Main building of Moscow State University

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Main building of Moscow State University
Гла́вное зда́ние МГУ
Moscow State University crop.jpg
General information
Statusin use
TypeEducational
Architectural styleStalinist
Location1 Leninskiye Gory, Moscow, Russia
Coordinates55°42′11″N 37°31′49″E / 55.70306°N 37.53028°E / 55.70306; 37.53028Coordinates: 55°42′11″N 37°31′49″E / 55.70306°N 37.53028°E / 55.70306; 37.53028
Construction started1949
Completed1953
Opening1953-09-01
ManagementMoscow State University
Height
Antenna spire239 m (784 ft)
Roof182 m (597 ft)
Technical details
Floor count36
Design and construction
ArchitectLev Rudnev
Structural engineerVsevolod Nikolaevich Nasonov
References
[1]

The main building of Moscow State University (in Russian Гла́вное зда́ние МГУ) a 239-metre (784 ft), 36-level (in its central part) skyscraper in Moscow, Russia. Designed by Lev Rudnev[1] as the headquarters of Moscow State University, it is the tallest of seven Moscow skyscrapers in the Stalinist architectural style constructed between 1947 and 1953. It was until 1990 the tallest building in Europe;[2] it remains the tallest educational building in the world.[3]

Features[]

The star on top of the building.

The skyscraper has 36 levels in its central part and is 239 metres (784 ft) tall. Its roof (182 metres (597 ft)) is topped by a 58-metre spire which ends with a 12-ton five-pointed star. Lateral towers are lower than the central one; two 18 and 9 storey dormitory wings define, with the central corpus of the complex, a cour d'honneur courtyard.[4]

Among the statues which decorate the building is a sculpture by representing a couple of students and a statue by N. Tomsky of Mikhail Lomonosov (1711–1765), the founder of Moscow University. The University premises cover around 1.6 square kilometres. The complex was partially renovated in 2000.[5]

The Main Building of Moscow State University is not open to the general public. Visitors from outside the university must be pre-approved by their university host and must submit their domestic passport (Russian) or international passport in order to gain entry.

History[]

Main entrance
A 1960 soviet stamp features the main building of Moscow State University

The leading architect Boris Iofan bid for the skyscraper project in 1947 but the job was assigned to Lev Rudnev, because Iofan made a mistake placing his draft skyscraper right on the edge of Sparrow Hills, a site concerned with a potential landslide hazard. Rudnev had already built important edifices like the M. V. Frunze Military Academy (1932–1937) and the Marshals' Apartments (Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya, 28, 1947), earning esteem of the Communist Party. He set the building 800 meters away from the cliff. The chief of the engineers' team was Vsevolod Nikolaevich Nasonov.[4]

The main tower, which consumed over 40,000 tons of steel for its framework and 130,000 cubic metres of concrete, was inaugurated on September 1, 1953.[6] At 240 metres tall, it was the 7th tallest building of the world [1] as well as the tallest in Europe. Its European height record held until 1990, when surpassed by the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany.[5] It was also, and still remains, the tallest educational building in the world.[7]

Moscow University is probably the best known of Rudnev's buildings, for which he was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1949. The University skyline inspired various buildings in the socialist countries, like the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, and also the logo of 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.[5]

See also[]

References[]

Upper floors and the spire
  1. ^ a b c Binder, Georges (2006). 101 of the World's Tallest Buildings. Images Publishing. p. 10.
  2. ^ "Main Building of Moscow State University". Skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  3. ^ "The Tallest Educational Buildings In The World". worldatlas.com. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Moscow State University main building". um.mos.ru. Discover Moscow. Archived from the original on 2016-08-28. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  5. ^ a b c "Lomonosov Moscow State University Main Building". EMPORIS GMBH. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  6. ^ "The Campus on Lenin Hills: yesterday, today, tomorrow". Moscow State University. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  7. ^ "10 Tallest University Buildings in the World". Retrieved 2016-07-22.

External links[]

Records
Preceded by Tallest Building in Europe
1953–1990
240 m
Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
Tallest Building in the Former Soviet Union
1991–2005
240 m
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building
Tallest Building in the Soviet Union
1953–1991
240 m
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
Tallest Building in Russia
1991–2005
240 m
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building
Tallest Building in the Russian SFSR
1953–1991
240 m
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building
Tallest Building in Moscow
1953–2005
240 m
Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""