Old Gostiny Dvor
Gostiny Dvor in Moscow is a historic building in the heart of the Russian capital, located just 150 meters from the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. It is the oldest Moscow Gostiny Dvor. The large mansion with columns on the facade was erected in the Classicist style in the late 18th – early 19th century and became a prototype for the drawing rooms in other Russian cities. Nowadays, the building occupies a city block of 82,000 m², being a shopping and exhibition complex, a center of business life and a cultural center of the city.
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After reconstruction between 1990 and 2000, the historic Gostiny Dvor building in Moscow was rebuilt and equipped with air conditioning and modern climatology and electronic control systems. Europe’s largest unsupported light transmission pavement runs through its interior.Below the dome is the Atrium, a spacious 12,000 m² courtyard. It is covered with granite and surrounded by stucco columns. The interior is used for state and city celebrations, children’s parties, fashion shows, prestigious exhibitions and concerts. And the high floors in the attic house offices.
History of Gostiny Dvor
The territory, which is now occupied by the Gostiny Dvor in Moscow, was a busy place of trade already in the Middle Ages. Merchants who traded in the Kremlin stored various goods here. And the first stone premises for shops and warehouses were built at the end of the 16th century.
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As time went on, the trade turnover increased, and there was not enough space for all the merchants. In the middle of the XVII century, the buildings were reconstructed, and then extended to the south, towards Varvarka. Construction work on the new buildings was entrusted to a wealthy Moscow merchant Averkiy Kirillov..In 1786, Catherine II listened to the report of Yakov Alexandrovich Bryus. The army general informed the Empress that the old buildings had fallen into complete dilapidation and could collapse. The Empress listened to the arguments of Bruce and signed a decree on the erection of a new Gostiny Dvor in Moscow.
.The architectural project by Giacomo Quarenghi was slightly modified, taking into account the peculiarities of the terrain, and in 1791 began construction. However, for various reasons it was delayed for 14 years and was finished by 1805. In 1812, when the Patriotic War with the French was going on, the commercial quarter, like many Moscow buildings, was damaged in fires, so it had to be restored. And in 1825-1830, the architect Osip Ivanovich Bove managed to complete the buildings.
The last major reconstruction of the Gostiny Dvor in Moscow took place at the end of the last century. It greatly changed its appearance and received mixed reviews from experts. In 1996, large-scale archaeological excavations were organized. Finds of archaeologists nowadays can be seen in the exhibition complex “Old Gostiny Dvor.”
.Gostiny Dvor in Moscow today
Every year in the premises of the Gostiny Dvor is held Fashion Week, where new collections and developments of famous fashion designers are exhibited. From year to year, the Gostiny Dvor hosts balls of graduates-medalists, gastronomic festivals, exhibitions “Guns and Hunting”, “Tourism and Recreation”, “Education and Career”, as well as large corporate events.
Gostiny Dvor in Moscow also has a museum and exhibition complex “Fashion Museum”, where many costumes, shoes, accessories and hats of the late XIX – early XX century are exhibited. The museum welcomes guests on all days except Monday.Gostiny Dvor in Moscow is located in the center of the city, its address is 4 Ilyinka Street. It is located inside the neighborhood, which is formed by Varvarka Street, Ilyinka Street, as well as Rybny and Khrustalny pereuloks. It is easy to walk to the historic building in 10 minutes from the Moscow metro stations “Kitay-gorod” or “Ploshchad Revolyutsii”.
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