House on the Embankment
A guided tour to the “Ship Building”, a symbol of prosperity in the 1920’s – and of Stalin’s repressions in the 1930’s.
The House on the Embankment (1931, architect B. Iofan) is the first government residential building designed for the Soviet bureaucracy.
The illusion of universal equality in a just Soviet society quickly faded into oblivion, and the house was intended for a new, privileged class. This building of dreams was equipped with comforts unbelievable for those times: hot water, telephones, kitchens, a dry cleaner’s, kindergarten, and cinema. The Stalinist purges logically concentrated around the inhabitants of this very house – the purges primarily affected government circles. Two-thirds of the residents were repressed, including the chairman of Rykov’s government, Marshal Tukhachevsky. The house became a symbol of this terrible time.
This does not keep the current residents of this building from being happy - many popular and wealthy Russians like to buy apartments there. Patriarch Kirill even has an apartment in the House on the Embankment.
This interesting tour includes visiting a small apartment museum, as well as a tale of the history of a Soviet utopia reflected in the destinies of this building’s residents.
We will show you the most varied facets of the city: history, artwork, architecture, and daily life. In only two days, you can become a genuine expert on the city.
Four days in Moscow is long enough to study the city from A to Z, from the famous must-see sights to the unusual and unique ones that tourists rarely visit.
A historical excursion into the troubled era of the 1930’s – 1950’s. Final analyses are contradictory, and you can assess the legacy for yourself.