Soviet Design

The exposition of development of Soviet design brought ambivalent impressions.

 On one hand these modest boxes remind about the society with no competition and  lack of most essential items.

On other hand I was happy to get back to my childhood, when hands were washed with soap for children "Tick-Tack", when in winter mother brought home fresh bananas after an hour in  the line, when you were lucky child to have "connections" and get ticket to New Year celebration in Kremlin with the best collection of chocolates in red plastic "Kremlin" box. 

Posted by Irina.
www.irinapictures.blogspot.com

Party Building

In October 1917 the green building building to the left hosted "the District Committee and the Revolutionary Committee of Russian Social Democratic Revolutionary Party of Bolshevick of Presnensky District of Moscow.
I read it on the sign sticked to this beautiful wooden "izba".
I'd prefer some kind babushka to live there.

Posted by Irina.

Beware of the Dog!

Beware, fierce dog! (or "Beware of the fierce dog") - the sign can be read with both meanings.
The idea is to keep strangers away from the mysterious "something" behind this fence, in the yard of warehouse. Old Soviet signs are still popular here. I wonder if they are effective.
I head no dogs barking, though.

Posted by Irina.

Backyard

The side (but very profitable) business of Moscow plants and factories is the renting of its buildings spaces to the offices of small and medium businesses.
It was not easy to find the company I was looking for, but during the search I could make this photo, after getting behind the high iron fence through very serious never-smiling guards.



Posted by Irina.

The Shukhov Tower

The Shukhov's Tower is a broadcasting tower in Moscow designed by Vladimir Shukhov. The 160m high free-standing steel structure was built in the period of 1920–1922, during the Russian Civil War. It is a hyperboloid structure (hyperbolic steel gridshell).

Due to its lattice structure, the steel shell of the Shukhov  radio-tower experiences minimum wind load (the main hazard for high-rising buildings). The tower sections are single-cavity hyperboloids of rotation made of straight beams, the ends of which rest against circular foundations.

The tower is located a few kilometers south of the Moscow Kremlin, but is not accessible to tourists.

It is interesting that during the installation there was a breakdown when lifting the section of the tower. Shukhov was sentenced to death (with stay of execution till the fulfillment of all construction works) for this breakdown. At that time Shukhov was 68 years old and among his genius projects were the first Russian oil pipeline, the first Russian tankers-barges, buildings with the supports in the form of lattice shells). They did not shoot him, they gave him the medal.

Shukhov tower now recognized by international experts as one of the highest achievements of engineering, it is 88 years old and was never restored..



Site about Shukhov and his works, in English.
Google map.
Posted by Irina.

Temple of the Mother of God

As promised, here is the full view of the church from Thursday's Theme Day post. This is the front of the church. I love how ornate it is, and unlike almost all of the other churches I've seen in Moscow, it's almost entirely exposed brick, rather than being painted. As you can see in the picture below, only accents are painted. The one thing I find funny is the bright yellow wall - it is part of the church's territory, but nothing on the church is painted is yellow!posted by Ashira