandparents spent their time here, made first dates, visited interesting expositions, met friends. VDNH has gone through entire eras, a real rebirth in 1954, the decline of the 90s. Today, the Exhibition is being revived and once again becomes a favorite place for Russians and tourists.

The Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy is the largest exposition, museum and recreational complex in the world, one of the most popular public spaces in the capital of Russia.
It is visited by about 25 million guests a year.

The exhibition was opened on August 1, 1939. Its name has changed several times
(VSHV, VPV, VDNKh of the USSR, VVTs).

In the spring of 2014, the Moscow Government launched a large-scale project to revive VDNKh, timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the country's Main Exhibition. At the initiative of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and based on the results of an electronic vote by city residents, the complex was given back its legendary historical name - the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy.

VDNKh is merged with the Ostankino park, their total area is more than 317 hectares (235.5 hectares - the area of ​​\u200b\u200bVDNKh and 81.5 hectares - the Ostankino area). On the territory of VDNKh there are many masterpieces of architecture, large and small park structures, including unique fountains. 49 objects of the Exhibition are recognized as monuments cultural heritage.

More than 100 international business exhibitions and congresses are held annually at VDNKh, dozens of festivals and holidays are held, and new expositions are being created. And with the revival of the Green Theater, opened on August 1, 2014, the Exhibition has also acquired the status of a popular summer concert venue, where the best musicians, stand-up comedians and performers of Russian and world scale perform.

In 2016, a new stage in the history of VDNKh began - a large-scale reconstruction of the territory and development of the Exhibition. The main stage of work will be carried out in a short time and will be completed in 2018.
After the implementation of this program, VDNH will not only become the main showcase of the country, a collection of the most interesting things in Russia, but will also turn into the main educational, entertainment, cultural, museum and recreational complex. This will increase the attendance of VDNKh up to 40 million people a year.

According to the VDNKh development plan, its territory will be divided into 7 park zones, each of which has its own theme, image and meaning (Central Alley, thematic Amusement Park, landscape park, Crafts Park, Knowledge Park, EXPO zone, Ostankino Park).

VDNKh, like any object with such a long history, has many secrets and mysteries.
For example, few people know that there is a real bunker on the territory of VDNKh. And about the fact that during the war there was a school of scouts?

There was a time when Russia was in a state of cold war, and bunkers were built all over Russia in case of attacks. VDNKh was no exception.
The bunker is located right in the building of the House of Peoples' Friendship. This building was created for Stalin, but no one ever used it. An interesting fact is also the fact that an underground passage leads from the bunker, which ends under the sculpture of Lenin, installed in front of the Pavilion. That is why the sculpture has not yet been removed.

The capacity of the bunker is 300 people. There are rest rooms, a storage room for provisions, an air filtration room, and an office for the General Secretary. The equipment allowed to stay underground for 2 days. Until 1971, provisions and water were regularly replenished in the bunker. Now this facility is operating, is under the protection of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Main entrance to VDNKh

The majestic 32-meter arch, through which visitors enter VDNKh, is a monument of history and culture state significance. The arch, like the famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, opens the Central Alley - the main axis of the exhibition city, which embodied the triumph Great Victory and the first successes in the post-war revival of the country.

The huge exhibition park required a monumental entrance, and this task was performed admirably. Take a closer look: there are large bas-reliefs on the columns, the main theme of which is the labor of people. The solemn composition is crowned by the sculptural group “Tractor Driver and Collective Farm Girl”. The symbol of VDNKh - the sculpture "Worker and Collective Farm Woman", has endured a lot in its lifetime. Even in the process of its creation, a denunciation was written against the sculptor that supposedly Trotsky's profile was visible in the skirt of the worker.
But the case was not given a move, and the figure was finished.

Pavilion "House of the Peoples of Russia"

The pavilion "House of the Peoples of Russia" at VDNH - The main building of the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy was built in 1954 during the reconstruction of the dilapidated buildings of the complex. Initially, the exposition of the pavilion reflected the stages and successes in building a socialist state in the Soviet Union as a whole. Pavilion No. 1 houses the permanent exhibition "Secrets underwater world". The meter-long herbivorous piranhas literally jump out of the aquarium when they are fed bananas and apples.

A four-meter tiger python is dozing in a special enclosure. He eats infrequently - once a month he swallows a rabbit. An anaconda swims nearby. Her favorite food is rats. Visitors to the exposition can see a real Nile crocodile and a caiman tortoise, snake-headed turtles, as well as live sharks, which have already had offspring here in captivity.

Fountain "Friendship of the Peoples of the USSR" - a striking monument of architecture of the Soviet era

One of the most famous fountain complexes in the capital appeared in the Stalin era on the territory of the modern VDNKh: its central element is the sparkling gilded fountain "Friendship of the Peoples of the USSR" (1953), which is symbolized by 16 girls around a colossal sheaf of wheat and sunflowers.

Sculpture "Russia"

The Russian girl looks at the Main Pavilion and holds a sheaf of wheat in her hands, next to her are the Slavic sisters - Ukraine (a girl in a wreath) and Belarus (a girl in a scarf, holding a branch with an apple in her hand).

The arrangement of sixteen figures is not accidental, since they stand in pairs, which corresponds to the order of the ribbons in the coat of arms of the USSR - from the bordering motto "Proletarians of all countries, unite!" Ukraine, Russia and so on.

sculpture "Georgia"

The artistic and engineering value of the fountain is beyond doubt: here is an epic scale, and a monumental idea that combines many sculptural elements into a single whole, and a thorough study of all the details, both from an aesthetic and technical point of view. The fountain project was designed by K. Topuridze and engineer V. Klyavin. Five leading sculptors of the country worked on it.

sculpture "Latvia"

Initially, the fountain was supposed to be called the "Golden Sheaf", but before the opening it was still renamed. In the center of the sculptural composition is indeed a giant sheaf of ears of corn, sunflowers and (no need to laugh) hemp. Around are the figures of sixteen girls in the national costumes of the fraternal republics, who hold various samples of agricultural products in their hands. You ask why 16, because there were only 15 union republics? It's simple: until 1956, the Karelian-Finnish Republic was also part of the USSR, and it is it that is "superfluous" at this celebration of life.

sculpture "Turkmenistan"

Only three heroines are known who posed for the sculptors of the fountain. These are the Estonian ballerina and actress Virve Kiple-Parsadanyan, the Turkmen pianist Gozel Annamamedova, who was a student at the Moscow Conservatory in those early years, and the wife of poet Mikhail Svetlov, Georgian Rodam Amirejibi. There are opinions that Stepan Pimenov's Guryev Service of 1809-1816 served as a prototype for the fountain - his porcelain sculptures resembled ancient goddesses with national features in clothes and attributes, like the characters of Alexei Venetsianov, who worked in the same years.

sculpture "Azerbaijan"

sculpture "Moldova"

sculpture "Ukraine"

sculpture "Belarus"

sculpture "Uzbekistan"

sculpture "Lithuania"

sculpture "Estonia"

sculpture "Kazakhstan"

sculpture "Armenia"

sculpture "Kyrgyzstan"

sculptures "Turkmenistan" and "Tajikistan"

The Friendship of the Peoples of the USSR fountain is one of the main symbols of the VSHV-VDNKh-VVTs. It embodied the ideals of friendship and peace, which were the main strategy and the central line of the policy of the USSR in the 1950s.

Worker and Kolkhoz Woman - "the ideal and symbol of the Soviet era"

Worker and Kolkhoz Woman, created by the architect Vera Mukhina, have long been a symbol not just of Moscow, but of the whole country - the USSR. Created in 1937, the monument embodied the social achievements of the Land of Soviets and said that the main worker in the USSR was the creator. The monument itself is made of stainless steel and weighs about 200 tons together with the pedestal.

Worker and Kolkhoz Woman were created for the pavilion of the USSR on world exhibition in Paris. The idea was to show not only the power of the country, but also its achievements in the social sphere. It must be said that the goal was achieved. The monument really impresses with its power and purposefulness for the future. This is the anthem of labor in steel.

Northern Entrance Arch

The Northern Entrance Arch has always been a symbol of VDNKh and once served as the main gate of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. It is the only building of 1939 today that has come down to us without late alterations. To this day, only a solid relief decor has survived: garlands of fruits, ears of corn and vines, cast from white cement, and on the vaults of the side volumes you can see stucco molding with a geometric pattern. The arch became the object of filming more than once and was known throughout the USSR thanks to such films that were included in the golden fund of Russian cinema, such as Foundling (1939), Bright Path (1940), Pig and Shepherd (1941). d.) and "The House I Live in" (1957). The oldest building of VDNKh - the Arch of the Northern Entrance - is planned to be restored by mid-2017.

Pavilion No. 8 "Young Naturalists"

Built in 1954 as "Young Naturalists" by architects N.A. Grishina, D.S. Vitukhina, A.S. Goldin. Monument of history and culture of national importance. During the Soviet era, this pavilion with a glass dome housed rooms for young technicians, livestock breeders, plant growers, a greenhouse and an exhibit area. Now the Exhibition of Exotic Birds and the museum of fairy tales "Once upon a time" are working here. Exotic birds flutter in the greenhouse among tropical plants. Guests can observe the life and behavior of birds from Africa, Asia, Australia, America and Oceania. Video cameras are installed in the nests so that anyone can admire the birth of the chicks. In 2011, the Dolphinarium was officially opened behind Pavilion No. 8.

Pavilion No. 9 "Young Technicians"

If most of the VDNKh pavilions were built in 1954, then the building on the site of the ninth pavilion, which then bore the name "Peat", appeared even before the war - in 1939. Today, the Panopticon of Scientific Entertainment, opened in 2012, operates here.

Pavilion No. 10 "Standards" ("Moldavian SSR")

The first project of pavilion No. 10, located opposite the Friendship of Peoples fountain, was implemented by the opening of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition in 1954. In the architecture of the facades of the building, the authors combined the motifs of the classics and the national architecture of Moldova. The main façade of the pavilion, facing Druzhby Narodiv Square, was designed as a portico with a deep loggia brightly painted with folk ornaments.

Pavilion №18 "Republic of Belarus"

The pavilion has been on this site since 1939! Today, the Belarusian Trade and Exhibition and Information and Marketing Center operates here. The building acquired its current appearance during the post-war reconstruction of the Exhibition. The pavilion, designed by G.A. Zakharov and 3.S. Chernysheva, is an expressive architectural structure. It is crowned by the sculpture "Motherland" by A.O. Bembel. This sculpture embodies the concept of Motherland. The classical character of the architecture of the pavilion with a powerful portico and a light rotunda crowning it harmonizes with the majestic solemnity of the golden statue dominating the surrounding space. There is some movement in her peace. This statue opens unexpectedly when you approach the pavilion, gives a new impression.

Industry area

At the very beginning of the design of VDNKh, a giant skyscraper pavilion "Mechanization and electrification" was built on the square. Agriculture THE USSR". Then the grandiose 25-meter monument-repetition of "Stalin" by Merkurov became the dominant feature, which was dismantled immediately after the death of the leader. Instead, a large round pond was created, and the Mechanization pavilion completely changed its appearance and became very similar to a domed basilica.

Later, the place in the center of the pond, where there was a statue of Stalin, was replaced by a model of the Vostok rocket, on which Yuri Gagarin took off into space on April 12, 1961. Three aircraft also appeared on the square, of which only the Yak-42 has survived to this day.

Museum complex "Buran"

The interactive museum complex "Buran" at VDNKh was created in record time - in 3 months. The exposition is located inside the model of the Buran BTS-001 orbital ship and is dedicated to the victories of Russian scientists, engineers and space explorers. Here you can not only learn about the history of the Soviet space shuttle, but also try yourself as its pilot. The simulator program completely imitates the real landing of Buran after the first and only flight in 1988.

Monument to the Conquerors of Space

The first manned flight into space is one of the most important stages in the development of science in the Soviet Union and one of the most important world achievements. Of course, this theme could not but be reflected in the image of VDNKh. In 1964, a monument to the Conquerors of Space appeared at VDNKh. In April 1981, at the base of the monument, a Space Museum. Museum visitors could see things here one way or another related to space and astronauts: space equipment, the first spacesuits and artificial satellites of the Earth - everything that helped to study the Moon and other planets of the solar system.

Pavilion №35 "Tobacco"

"Glavtabak", created in the image of a pre-war building located on the site of the domed hall of pavilion No. 32/34, combined the motives of the architecture of the East, Gothic and Russian national architecture. Even today, guests of the Exhibition are delighted with the faceted rounded volume, surrounded by a gallery and resembling a gazebo. The decoration of the pavilion's whimsical façade is made of colorful tiles with expressive plant motifs.

Various outlines of real and false windows, kokoshniks, thin columns and other interesting elements give the pavilion an exquisite decorative effect and emphasized oriental flavor. The spire crowning the dome was previously completed by a medallion with the Glavtabak emblem.

Pavilion No. 38 Exhibition and Aquarium Complex ("Fishing")

The building replaced the small pavilions "Pond Farm" and "Fish Farm", built for the opening of the Exhibition-1939 and reconstructed in 1954 in the style of Stalin's eclecticism. The new pavilion, lined with glass and aluminum, was created in the spirit of brutal modernism.

Pavilion №58 Agriculture (Ukrainian SSR)

In 1937, on the territory of the Exhibition under construction, a temporary wooden pavilion of Ukraine was erected according to the project of A.A. Tatsia with the participation of N.K. Ivanchenko. Later, the author had to make changes to the project several times, and the most significant - just 4 months before the opening of the Exhibition.

At the end of March 1939, during the 18th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, N.S. Khrushchev, visited the newly completed pavilion of the republic and was extremely dissatisfied. “Ukraine is the granary of the Soviet Union, and the pavilion is worse than the Moscow pavilion!” - he was indignant. The construction of the building that we can admire today began in 1950.

Pavilion No. 59 "GRAIN" (Moscow, Ryazan and Tula region)

The pavilion is built of stone, concrete and plate glass. Its decoration was a ruby ​​star and bas-reliefs framing the facade with figures of vegetable growers, milkmaids, gardeners, tractor drivers. The silhouette of the building resembled both the USSR pavilion at an exhibition in Paris in 1937, and the Kremlin tower with symbolic battlements. The author of the project used a set of decorations and symbols that were close and understandable to the generation of that time. By the opening of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition in 1954, the pavilion was reconstructed: the building acquired a more austere appearance, and the 52-meter tower, topped with a star, directed to the sky, gave it lightness and loftiness.

Pavilion No. 60 "Consumer cooperation"
("Central Chernozem Regions")

According to the original plans, pavilion No. 60 was built in the 1950s to represent the Kursk, Tambov, Penza, Voronezh and Oryol regions. Its architecture is designed in neoclassical forms, harmoniously complemented by Russian-style ornaments. The semi-circular colonnade of the entrance group and the belvedere, decorated with a gold wreath with an openwork decorative composition, give the pavilion a special solemnity. Despite the rather modest interior for the most part, the central hall is distinguished by a superbly decorated dome of light with images of sheaves, sickles, five-pointed stars, wreaths and other details referring to decorative motifs in the Empire style.

Pavilion No. 61 ("Tsentrosoyuz")

The Centrosoyuz Pavilion within the framework of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition was intended to demonstrate the importance of consumer cooperation, the purpose of which was to implement and develop commodity relations between the city and the countryside. Its snow-white volume ends in the central part with a tent with many kokoshniks, which is crowned with a gilded spire. The sculptures, located to the right and left of the tent, symbolize the inextricable link between the working class and the collective farm peasantry.

Pavilion No. 62 ("Nature Protection", "Building Materials") International Ballet Center

On the linden alley next to the former Collective Farm Club, today we can see pavilion No. 62. In 1954, it was built to familiarize agricultural workers with the variety of building materials produced by industry and their effective use. On June 5, 2017, the International Ballet Center was opened in the pavilion. The center is focused not only on teaching classical ballet, but also folk dance and jazz modern, it also hosts lectures, performances and master classes by famous choreographers from Russia and other countries.

Pavilion No. 66 "Culture" ("Uzbek SSR")

In 1937, a pavilion designed by S.N. Polupanov, intended for the Tajik, Turkmen and Uzbek SSR. However, in 1938 it was completely occupied by the exposition of the Uzbek SSR.

"Culture" is one of the most favorite pavilions of Muscovites and guests of the city at VDNKh. Aerial gazebo in front of the pavilion, tiles on the walls, exquisite oriental architecture. Many wedding photo shoots take place here on weekends. So, earlier it was the pavilion of Uzbekistan, behind it there was a real Chaihona. The pavilion was built in the spirit of an Uzbek house by the best craftsmen from Uzbekistan: there are no windows, but all the walls are beautifully decorated.

Many legends are associated with the gazebo. VDNH rangers say that sometimes the gazebo makes moaning sounds at night. The forty columns of the air pavilion symbolize the 40 wives of the Padishah, who lived several centuries ago. After the death of their master, the columns (that is, the wives) began to moan in grief. You can check this only at night, making your way past the guards. The roof of the gazebo is painted bright blue - this is also not accidental. They say that the sky in Uzbekistan differs in color from Moscow, so the builders showed the difference. Like, envy! You must visit the pavilion. It has preserved a carved ceiling, chandeliers, and the pattern of the inner wall completely repeats the pattern on the outside.

Pavilion №68 "Armenia"
(former "Coal industry", "Siberia")

The hexagonal pavilion with decorative turrets on Druzhby Narodov Square was built in the early 1950s for the exposition of Siberia. Its side facades acquaint the guests of the Exhibition with the flora and fauna of this region. The epic picture of the Siberian Territory is also created by cornices and bas-reliefs rich in stucco ornaments, in which we easily recognize a hunter, a combine machine operator, a collective farmer, a sheep breeder, an agronomist and a miner.

Pavilion No. 68 reminds small fortress. Since 2003, the Exhibition and Commercial Center of the Republic of Armenia has been operating in the pavilion, as well as the Ararat restaurant.

Ferris wheel

The Ferris wheel installed at VDNKh allows you to admire the landscapes of the capital from a height of 73 meters, the diameter of the wheel is 70 m. It was built in 1995 for the 850th anniversary of Moscow and became the most high attraction in Moscow and Eastern Europe.
The period of one rotation of the attraction is seven minutes. There are forty passenger cabins on the wheel. Eight of them are open. The capacity of each cabin is 8 people. It is worth saying that the design of the wheel is resistant to wind gusts reaching forty meters per second. He is not afraid of earthquakes up to nine points.

Yakubov's Castle at VDNKh

The castle at VDNKh belongs to American citizen Yakov Yakubov. At the farthest and deserted end of the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy - in the state conservation area - a three-story castle rises. True, it has nothing to do with the exhibition: it is the private property of multimillionaire Yakov Yakubov. This building is not indicated on the VDNKh scheme. No house number, no address. There is a pavilion “Rabbit Breeding” standing next to it, but there is no castle. Everyone who saw it speaks about this castle with delight. They say, one might say, with a breath. But for some reason, they keep quiet about who it belongs to.

The former cafe is a reception house. Office now

Deli №1

At VDNKh, a little to the right of the Industry Square, they repainted and put in order the main grocery store of the exhibition - grocery store No. 1. Over its half-century history, the building of grocery store No. 1 has changed a number of names: from Glavkonserv and Konservy to simply Gastronome. At the same time, he lived to this day, retaining his original appearance and historical function: like 20 years ago, a grocery store operates here. Fortunately, the owners of the pavilion decided not to change anything, the sellers are still working behind the same showcases and counters that were inherited from Soviet times.

Fountain "Stone Flower"

Fountain "Stone Flower" - the second most important fountain of VDNKh, after the fountain "Friendship of Peoples", was created in 1954 according to the project of Topuridze. The main idea invested in the artistic appearance of the fountain is abundance, expressed in a rich sculptural design.

The central composition of the fountain is designed in the form of a blooming flower made of large concrete slabs lined with multicolored smalt. The remaining parts were lined with fine red granite. With its stepped composition and play of jets, the fountain definitely resembles the Versailles Latona, created in 1670.

Inspired by the works of art of the Ural masters and the 1946 film "Stone Flower" released in 1946 based on the works of P.P. Bazhov, the "Stone Flower" fountain is an outstanding example of Soviet mosaic art. Along the perimeter, the pool is decorated with figures of birds, stucco fruits and gifts from the fields. They also shoot out jets of water. All this creates a beautiful joyful scene. "Stone Flower" became the world's first light and music fountain. Especially for him, the great Soviet composer Shostakovich wrote the "Festive Overture".

The chief architect of VDNH A.F. Zhukov noted: “Its “a fantastic flower growing from crystals and gems harmoniously combines with the magnificent pavilions surrounding it. The fountain scatters a lot of water jets; bronze and cast-iron fish and birds “splash” in the pool. the scenario of "fountains is enchanting".

Anyone who one day approaches the fountain can turn their attention to the preserved bronze geese, as if crouching on small banks. The bronze sculptures were made by sculptors Z. V. Ryleeva and Alexandrova-Roslavleva. The best masters of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, actively involved in the design of a number of other pavilions of the exhibition, worked on the mosaic lining.

South entrance of the exhibition

Built in 1954 by architects V. Voskresensky, G. Lebedev, D. Oltarzhevsky. Modeler P. Gribkov. Monument of history and culture of national importance. This expressive building is stylistically close to the traditions of Palladianism. The monumental portico is combined with an arch facing the Exhibition grounds. Embodying the idea of ​​the triumph of collective farming, the arch of the Southern Entrance is crowned by the sculptural composition "Abundance" with the coat of arms of the USSR raised high. The frieze of the arch is still decorated with medallions depicting the awards of the participants of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition-VDNKh.

Fountain "Golden Ear"

In the center of pond No. 3 in the middle of the vast dam zone of the Exhibition, there is the third largest fountain, the Golden Ear, with two powerful pumps that allowed 66 jets to rise simultaneously, 30 of which reached 25 meters! The nozzles are located in the golden grains of the ear in the form of its antennae. The symbolism of the fountain is obvious, because since ancient times, ears of corn have meant rebirth, life, harvest and fertility.

The new "Spike", in a large-scale reconstruction of the 1950-1954s. was a justified decision, due to the changed scale of the exhibition facilities and the technical condition of the former fountain. The new fountain in the form of a giant ear rose to a height of 16 meters like a "triumphal column" of socialist agriculture.

Interesting fact: During the celebration of Midsummer Night's Dream 2015, the Golden Ear fountain towering on the pond - in Soviet times a symbol of fertility - on the night of July 18-19, 2015 became the object of a light show.

The sculpture of the Golden Ear, like a portal to another dimension, shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, and when a ball of water rose from the pond next to the Ear, full of a rainbow, a glow, northern lights, clouds and stardust, all the guests finally went to a parallel world.

Temple-chapel of St. Basil the Great

The temple-chapel bears the name of St. Basil the Great, who lived in the 4th century AD. e. He began to bear the name Great during his lifetime, as he was "a scientist in the twelve sciences." Patriarch Alexy II, during the consecration of the chapel, explained that VDNKh has always glorified everything new, advanced, both in science and in the national economy, so St. Basil the Great will help the Exhibition team to continue this path. The temple was built in 2001, renovated in 2011. Its construction was made possible thanks to donations from employees and guests of the Exhibition. Regular services are held in the chapel, everyone can confess, be baptized, get married.

Green theater

The building of the Green Theater - the same age as VDNKh - has overgrown with thick ivy over the years of its existence mystical stories: a mysterious white Cerberus dog, ghosts of fortune-tellers and lost manuscripts - what the fantasy of a Soviet person did not give birth to, looking at a luxurious building immersed in greenery. Indeed, the semicircular amphitheater reproduces the shape of a French chateau, thanks to which the Green Theater was dubbed the Soviet Versailles. Once upon a time, the Pyatnitsky Choir, the jazz band of Leonid Utesov, the then aspiring singer Iosif Kobzon and other masters of the Soviet stage, the TsDZh Ensemble under the direction of I.O. Dunayevsky, Ensemble folk dance Igor Moiseev, the Moscow Operetta Theatre, opera and ballet dancers of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR, the Alexandrov Red Banner Ensemble... The open-air auditorium could accommodate up to 5,000 people. Years passed, and the Green Theater was undeservedly forgotten, it was dilapidated and destroyed, causing indignation among Muscovites who kept it in their memory best years.

Now the theater is undergoing work on its careful restoration. It is planned to restore the historical three-dimensional structure of the building as much as possible and preserve its original elements. After restoration work, the Green Theater will become very convenient for both artists and spectators.

Moskvarium at VDNKh

Officially, this institution is called the Center for Oceanography and Marine Biology. The Oceanarium, the opening of which aroused great interest among the residents of the Russian capital and its guests, was placed in a giant unique building.

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity

Television technical center "Ostankino"

View of Ostankino tower from the park

New life VDNKh

There are 50 cultural heritage sites on the territory of VDNKh, most of which will be restored in the coming years. Large-scale restoration work began in 2014, when the country's main exhibition was transferred to the Moscow Government. Prior to this, historical pavilions were rented out for retail outlets and warehouses for a long time.

Restoration work turned into unexpected finds. In the central hall of pavilion No. 1 "Central", for example, decorative arches were hidden under a layer of plaster, and in the adjacent hall - paintings forgotten for several decades. In this building, a high relief of Yevgeny Vuchetich "Glory to the standard-bearer of the world, to the Soviet people" was discovered! (1954) and a painting by Alexander Gerasimov, 1953.

Last year, work began on the restoration of the green parterres of the central alley of VDNKh. They are being restored in the form in which they were created in 1954-1958. This year, the restoration of 29 objects and monuments will begin, including the largest objects of the exhibition. Work will start at 17 VDNKh fountains, including Friendship of Peoples, stone flower” and “Golden Ear”. They will be restored architectural elements and engineering infrastructure, which has fallen into disrepair for more than sixty years.

This summer, restoration work will cover the entire central part of VDNKh. They are scheduled to be completed by early summer 2018. By the same time, the arches of two more entrances to the territory - the Central and the South - will be restored.

All projects for the restoration of architectural monuments undergo an independent examination. The historical appearance of pavilions, arches and fountains is carefully restored by leading experts in the field of restoration of cultural heritage sites. After the work is completed, modern museums and exhibitions will be opened in the restored pavilions.

At the moment, I am simply amazed at the scope with which this exhibition was built. Thousands of the best masters from various countries tried to show their best skills, which still delight many today. I really hope that the reconstruction planned by the management of VDNKh in the near future will preserve all this beauty for our future children and grandchildren.

Photos are not mine. My great gratitude for the material for this post GALINA, SiteVDNKh, vladislaw.leonenkov, smileplanet.ru