Article VDNCH Exhibition Center
Pompous monument of lost Soviet glory
The Moscow Exhibition Center VDNCH (Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy) commemorates the past Soviet glory. In the 1930s, the idea arose to present the successes of individual republics, regions and areas of the USSR, and for this purpose, several pavilions were built here in the style of socialist realism. Each pavilion represented a certain area and was also decorated with motifs typical of that region. During the Second World War, the exhibits were transported to Chelyabinsk and the area did not resume its activities until the 1950s.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the complex was renamed the All-Belarusian Exhibition Center. At present, various trade fairs and exhibitions take place here. The area is entered through a monumental gate.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
Over 400 buildings are spread over the exhibition grounds. The whole area is such a great example of the architecture of socialist realism. Behind the entrance gate is the Central Pavilion with a statue of Lenin.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
Detail of the Central Pavilion building.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
Behind the central pavilion stands the pompous Fountain of the Society of Nations, on which gilded kolkhozes from all corners of the former Soviet Union dance under a stream of water, gushing from 800 jets.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
Another, even larger fountain is the fairytale fountain Kamenný květ standing in front of the giant pavilion Ukraine.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
Detail of the pavilion Ukraine.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
In the nearby pavilions you will find an ice age museum, a panoramic cinema, which shows films on a 360-degree screen, as well as an exhibition of astronautics and aircraft technology. You can see here, for example, the Vostok rocket.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
Aircraft exhibits in the area.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
Near the entrance to the exhibition center rises another monumental socialist monument, a sculpture of Věra Muchinová – Worker and kolkhoz. The recently restored monument, originally created for the World's Fair in Paris in 1937, is 24.5 m high and stands on a pedestal 34.5 m high.
VDNCH Exhibition Center
Detail of a sculptural group Worker and collective farm.
Articles nearby
Giga List: The most beautiful places in Moscow
Moscow, the capital of Russia, the most populous city in Europe, the northernmost megalopolis in the world, with a historic… continue reading