Description of the attraction
The Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy in Moscow is one of the largest spaces of its kind on the planet. The area of the VDNKh territory is now more than 520 hectares.
During its existence, the exhibition has gone through many epoch-making events and has often become a platform for holding events that are unique in their grandeur of design. VDNKh was filmed in films and depicted on large-scale paintings; special issues of postage stamps have been dedicated to it many times.
Stages of a long journey
The history of construction and development of VDNKh takes a huge historical period. Each stage - from design in the 30s of the last century to large-scale reconstruction and development of a new development concept in 2013 - was and remains important and significant not only for the exhibition and for Moscow, but for the whole country.
Start
Collectivization, announced in the late 1920s, bore fruit in a few years. Its positive sides needed to be demonstrated to the general public, and therefore in 1934 the government decided to hold an exhibition … The reason was the approaching anniversary of Soviet power. The announcement of the exhibition was received with great enthusiasm, and the Moscow City Council with the People's Commissariat of Agriculture began to consider suitable land. In August 1935, the site to the east of Ostankino Park was approved, and the established Main Exhibition Committee announced a competition for the best design. In addition, it was required to provide the future VDNKh with urban infrastructure: to supply water supply and sewerage systems, to establish transport links, and to expand the adjacent highways.
The grand opening was supposed to take place on the Day of the Constitution of the USSR on July 6, 1937, but in the summer, arrests of members of the exhibition committee began, who were charged with sabotage of varying severity. Most of the employees were sentenced to death and shot. The chief architect was charged with an unsuccessful architectural design of the pavilions, as a result of which most of the already built was demolished or radically altered. It was not possible to meet the original deadlines, and the exhibition was open only on August 1, 1939.
Pre-war years
The exhibition city, which occupied 136 hectares, houses 250 different buildings and structures. The main entrance to the territory of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition was located on the north side. Passing through the arch, visitors got to the Main Pavilion. Throughout the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition passed an alley on which the collective farm square with the pavilions of the republics and regions, the Mechanization square with the Stalin monument and branch structures and the Prudovaya square, where you could relax after a busy exhibition day, were located.
In 1940, part of the pavilions was reconstructed, exhibition expositions of new republics appeared, but with the outbreak of war the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition was closed … Its exhibits were evacuated, and many employees went to the front. Warehouses, barracks, repair shops and even a school for scouts were organized in the pavilions.
Post-war years and reconstruction
It was decided to resume the work of the exhibition in 1947. The famous sculptor E. Vuchetich was involved in the reconstruction and redevelopment works. In 1954, the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition reopened and worked annually during the spring-summer season.… The area of the exhibition center has increased to 207 hectares, a significant part of the pavilions have been rebuilt. The architects worked in the Stalinist Empire style, and the newly built objects began to resemble palaces. During the reconstruction, hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of timber, millions of bricks and thousands of tons of steel and iron were used. The decoration was supervised by V. Yakovlev, People's Artist of the USSR, who worked in the style of socialist realism and stood out for the special breadth of the compositions he created.
In 1959, the exhibition opened in a new role. Now it was called VDNKh of the USSR and demonstrated achievements not only in agricultural, but also in industrial, construction and transport … In the 60s, she was subjected to another restructuring, accused of "building excesses". At this time, the coats of arms that crowned them were removed from the pavilions, the interior decoration was almost completely destroyed, and some of the structures were completely demolished. Then the system of republican achievements was abolished, and the pavilions were renamed into branch ones.
Perestroika and our time
Another renaming overtook VDNKh in 1992. In accordance with the decree of the President of Russia, it began to be called All-Russian Exhibition Center. Difficult times for the country could not but affect the fate of VDNKh. Most of its pavilions were rented by enterprising merchants, and some of the exhibits of historical importance were completely lost.
In 2013, the headquarters of the reconstruction of the All-Russian Exhibition Center was headed by the mayor of Moscow, and in 2014 the exhibition was returned to its historical name.
What to see at VDNKh
Several pavilions and structures have survived from the first buildings of the 1930s on the territory of today's VDNKh … The main entrance in the form of an arch from the side of the street has remained unchanged. Eisenstein, which is now called the Northern. The pavilion of Armenia became "Healthcare", and the pavilion of Azerbaijan - "Computing equipment". Pavilions "Grain", "MOPR" and "Oilseeds" are now "Transport", "Physical culture and sport" and "Microbiological industry", respectively. "Mechanization" in the 60s was given to "Cosmos".
The post-war Stalinist Empire style can be seen today: the pavilions "Uzbek SSR" (now "Culture") and "Ukrainian SSR" are the most striking examples of the implementation of the leading architectural trend in those years.
The most important sights of VDNKh, which are worth seeing:
- The main entrance to the exhibition was built in the early 50s. The building resembles a triumphal arch, symbolizing the Great Victory of the Soviet people in the last war. From the main gate begins the Central Alley of VDNKh and opens up a grandiose perspective, which is crowned by the Main Pavilion. The alley is decorated with a composition of 14 fountains.
- The symbol of the exhibition is often called fountain "Friendship of peoples", which opened in 1954 on the square of the same name on the Central Alley. The pool of the fountain has a very impressive size - 81 by 56 m. In the center there is a sheaf of agricultural crops, surrounded by sixteen sculptures of women symbolizing the union republics, of which there were just that many at the time of the opening of the fountain. The sculptures are covered with gold leaf.
- Fountain "Golden Ear" on the upper pond VDNKh was first opened in the 30s, but later it was reconstructed. The new version of 1954 reached a height of 16 meters, more than sixty jets, the height of which reached 25 meters, were simultaneously fired from the "grains". The renewed fountain was launched in the summer of 2018.
- Opposite the pavilion "Ukraine" is another main fountain of the exhibition "Stone Flower" … The inspiration for the authors of his project was the book "The Malachite Box" by P. Bazhov. The flower is made up of petal-shaped concrete slabs covered with mosaics. The pool is decorated with sculptures in the form of cornucopias, vases and fruits.
- Main pavilion at first it was built of wood, but in 1954 it was dismantled and a new one was erected. It was designed in the traditions of Russian classical architecture, spiced with a fair amount of Stalinist Empire style, and in part resembles the Admiralty building in St. Petersburg. The pavilion is made in the form of ledges, decorated with columns and sculptural compositions and topped with a spire with a star.
- One of the most recognizable at the exhibition pavilion "Moscow" was created for Expo-67 in Canada and was reassembled in 1975 at VDNKh. The Soviet pavilion was one of the most visited at the exhibition in Montreal: its halls contained more than 10 thousand exhibits. The springboard roof of "Moscow" and the glass wall noticeably inclined forward give the structure a special dynamism and lightness.
- Pavilion "Space / Mechanical Engineering" was originally intended to demonstrate the achievements of agricultural mechanization and electrification. It was designed in the form of a landing stage, but during the post-war reconstruction it acquired its existing appearance. Since the 60s, a significant part of the pavilion area has been devoted to the demonstration of technical innovations of the space industry. Recent restoration work has returned to the pavilion a panel of gold smalt dedicated to mechanical engineering and a ruby glass chandelier. The largest exhibit of the pavilion's contemporary exhibition is a model of the module of the Mir orbital station.
- Exposition "Agriculture" is located today in the most beautiful pavilion of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements, which until 1964 was called the "Ukrainian SSR". The pavilion appeared in the 50s on the site of a wooden structure previously built for the opening of the exhibition. The development and implementation of the project was personally supervised by Khrushchev. The building has become the largest of the republican pavilions. The total area of its halls is 1600 sq. m., the height of the building together with the spire reaches 42 m. The stucco molding of ceramics decorating the facade depicts ears of corn, the arch at the entrance is crowned with a wreath of majolica and is decorated with a stained-glass window. The sculptural groups at the entrance are dedicated to the Stakhanovites, and the murals in the entrance hall tell the viewer about the friendship of the peoples of the USSR.
The special delight of VDNKh visitors and guests and residents of the capital passing by the exhibition area invariably evokes sculptural composition "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" … The monument appeared in 1937 and since then it has been called the ideal and symbol of the Soviet era. Initially, the composition was intended to decorate the pavilion of the USSR, which took part in the international exhibition in Paris. Then the sculpture was reassembled in Moscow. After restoration in 2003-2009, the monument was again placed on a pedestal, repeating the original in Paris. The height of the pedestal is more than 34 m, and the monument itself is 24, 5 m. In the basement there is a museum of Vera Mukhina, the author of the sculpture.
Many interesting events are taking place at VDNKh today. Visitors are invited to take part in book fairs and see the latest in the jewelry industry. Master classes are held for teenagers during school holidays. At the lectures in the “Smart City” pavilion, you can learn a lot of interesting things about the origin and development of folk crafts. Concerts are held at the VDNKh House of Culture, in which musicians of various trends and genres take part. The Cinema Museum invites you to get acquainted with the novelties of world and domestic cinematography, and the VDNKh restaurants do not leave indifferent gourmets from all over the world.
