7 Architecture
Moscow boasts a rich architectural heritage characterized by a wide variety of styles comprising indigenous styles, Baroque, Renaissance, Neoclassicism, Historicism, Style Moderne (similar to Art Nouveau), Stalinist Gothic (a kind of gingerbread style) Socialist Realism, and semi-Modernist to mention only a few. Recently, the city's face is significantly transformed by post-modern buildings. The resulting appearance may be called poly-style.
Picture 9: One of the Seven Sisters (Hotel Ukraina), situated on the south bank of Moskva (shot in January 2006)
Well known buildings are the Kremlin, the Upper Trade Rows (GUM) at Red Square, the onion-domed Saint Basil's Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Danilov Monastery, the hyperboloid Shukhov Tower, the Ostankino Tower - still the highest free-standing structure in Eurasia, and the Seven Sisters. The latter, amongst them Lomonosov University and Hotel Ukraina, are landmark buildings resembling Gothic cathedrals.
For centuries the view of the city was dominated by numerous churches. The cityscape was drastically altered during Soviet times. Many historic buildings were demolished in order to construct wide avenues, magistral streets and roads. (5)
8 Final Remarks
Moscow represents a prime example for time-lapse city development. Metaphorically speaking, Russia's capital has been turned into one of the largest construction sites on earth in terms of the size and number of projects under construction and schemes planned.
Footnote
(5) Even the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the Kazan Cathedral were demolished, however reconstructed during the 1990s.