Hotel Moskva (Moscow)

The Hotel Moskva (Russian Гостиница Москва / Moskva Gostiniza, namely Moscow Hotel ) next to the Red Square in the center of the Russian capital, Moscow was after its opening in 1935 as highlight of the architectural style of the Stalin era. In 2002, the monumental hotel was closed and demolished in 2004 for unclear reasons. Since 2005, Hotel Moskva is rebuilt in the old style.

Planning and construction period

The building was built by architect Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev, who had also built the Lenin Mausoleum, among others, and is regarded as an urban planner for the expansion of Moscow during the Stalin era. Although 1932 started construction works were completed only in 1938, the hotel opened already on 20 December 1935.

The hotel was considered one of the best of Moscow, its interior was decorated with elaborate artwork and mosaics of the best artists of the Soviet Union. From the lobby of the hotel Moskva a staircase led directly down to the metro station Ochotny Ryad the "red" Sokolnicheskaya line.

Just the first phase until the opening of the hotel in 1935 to 45 million rubles have cost three times more than had been budgeted for the entire building.

The Old Hotel

A special feature of the hotel Moskva was its asymmetrical facade. One explanation is that architect Shchusev to start construction Stalin presented a blueprint with two variants of the facade design, a strictly classical and decorative. Stalin is said to have put his signature in the center. Because no one dared to ask the dictator what he really wanted, the two wings were built exactly as different as they could be seen on the blueprint with Stalin's signature.

During the Second World War, stayed at the Hotel Moskva, the composer Dmitri Shostakovich for the premiere of his Leningrad Symphony. At the same time lived there the commanders of the Soviet air defense that could be called from the Hotel Moscow in a few minutes in the Kremlin. On the hotel roof were anti-aircraft guns, which should protect the Kremlin from air raids.

In 2004, the monumental hotel was demolished for obscure reasons. This obviously financial interests were in the game, as the Director of the State Shchusev architecture museum said.

The Hotel Moskva is to find, among other things on the labels of vodka brand Stolichnaya.

The new building

Since 2005, Hotel Moskva is built on the model of the historic building by the Austrian construction company Strabag again and should be re-opened in 2010 as the Four Seasons hotel chain. 75 percent of the 800 million -dollar new building financed the German bank, the city of Moscow contributed the remaining 25 percent.

The construction was stopped because almost half, or $ 87.5 million of the loan to the city of Moscow are gone. The investigations are still ongoing. Under suspicion is the builder DekMos at which 51 percent of the U.S. investor Decorum and 49 percent of the city of Moscow are involved. Behind Decorum introduced although the Duma deputy Ashot Geworkowitsch Jegiasarjan stand, which is on the run since then.