Russia has always been different from Europe, although it tried to imitate it. In the countries of the Old World, the traditions of the parliament took shape over the centuries. In Russia, the appearance of the first parliament dates back to 1906, it was called the State Duma. Twice she was cracked down by the government.
Where is the highest representative and legislative body of our country based today? Since 1994, the building of the State Duma has been located at Okhotny Ryad, Building 1, previously the Labor and Defense Council met here. The year of its construction was 1935, the project was created by A. Ya. Langman. For the sake of erecting a building on this site, the restored chambers of the Golitsyns of the 17th century and the Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa were demolished.
Today the building of the State Duma includes two buildings connected by a transition. The new one is located in Georgievsky Lane, and the old one is in Okhotny Ryad.
Inconspicuous wires…
There is information that the building of the Council of Labor and Defense in 1941 in a dangerousthe moment of the possible capture of Moscow by the Germans was mined. This was discovered only after forty years - it's unbelievable, but they simply forgot to clear the building of the State Duma in Moscow … What is it? Coincidence or not? Be that as it may, it is a real happiness that the builders nevertheless found these inconspicuous, but terrible, going nowhere, wires.
Should I go to the Duma… on a tour?
The building of the State Duma is not a closed top-secret body, you can come here for a tour. Having visited it, you will touch the history of parliamentarism, become a witness of the daily work of committees and factions, see the Duma halls and offices of deputies. The latter will definitely tell something themselves, if the opportunity arises. The entrance to the building of the Russian parliament is carried out from the 10th entrance, from Georgievsky lane.
Excursions are free, are of a collective nature, applications are accepted from organized groups of 5 to 25 people who can visit the building every week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:40 to 16:00, accompanied by a group leader. If you are over 14 years old, take your passport and come see how the building is arranged inside and at least a little plunge into the bustle of the work of "servants of the people".
Combination of styles
So, a little about the building itself, where the State Duma of the Russian Federation meets. You can't confuse it with any other. It is located on the corner of Tverskaya and Okhotny Ryad streets. It was this building that predetermined the type of government buildings in the Soviet Union for years to come.
Lookin the photo of the building of the State Duma: strictly symmetrical facades, logical and accurate, reflect the style of constructivism. At the same time, the monumentality and grandiosity of the building refers us to the next architectural period of the Soviet era called the Stalinist Empire style or Soviet classicism. The building represents the transition from one style to another - this is its peculiarity.
It is close to American art deco, in which metal and expensive stone are used for cladding.
Location
The history of the building of the State Duma began in the 30s of the twentieth century. Today, the lower house of parliament is based in a house built on the site of the famous Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Church in Okhotny Ryad. Saint Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was the patroness of trade, and therefore a temple was erected in honor of this great martyr next to the most famous and largest market in Moscow - Okhotny Ryad. The church was destroyed in 1928, and a few years later, thanks to the project of the architect A. Ya. Langman, the building of the Council of Labor and Defense was erected on this site - this body was responsible for managing the economic construction and defense of the Soviet Union. Then the Council of Ministers and the State Planning Committee of the USSR were based here in turn.
When creating this building, for the first time in the Soviet Union, reinforced concrete pillars lined with bricks with rigid reinforcement were used. At the onset of 1990, planned reconstruction work was carried out in the interior of the building, after which the RussianState Duma.
All the most important officials of the Union and modern times were and worked right here, inside this grandiose gigantic building at the very beginning of Tverskaya Street.
Appearance
The severity of forms, monumentality and expressiveness of the image of the government building enchant, make you stop and consider everything in detail. If you look at the building surrounded by neighboring houses, you can see that the building performs an important urban planning function: it is a formative building in the development line of both streets - Tverskaya and Okhotny Ryad, and is a real decoration of the corner of the block.
The length of the central building is 160 meters, at the very top there is an attic with the coat of arms of the USSR. No less interesting is another detail - a portal lined with dark stone, three stories high.
The entire height of the building is decorated with pilasters, and powerful vertical pylons emphasize symmetry and carry an architrave, in the center of which is an attic.
The plinth and the entrance to the building are made of Karelian red-gray granite.
Exterior decoration of the building of the State Duma of the Russian Federation was carried out using facing slabs from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, destroyed in 1931, and limestone brought from the village of Protopopovo near Kolomna.
