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Never built
Zaryadye skyscraper
The eighth sister was to be the tallest after Moscow State University and stand next to the Kremlin. It was stopped at the foundation, and today Zaryadye Park occupies the site.
Then and now
Hotel Rossiya on the foundation of the Zaryadye skyscraper, 1972 © Thomas Taylor Hammond (1920-1993), CC BY-SA 4.0
View of the Kremlin from Hotel Rossiya, 1970s © Thomas Taylor Hammond (1920-1993), CC BY-SA 4.0
Zaryadye Park and the view of the Kremlin © Perituss, CC0
The Floating Bridge in Zaryadye Park © Юрий Д.К., CC BY 4.0
At a glance
- What is on the site now
- Zaryadye Park with the Floating Bridge and a concert hall
- What remains
- Almost nothing. The foundation was used for Hotel Rossiya, which was demolished in 2006
- Architect
- Dmitry Chechulin
History
The eighth skyscraper was founded on 7 September 1947 together with the others. It was placed in Zaryadye, an old trading quarter next to the Kremlin. It was to house an administrative building, and the design was entrusted to Dmitry Chechulin, the architect of the Kotelnicheskaya skyscraper.
According to the design, the building was to rise to 275 metres. It would have been the second tallest sister after Moscow State University and the main vertical in the view of the Kremlin from the Moskva River.
Construction went slowly. The quarter was demolished, the foundation and base were built and the steel frame was begun. In 1953, after Stalin’s death, the work was stopped, and later the project was abandoned altogether.
© Thomas Taylor Hammond (1920-1993), CC BY-SA 4.0The finished foundation did not go to waste. In the 1960s Chechulin built Hotel Rossiya on it, one of the largest hotels in the world. It was demolished in 2006, and in 2017 Zaryadye Park opened on the site.
Architecture and numbers
According to the design, the central tower rose in tiers to a spire, surrounded by lower blocks. Together with the Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral, the skyscraper was to create a new skyline for central Moscow.
275 mdesign height
32floors in the design
1953year construction stopped
2017year Zaryadye Park opened
What is on the site now
Open
Open
Floating Bridge
The V-shaped bridge juts out over the Moskva River without any supports. From its tip you can see the Kremlin, the Moskva River and the Kotelnicheskaya skyscraper.
People behind the project
Dmitry Chechulin
Architect
Architect of the Kotelnicheskaya skyscraper and chief architect of Moscow from 1945 to 1949. After the skyscraper was abandoned, he built Hotel Rossiya on its foundation.
Where to take photos
Nothing remains of the skyscraper that never was, but its site offers some of the best views in the centre.
Floating Bridge
From the tip of the bridge you can see the Kremlin, the Moskva River and the Kotelnicheskaya skyscraper, a sister of the tower that never was.
Moskvoretskaya Embankment
The embankment below the park. It is a good place to photograph the Floating Bridge from below together with the Kremlin towers.
Where to stay nearby
Zaryadye is surrounded by the very centre of Moscow, with many hotels near the Kremlin.
Hotels in Kitay-gorod
Old streets, cafés and bars 5 minutes from the park.
Hotels near Red Square
The very centre, a few minutes’ walk from the Kremlin.
Hotels near Kotelnicheskaya
By Chechulin’s skyscraper, a 20 minute walk along the embankment.
Hotels on Varvarka and Solyanka
Old streets with churches right by the park.
What to see nearby
Walking times are from the park.
Map
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Address
Russia, Moscow, Varvarka Street 6, Zaryadye Park
Getting there by metro
67Kitay-gorodabout 7 minutes
Metro line 6 (orange) and 7 (purple).
- Exit towards Slavyanskaya Square and Varvarka Street.
- Walk along Varvarka towards the Kremlin. The park begins on the left side of the street.
3Ploshchad Revolyutsiiabout 10 minutes
Metro line 3 (blue).
- Exit towards Red Square through the Resurrection Gate.
- Cross Red Square to St Basil’s Cathedral and go down to the park along Vasilyevsky Spusk.
Other Moscow skyscrapers
1
Moscow State University Main Building
2
Hotel Ukraina
3
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building
4
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building
5
Kudrinskaya Square Building
6
Red Gates Building
7
Hotel Leningradskaya
Moscow State University Main Building
2
Hotel Ukraina
3
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building
4
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building
5
Kudrinskaya Square Building
6
Red Gates Building
7
Hotel Leningradskaya
Never built
More “sisters”
FAQ
Why was the Zaryadye skyscraper never finished?
Construction was stopped in 1953, after Stalin’s death. The country’s new leadership decided to give up expensive high-rise projects.
What is on the site of the Zaryadye skyscraper now?
Zaryadye Park, which opened in 2017. Before that, from the 1960s, Hotel Rossiya stood here, built on the skyscraper’s foundation.
How tall was the Zaryadye skyscraper meant to be?
275 metres. It would have been the second tallest after the Moscow State University Main Building.
Where is the best place to see the site where the skyscraper was planned?
From the Floating Bridge and from Moskvoretskaya Embankment. From there you see the whole site, the Kremlin and the Kotelnicheskaya skyscraper.