The Kremlin Palace is called the “child of the thaw.” The fact is that the GKD was built during the Khrushchev era, in 1961. Posokhin himself named Nikita Sergeevich at the festive banquet the first architect of this project.

Posokhin is an outstanding architect; it was he who came up with the idea for the project of the current State Design Building. His version turned out to be the best in a closed competition for designs for the Kremlin Palace building.

How many seats is the GKD designed for?

Initially it was planned to build a Palace with 4 thousand seats. However, Khrushchev was amazed by the Beijing Palace of Congresses with 10 thousand seats (it was built in 1959) and decided to make adjustments to expand the Palace.

As a result The GKD was built with a capacity of 6 thousand seats.

The acoustics of the hall are good, but due to the fact that the hall itself is huge, the back rows are equipped with special audio. Carry binoculars with you so you can see the finer details in the scene.

The GKD stage itself is also majestic. So,

• its width is 23 meters;
• its length is 40 meters;
• it is equipped with 16 lifts;
• in the center of the stage there is a rotating circle, its diameter is 17 meters.

The GKD is not only one of the largest cultural buildings in Europe, but also one of the most prestigious.

It was necessary to destroy the old buildings - officer barracks from the time of Nicholas I. Guide to architectural styles

The first plan of the architect Posokhin suggested demolishing even more buildings - part of the Kremlin wall and. But they limited themselves to small casualties. And in order to justify the new construction, a rumor was spread in society that the Palace of Congresses would take the place of a dirty utility yard in the Kremlin.

The architects of the State Kremlin Palace faced a difficult constructive task - to fit the new building into the architectural appearance of the Kremlin. To do this, it was necessary to correctly calculate the height. They decided to coordinate the KDS with the building, and to increase the internal space, the palace was deepened by 15 meters (this is the height of a five-story building!). The wardrobe and most of the service spaces are located not only below ground level, but also outside the ground walls. This made it possible to accommodate more than 800 rooms and a banquet hall for 2,500 guests inside the palace, and increase the capacity of the auditorium of the Palace of Congresses to 6,000 people. Therefore, this huge building only seems small.

The construction time was tight - only 16 months, so they hired a whole “team” of architects. For any mistake you could pay with a party card, a career and even freedom. But no expense was spared for the construction of the new palace - engineers were sent abroad, for example, to China, where Mao Zedong demonstrated a new meeting hall with 10,000 seats.

There were also unpleasant incidents. When a sample of the steel of the supporting structures was taken, it turned out that the metal had a high carbon content - that is, it could not be used for construction. And most of the building was already ready! They took another sample - the same indicators. The architects had already “sprinkled ashes on their heads,” but decided to take the samples to another laboratory. It turned out that a faulty device was to blame for the frightening results.

The strength tests of the building were especially exciting: 15,000 soldiers were placed in the wardrobe, in the halls, on the roof, and were forced to march in formation.

The Kremlin: a mini-guide to the territory

Some people thought that the floor was “moving.” A new test was appointed - a “dance evening”, to which the troupe and 600 pairs of Komsomol members were invited. And the building withstood the work of more than a thousand people. For the construction of the KDS, 7 out of 13 architects received Lenin Prizes.

Khrushchev was pleased and even suggested calling the building not a house, but the Palace of Congresses. But he did not enjoy the meetings at the KDS for long: in October 1964, Khrushchev vacated all posts. The Palace of Congresses remains, but now it is a concert hall.

They say that......during the construction of the KDS, we had to resort to a trick: sending specialists to Belgium, supposedly to prepare for the mass purchase of aluminum products. In fact, engineers studied the secrets of using this metal in construction, since there was no such experience in the USSR.
...the foundation of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses disrupted the hydrological balance of the entire Borovitsky Hill, and to prevent the hill from “floating away,” hundreds of cubic meters of concrete had to be pumped into the ground.
...at the beginning of 1964, the artistic council saw anti-party notes in the film “Welcome, or No Entry to Outsiders”: mockery of corn, the similarity of Kostya Inochkin’s grandmother to Khrushchev, and the anti-Soviet slant of the scene with her imaginary funeral. The tape was “put on the shelf.” And then, for the May holidays, Khrushchev demanded some new comedy film. I had to say “Welcome, or no outsiders allowed.” GenSek liked the picture. The film was released on October 9, and Khrushchev was removed from all positions on October 14. This is how a legend arose that the new leaders of the USSR released the film as an anti-Khrushchev film.
...after the construction of the Palace of Congresses

(in 1961-1992 - the Kremlin Palace of Congresses) - the largest public building on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. It was built in 1959-1961, in 16 months - in the shortest possible time for those times.

The winner of the competition to create a building project and subsequently the head of the team of architects became the chief architect of Moscow, head of the Main Architectural and Planning Department of the city, Mikhail Posokhin. At the design stage, the building was divided into components, each of which was developed by a separate group of specialists.

In its original version, the hall was designed for four thousand seats. Subsequently, it was decided to increase the meeting room to six thousand seats and design a banquet hall with maximum capacity. Many ideas for architectural elements were brought from abroad, in particular, the interior of the UN meeting room in New York, lined with a wooden slatting that was fashionable at that time, was imported to the Kremlin.

By the summer of 1961, the building was constructed and decorated on the outside with white Ural marble, golden aluminum and glass, and on the inside with red granite, marble and patterned Baku tuff. Ash, oak, beech, Pacific walnut and hornbeam were used in wall decoration and inlaid parquet flooring. The coat of arms frieze made of multi-colored smalt was made according to sketches and under the direction of artist Alexander Deineka by sculptor Alexei Zelensky. The curtain, which consists of decorative panels with a portrait of Vladimir Lenin, was made by craftsmen of the Latvian Art Foundation under the direction of Chaim Rysin according to a sketch by Professor Andrei Mylnikov.

On October 17, 1961, the grand opening of the Palace took place, which was timed to coincide with the beginning of the XXII Congress of the CPSU.

On the opening day, the audience was presented with a festive concert program, which included a fragment of the ballet “Swan Lake” and performances by masters of art of various genres.

In 1962, for the design and construction of the Palace, its authors - architects Mikhail Posokhin, Ashot Mndoyants, Evgeny Stamo, Pavel Steller, engineers German Lvov, Alexander Kondratyev, Ivan Kochetov - were awarded the Lenin Prize.

As a theater and concert venue, from the first days the Kremlin Palace was placed at the disposal of the Bolshoi Theater as a second stage. For decades, the Kremlin Palace hosted opera and ballet performances of the current repertoire and premiered the Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR with the participation of its outstanding soloists and orchestra.

The Kremlin Palace became the venue for party and trade union forums in the 1960s - 1980s. The XXII - XXVII Congresses of the CPSU were held within its walls.

The State Academic Folk Dance Ensemble under the direction of Igor Moiseev, the Twice Red Banner Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after A. V. Alexandrov, the State Academic Russian Folk Choir named after M. E. Pyatnitsky and many other famous groups performed on the stage of the Palace.

It was on this stage that the oath of office of the first president of sovereign Russia was taken. In 1992, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Kremlin Palace of Congresses was transformed into the State Kremlin Palace.

Today the auditorium of the State Kremlin Palace is one of the best in the world. After the modernization of sound and lighting equipment carried out in 2013, according to authoritative experts, it stood on a par with Carnegie Hall in New York, Olympia in Paris and the Royal Shakespeare Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Today, the Kremlin Palace is under the jurisdiction of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. The post of general director and artistic director is occupied by People's Artist of Russia Petr Shaboltai.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

PREFACE

It is hardly possible to point out a public building in modern world architectural practice that would arouse such great interest as. And this is no coincidence. Significant historical events of political and cultural life taking place within the walls of this building, its unparalleled functional purpose in terms of versatility and the exceptional features of its location in the Moscow Kremlin, in the very heart of the capital of the Soviet state - all this attracts the attention of not only our, but also the world community to the Palace . Hence the natural need for a publication that could familiarize the widest circles of readers with this structure.
The new majestic knowledge of the Kremlin belongs to those outstanding works of architecture that are included in the history of Russian culture as one of its significant values. For the design and construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses to a group of architects and engineers - M. V. Posokhin (leader of the team of authors), architects A. A. Mndoyants, E. N. Stamo, P. P. Steller, engineers G. N. Lvov, A. N. Kondratyev, I. I. Kochetov were awarded the Lenin Prize in 1962.
Created during the years of significant shifts in the work of Soviet architects, the Palace not only meets the diversity of functional requirements, but represents a new milestone in the formation of a socialist architectural style that reflects the ideology of our era. Despite the unique nature of its purpose and urban planning role, it does not stand alone in the history of Soviet architecture. His artistic concept, filled with a high sense of modernity, fully embodies the distinctive features of the architecture of our time, bringing this unusual structure closer to what is being created now in various fields of architectural and construction work in our country. Democracy and nationalism, comprehensive consideration of the requirements of life, functional truthfulness, simplicity and clarity of compositional structures and forms, their close connection with nature and man - all these features, characteristic of the general direction of the modern stage of development of our architectural creativity, are also inherent in the Palace of Congresses. To one degree or another, these features can be traced in the vast majority of buildings and structures of recent years, despite the diversity of their functional and technical features, the disparity of artistic merit and the difference in the creative individualities of their authors.
The architectural design of the Palace of Congresses clearly demonstrated a new understanding of the nature and role of a large public building. It clearly reveals the new qualities of Soviet architecture, sharply distinguishing the Palace of People's Forums from the ostentatious, decorative pomp or cold pomp of many public buildings erected during the years of the dominance of false trends of decoration and pomp. The impressive artistic image of the Palace adequately expresses the truly democratic essence of a public building of the era of communism. It is defined not by the richness of decorative decoration and not by the formalistic play of volumes and shapes, but by the majestic simplicity in which the true purpose of this building is revealed - to serve the broad masses of the people.
A remarkable description of the Palace of Congresses is given in the greeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR addressed to the builders of the building. It says: “The Kremlin Palace of Congresses is a significant achievement of modern Soviet architecture, a worthy gift to the XXII Congress of our party. This building was built for the people. It will become a venue for social and political events and cultural recreation for Soviet people. Its doors will be hospitably open to all workers.”
The book brought to the attention of the reader was prepared at the Institute of Theory, History and Perspective Problems of Soviet Architecture, the scope of which includes analysis and generalization of the most significant phenomena of our architectural practice. For the most in-depth disclosure of the creative process of creating the Palace, starting from its initial architectural concept and up to its implementation in kind, the leading participants in the design and construction of the building were involved in the work of writing the book - architects M. V. Posokhin and A. A. Mndoyants, associated long-term creative collaboration. From the institute, the book’s authors include candidate of architecture N.A. Pekareva. The monograph they created is of great interest as the first example of generalizing the experience of design and construction of the Palace of Congresses and a comprehensive analysis of its architectural design. It clearly shows the main characteristic features of the building and clearly outlines the path of the creative quest of the architects. Naturally, it is impossible to cover the entire range of issues arising in connection with the study of the Palace in one study. And we must think that researchers will address this topic more than once.
The authors of this publication also had the task of making it interesting and accessible not only for professionals, but also for readers who are not experienced in matters of architecture and construction. This left a certain imprint both on the nature of the presentation and on the selection of illustrations. The highly professional information is accompanied by descriptions that recreate in a living, figurative form the architectural appearance of the Palace as it is consistently revealed to the visitor. An expressive addition to the text is interesting, varied illustrative material, including, along with natural photographs, author's sketches, as well as drawings of the most interesting architectural details and structural elements.
From the very first lines, the reader is enveloped in an atmosphere of great creative enthusiasm in which the creation of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses took place. The book speaks with excitement about the sense of high responsibility and the pathos of creation that united all participants in the design and construction of this structure, unique in its ideological and political significance.
The most important part of the book is the first chapter, which reveals the creative “creed” of the authors of the Palace project. It expresses many valuable thoughts on fundamental creative issues and shows in all their diversity and complexity the problems associated with the construction of a structure that is modern in all respects, surrounded by world-famous monuments of Russian architecture. After all, in fact, the architects were faced with unusual tasks in many ways. They had to not only develop a qualitatively new type of public building, which had no prototypes in either domestic or world architecture, but also solve the most important issues of constructing an architectural ensemble. It was necessary to accurately determine the location of the Palace in the general planning system of the Kremlin and find an architectural solution in which the grandiose new building, without overwhelming the surrounding monuments of Russian antiquity with its volume, would become an organic part of the picturesque Kremlin panorama.
Reading this chapter, you clearly feel the excitement that gripped the architects when, having received the task of building the Palace, they stepped onto the sacred Kremlin soil. “How can a modern building be combined with its historical surroundings? What means can be used to express the essence of its content? How to create a structure in which its complex functions would be correctly taken into account and, at the same time, the architectural image would truthfully reflect its internal content?” - the authors asked themselves and to these burning creative questions they found the only correct answer: “... the truthfulness of the whole and its details. This truthfulness should have given rise to simple and clear architectural forms close to our people...”
The path of creative quest of architects, which has given such successful results, is the path of unity of a modern structure and the historically established architectural environment while carefully preserving all the originality of existing monuments and developing the basic laws of the pictorial compositional technique of constructing the Kremlin ensemble. Based on these progressive creative principles, the architects not only skillfully integrated the new building into the ancient Kremlin complex, but also found tactful artistic techniques in order, without disturbing the silhouette of the relatively low Kremlin buildings, to highlight the Palace of People's Forums as the most socially significant element of the ensemble.
Simple, geometrically pure forms, an abundance of glass, a whole new understanding of the tectonic structure, distinguishing the Palace from its historical surroundings, truthfully express its new ideological content. At the same time, despite all the differences between the new building and the old buildings with their complicated volumes and decor, the Palace of Congresses forms one indissoluble whole with them. A thoughtful placement method on the site, a strictly adhered principle of preserving the characteristic features of the Kremlin silhouette, the unity of the traditional color scheme of the “white stone” cladding - all this, combined with comprehensive consideration of the conditions of visual perception of historical monuments, helped the authors create a harmonious balance of the overall composition, thanks to which the architectural image of the new building convincingly and naturally entered the ensemble of the ancient Kremlin.
The following chapters of the book introduce the reader in detail to the volumetric-spatial construction of the Palace, its external architectural appearance and interiors. For the diverse functional requirements of this unique structure, which is both the Palace of the People's Forums and a theater building of the most universal purpose, the architects found a simple and strict planning solution, which provided greater ease of use of the structure and served as the basis for an expressive composition of the interiors. The main premises of the Palace - the meeting hall (auditorium), banquet hall, foyer, lobbies, wardrobe - received a detailed professional description in the book. Interesting materials are provided about the complex of stage premises and the structure of the stage, the unique equipment of which provides rich opportunities for a wide variety of theatrical productions and film screenings. The reader seems to follow the authors of the book through the building, and the vast, light-filled interior space of the Palace, organically connected with the external environment, is gradually revealed to him.
The book is also interesting to the reader for its factual information about the structural design, the construction and finishing materials used, as well as the remarkable engineering equipment of the building, which includes a comprehensive system of acoustic, sound and cinema equipment, powerful air conditioning units, original lighting devices and much more.
Now, when you look at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, it is hard to believe that this beautiful, comfortable building was built in just 16 months. The final chapter of the book is devoted to the story of how this was achieved. It provides general information about construction, revealing the complexity of the construction of this building and characterizing those methods of construction production that ensured the completion of construction on time and at a high quality level. Along with highlighting the method of organizing work, the chapter mentions the names of the most distinguished engineers and builders.
In light of the high demands placed on Soviet art, the progressive features of the architecture of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses stand out especially clearly. Analysis of these already typical features gives rise to many thoughts and generalizations, gives impetus to a new awareness of specific techniques of artistic creativity and theoretical problems, helps to select all the best, most advanced and discard everything that hinders our movement forward.
Soviet architecture stands firmly on progressive positions. However, it cannot stop at the stage reached today, at the techniques and forms found. Called to reflect the progressive views of the era, our architectural creativity must keep pace with life along the path of solving those great national tasks that the continuous development of communist society puts before it.

The State Kremlin Palace is the most prestigious and best in Moscow. It began to be called that in 1992; previously the building was called the “Kremlin Palace of Congresses”. His address is short:

Brief characteristics

The Palace is located on the territory belonging to the residence of the President of Russia. ranked among the best in the world. Its capacity is six thousand people. The huge size does not overwhelm, but creates a feeling of comfort and balance. The stage area is 450 square meters and is equipped with all the necessary equipment. In addition to the main one, the Palace has a Small Hall, otherwise known as the Reception Hall. Most often it hosts chamber concerts and performances by jazz and classical music performers.

The Kremlin Palace of Congresses has its own restaurant, which can accommodate from six hundred to a thousand people at a banquet, while a buffet can accommodate up to two thousand guests.

A little history

The idea of ​​constructing the building belonged to Khrushchev, the chief secretary of the Central Committee. It was decided that the Kremlin Palace of Congresses should be erected for the XXII Congress of the Communist Party, which was scheduled for the fall of 1961. Before they gathered at the Bolshoi Theater or in the old Kremlin Palace. Nikita Sergeevich agreed only to the Kremlin for holding high-profile events; no other place suited him. It was decided to build a luxurious Palace, which would be designed specifically for holding important, crowded events. The place chosen for this is the old Armory Chamber in the Empire style, built at the beginning of the 19th century by Egotov. Before this, buildings of the court of Tsar Boris Godunov stood on this site. Near the old Armory there was a whole chain of ancient Russian cannons, headed by the Tsar Cannon. All of them were moved towards the Arsenal to the captured French guns.

Construction

Before the construction of the facility began, some work was done in this place that made it possible to complete the history of Moscow.

The best architects took part in the creation of the building project: Shchepetilnikov, Posokhin, Stamo, Mndoyants, Steller. And also engineers: Kondratyev, Shkolnikov, Lvov, Melik-Arakelyan.

At first, the hall of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses was designed for four thousand seats. In the project, it was divided into three fronts (facade, foyer, meeting room), each of which was handled by a specific group of architects. Subsequently, many received the Lenin Prize for this project.

Under the influence of Chinese colleagues who built the Palace of Congresses in Beijing with ten thousand seats, it was decided to expand the building. It was planned to create a hall with a capacity of six thousand people. At the same time, a banquet hall for 2,500 people was designed. The diagram of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses indicates that the newly increased volume was “hidden” underground, to a depth of fifteen meters. Additional floors appeared to house spectator wardrobes.

Opening of the Palace

Construction lasted only sixteen months. We had to complete the task in such a short time. During construction, the old officer barracks from the time of Nicholas I were destroyed, and a whole brigade was in operation. The grandiose construction required strict discipline and enormous responsibility. Even for a small mistake there was a chance of losing your party card and even your freedom. The Kremlin was built with state money; no expense was spared.

The discovery took place in October 1961. The luxurious party palace amazed everyone with its luxury and grandeur. The facade was decorated with white Ural marble and golden anodized aluminum. The main entrance was crowned with the coat of arms of the USSR, decorated with gilding. Later in history it was replaced by the Russian coat of arms.

For interior decoration, Karbakhtinsky red granite, Baku patterned tuff, Koelga marble, and a variety of expensive wood species were used.

One of the difficult design tasks was that the new building had to fit correctly into the appearance of the Kremlin. It was decided that the Kremlin Palace of Congresses should be consistent with the Arsenal building. For this purpose, the Palace was deepened 15 meters into the ground, which made it possible to distribute more than eight hundred rooms in the building.

Kremlin Palace of Congresses - how to get there?

The Kremlin Palace is a metropolitan landmark that does not need a special broad introduction. It is located in the very heart of Moscow - on the territory of the Kremlin. This makes it quite accessible for tourists and spectators. It is the State Kremlin Palace that is the main and most prestigious stage in Russia. Important events and concerts of the most prominent Russian and world stars take place here.

The largest flow of visitors is always observed on the New Year holiday, because this is where the all-Russian Kremlin New Year tree is held. Entrance to the Kremlin Palace is strictly by passes and tickets.

You can enter through There is a checkpoint, as well as a storage room. You can get to the Kremlin territory by passing the Trinity Bridge, Trinity Tower and the gate of the same name.