A Brief History of Stalin’s Seven Sisters11 декабря 2011

After the Second World War Josef Stalin made plans to have seven skyscrapers constructed to show the world that Mockva would have a world presence in commerce, business and trade. He planned seven large buildings that would be dispersed throughout the city, one of which is now the Radisson Hotel (see the previous post on this blog). After much planning and initial rejection of architects’ plans a number of times, construction began in 1947. Along the way some buildings were partially constructed and then shelved for various reasons. The last building was constructed in 1953 after Stalin died of a stroke and Nikita Khrushchev became head of state of the Soviet Union.


All seven buildings became known as Stalin’s Сталинские высотки (High-Rises). Over the years the name has translated in English to: Stalin’s Seven Sisters.

While all are not identical they are similarly constructed with a high central spire surrounded by spired towers. The masonry has a similar appearance to that of the Empire State Building in New York City; not as tall, but multi-faceted with side buildings with towers, reminding me of various cathedrals I’ve seen throughout the world – ironic, considering Communism denied religion and religious symbols such as churches and cathedrals.


None-the-less they are towering and impressive structures, said to be over-built from steel and masonry. I often use them as landmarks to navigate around Mockva.

I’ve posted a slide show of shots taking of the Radisson Hotel, one of the Sisters, at night.

Доследующегораза,


Борис