The history of construction and architecture of the Moscow State University building - a high-rise building of the Stalin era. Main building of Moscow State University (GZ MSU) Leninskiye Gory d 1 Main building of Moscow State University

The main building of Moscow State University was not so long ago the tallest in Moscow; the height, together with the spire and the star, reaches 235 meters. It is one of the seven Stalin skyscrapers in Moscow. The main building of Moscow State University, or as it is sometimes called the high-rise of Moscow State University, occupies the highest geographical point above the Moscow River and to this day retains the value of one of the largest verticals of the capital.

It was the construction of a high-rise building on the Sparrow Hills that gave a powerful impetus to the development of the south-west of Moscow. Together with the Main building of the Stalin skyscraper, other buildings, alleys and parks, avenues and streets of the adjacent areas of Moscow were designed and built.

Initially, the Main Building of Moscow State University was designed by B. Iofan, who was the architect of the Palace of Soviets. According to the town-planning plan, it was supposed to orient all eight skyscrapers of Moscow exactly at the Palace of Soviets.

B. Iofan, using the same methods as when designing the Palace of Soviets, planned to place a sculpture of Mikhail Lomonosov on the roof of the skyscraper, and the skyscraper itself on the very edge of the Sparrow Hills. Joseph Stalin did not agree with such a project, and B. Iofan was suspended from work on the project a couple of days before the completion of the last drawings.

The architectural project that met all the insistence of I. Stalin was developed by L. Rudnev. The new team of architects was able to erect the Main Building of Moscow State University within the original deadline.

Experimental verification

L. Rudnev in his project provided that the Main Building of Moscow State University would be located 300 meters further from the edge of the slope descending to the Moscow River. The complexity of the situation lay in the fact that none of the architects, including L. Rudnev himself, could be sure that the Main Building of Moscow State University would not be lost behind the trees and the last floors of other houses.

It was decided to test everything experimentally. Aerostats left over from the time of air defense Moscow during the Great Patriotic War.

Each of the balloons was raised to the appropriate height: 240 meters to indicate the height of the central volume of the building, the rest to indicate the 9 and 18-storey buildings. Architects and photographers, being in various parts of Moscow, recorded the visibility of balloons. And so it was proved that the silhouette of the Main Building of Moscow State University will be visible from afar from the very different points Moscow.

In 1953, the State Construction Commission accepted the building of Moscow State University and the campus, which included a botanical garden, several dozen ponds for breeding selective fish varieties, 2 sports complexes with swimming pools and many administrative and technical buildings.

The Soviet press wrote that the Main Building of Moscow State University was built by the hands of 3 thousand young Komsomol members - participants in the Stakhanov movement. In fact, much more people worked on the construction of a skyscraper.

In connection with the work on the construction of the Main Building of Moscow State University in the late 40s, a decision was signed in the bowels of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR on the parole of more than 4 thousand convicts related to construction specialties. They worked on the construction of a skyscraper on Sparrow Hills until the end of the term, and sometimes longer.

During the years of completion of construction work, it was decided, in order to save money and time, to move the places for the prisoners' housing directly to the construction site. The new camp site was located on the 24th and 25th floors of the Main Building of Moscow State University under construction. This action was also justified from the point of view of security: prisoners placed at a height of more than 120 meters did not require protection, they had nowhere to run physically.

However, one day at the construction site, a emergency associated with the disappearance of 2 prisoners. After the shift, the guards did not count them. Clearly realizing that the fact of the escape of the prisoners would cost many posts, and for some even freedom, all the guards were raised to their feet in alarm.

For several hours, the fugitives were searched until they were found in a glass star. As it turned out, they did not hear the end signal and continued to work, according to another version, they just played cards.

Sparrow Hills

Sparrow Hills became a stronghold of learning at the end of the 17th century, when the first school in Russia was opened in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery on Sparrow Hills, where it became possible to study Slavic and Greek. In the future, this school turned into the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy - the predecessor of Moscow State University.

Sparrow Hills has long attracted interest from the authorities. Starting from the 17th century, one of the royal palaces stood on Sparrow Hills. And later, in the 19th century, the territory of the Sparrow Hills was allocated for the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior according to the original project, the architect of which was A. Vitberg.

Work began in 1823, but was stopped due to the peculiarities of the soil - a landslide slope with an extensive network of springs. And the second problem was the impossibility of delivering the stone due to the extremely low level Moscow River in the area.

Just like B. Iofan, architect A. Vitberg was removed from construction, accused of embezzlement and exiled to Vyatka. The territory in the Volkhonka area next to the Kremlin was chosen as a new site for the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The temple was built according to the project of the new architect K. Ton for almost 40 years. But in less than half a century, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was destroyed by an explosion to build the Palace of Soviets in its place according to the project of the same B. Iofan. Again, the project never materialised.

Expansion of Moscow State University. Lomonosov

Initially, the Main Building of Moscow State University on Sparrow Hills was conceived as a hotel. However, in the late 40s, I. Stalin considered that in the country that defeated the Nazi army, the level of science was very low, new scientific research was not carried out, and scientists were trying to primitively copy Western developments.

Doubting the strength of the leadership of Moscow University, Joseph Stalin proposed to make two universities from one university: in one to collect natural science faculties (physics, chemistry, physico-technical, biological, mathematical and soil-geographical faculties), and in the second - faculties of public (social sciences). ) Sciences (historical, legal, philological, and philosophical faculties). In the old building of Moscow State University, to carry out a major overhaul and leave it to the social sciences, and to build new buildings for the natural sciences.

Ideas to expand Moscow University existed before. In the 18th century, the university management turned to Catherine II with a request to allocate funds and a plot of land for the construction of new premises for the university on Sparrow Hills.

Unfortunately, the expansion of Moscow University took place much later, and in the old building on Mokhovaya Street near the Kremlin, Moscow State University met Napoleon, October revolution and survived the years of the Great Patriotic War.

Projects for the construction of new university buildings have been prepared and discussed since the mid-1930s. At first, it was supposed to locate new buildings on Hertsin and Gorky Street. In the future, a plan arose to build on the existing building up to 3-4 floors.

Proposals were put forward to choose a site in the area of ​​Kaluzhskaya Square, since it was planned to build a metro there. For a long time, the position about the need to keep Moscow State University in the center of the capital, as the cultural and educational center of the country, prevailed. This is how the skyscraper on Sparrow Hills became a symbol of the new Soviet students in Moscow.

The main building of Moscow State University today

Now on the 34 floors of the building there are classrooms, an assembly hall, administration, a museum, a library, student dormitories, apartments teaching staff, as well as a cinema, post office, shop, laundry, gym, etc. The skyscraper was conceived as a closed communal system. Students and teachers had the opportunity throughout school year not to leave the walls of the palace of science.

Today on the territory of Moscow State University there is a botanical garden with a beautiful arboretum, where excursions are held from May to October, the Palace of Pioneers of Moscow State University, the Museum of Earth Science of Moscow State University. Unique museum exhibits are collected in the Main Building of Moscow State University.

The Museum of Geography of Moscow State University occupies the 29th and 32nd floors of the Main Building. The 30th and 31st floors of the skyscraper are occupied by technical rooms. The 33rd floor under the dome occupies a large meeting room.

On the 34th technical floor there is a door leading to the spire, in which, according to some information, there was one of the operational posts of the KGB to monitor the situation in the center of the capital, including the routes of movement of top officials of the state.

In view of the hasty alteration of the architectural plan by B. Iofan himself, miscalculations in the design and construction could not be avoided. Fountains on the square in front of the main entrance to the building appeared in connection with the need for a ventilation system, which the builders and architects simply forgot about.

Fountains and flowerbeds mask the huge air intakes, and the tunnels below them leading to air purification plants. By the way, through these tunnels you can quietly go around all the buildings of the complex, and look into the dining room or audience.

According to rumors, during the construction and decoration of the Main Building of Moscow State University, materials collected from the ruins of the German Reichstag were used, in particular, pink marble and unusually dark granite are often mentioned. It is only known for certain that captured German ventilation mechanisms are used in the ventilation system, and surprisingly, many of them still work fine.

The spire and star of the skyscraper on Sparrow Hills have been sparkling with gold for more than sixty years. Only now there is no gold and never was. The gold coating is very impractical, under the influence of atmospheric phenomena it will quickly become unusable, and therefore, in the construction of the spire and star, yellow glass plates were used, on the inner surface of which a thin layer of pure aluminum was applied.

Botanical Garden of Moscow State University, Pharmaceutical Garden

The Apothecary Garden of the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University has a long history. Long before the construction of the complex of buildings of Moscow State University, including the agrobotanical garden, the first Apothecary garden in Russia was created in Moscow.

At the direction of Peter I, at the beginning of the 18th century, behind the Sukhorevskaya Tower, by then standards, the very outskirts of Moscow, an apothecary garden was planted, in which medicinal plants were grown. Cultivated plants were used both for the preparation of medicinal formulations and for teaching botany to future doctors, chemists and gardeners.

Pharmaceutical garden survived difficult times. It was almost completely burned down in 1812, plundered in 1918. And until the 50s of the 20th century it was abandoned and packed. The revival of the garden was associated with the opening of the Prospect Mira metro station, which was then called the Botanical Garden. And in 1953, the Pharmaceutical Garden became a branch of the newly erected Agrobotanical Garden of Moscow State University.

The restored and greatly enlarged collection of rare plants was divided between the sites. Developing the new territory of the Botanical Garden on Sparrow Hills, the management of Moscow State University encouraged expeditions of biologists who brought unique seeds and plants from different parts of the USSR.

Model houses at Moscow State University

In the depths of the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University, you can find an amazing, almost toy-like structure. A small one-story building, which now houses the Botanical Garden division, gives the impression of an architectural misunderstanding.

The wall of the building is made of cladding panels of the Main Building of Moscow State University. It seems that for the construction of this small structure they used building materials left over from the construction of the university building.

However, no - this is not the result of the most severe economy building materials. This small building is one of two model houses of Moscow State University, used to demonstrate architectural solutions. The same materials were used on the model as on the facade of the Main Task of Moscow State University, including the granite lining of the plinth.

At the construction site of Moscow State University, not only the model of the exterior decoration of the Main Building was presented, but also models of rooms for students and professors. According to the project, students were supposed to live alone, but at a meeting in the Kremlin it was decided to place students in two in a room, since single living would have a bad effect on the formation of the personality of young Komsomol members.

The apartments for professors consisted of three rooms: a large corridor, a bathroom and a kitchen. There was even a small room for servants, in which only a small table and chair could fit. A full-size balcony was even made in the mock-up house.

After the completion of work on the Main Building of the University, the department of flora of the Botanical Garden was located in the model house. Despite the past years, all the premises of the Main Building of Moscow State University have retained their nobility and solidity.

Today it is difficult to imagine Moscow without the majestic silhouette of the Main building of the Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov. The largest of the capital's high-rise buildings has been rising on Sparrow Hills since 1953. It was in this year that the four-year construction of the University Ensemble was completed, designed by architects L. Rudnev, S. Chernyshev, P. Abrosimov and A. Khryakov. The chief engineer of the project was V.N. Nasonov.
The complex includes 30 main and 20 auxiliary buildings, an observatory, a botanical garden, a forest park, and a sports town. The area of ​​the complex covers about 167 hectares.
The main building of Moscow State University or GZ (as students and teachers call it) faces the center of Moscow with a wide front. A clear silhouette is visible from the farthest distances. The main building, crowned with a spire with a star, rises in giant ledges to a height of 235.7 m. The highest part of the building rises to 36 floors.
During the construction of Moscow State University, a fundamentally new carrier system was developed. The developer of the system was the outstanding scientist designer N.V. Nikitin (creator of the Ostankino television tower). The building of Moscow State University stands on a box-shaped foundation, as if "floating" in the ground and providing a uniform settlement of the building. The original details of the steel frame were also developed. The Moscow State University building at that time was the tallest building in Europe.
The 18- and 9-storey wings of the dormitories diverge from the Main Building, forming court-court yards. Students and graduate students live in dormitories, apartments for university teachers are located in the corner towers.
In the central part of the main volume there are two faculties, an assembly hall for 1300 seats, a scientific library, and a museum. The building has high-speed elevators for 20 people. The remaining faculties occupy buildings located near the Main Building. Built simultaneously with the central building, they form a single ensemble of the scientific campus.
The towers are equipped with giant dials of clocks, barometers and thermometers, which stand out in contrast against the light cladding of the building. For the first time, prefabricated cladding panels were used to finish the building.
On the south side of the building there is a front yard with fountains and flower beds. Here in 1953year, a monument to M.V. Lomonosov by the sculptor N. Tomsky.
Honored Soviet artists and sculptors took part in the decoration of the University Ensemble: N.V. Tomsky, S.T. Konenkov, M.K. Anikushin, E.V.Vuchetich, P.D. Korin, I.M. Toidze and others. The building of Moscow State University on Sparrow Hills has been and remains a symbol not only of Moscow University, but of all Russian education.

The main building of Moscow State University is one of the "", one of the buildings of the Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov (Moscow State University).

Address: Leninsky mountains, house 1.

🚇 metro station Lomonosovsky prospect, metro station Universitet, metro station Sparrow Hills.

The building is sometimes abbreviated as GZ MSU or simply GZ.

Moscow State University - chief Russian university. Founded on the initiative of a Russian scientist (1711 - 1765) in 1755.

In the Main Building (MC) of the University, in addition to classrooms, there are hostels for students, apartments for professors, libraries, shops, canteens, cafes, a cinema, a House of Culture, etc.

The main building of Moscow State University has 34 floors and a spire. The height of the MGU GZ without a spire is 183 m, and with a spire - 240 m.

Main building of Moscow State University

How to get to Moscow State University

From the metro station Lomonosovsky Prospect on foot to the entrance to the building is about 10 minutes, and from the stations "Universitet", "Vorobyovy Gory" - 10 - 15 minutes.

From the Universitet metro station to the DK MGU stop, you can take buses or minibuses No. 1, 4, 57, 113, 119, or 661.

DK MGU - House of Culture of Moscow State University, the name of the main entrance used by students, which is located on the side opposite the main entrance to the building.

How to get to Moscow State University

The entrances to the building are guarded by the police. Graduates of Moscow State University are allowed to enter the building if they have a passport and diploma with them. The rest can get to Moscow State University with an excursion to.

Structure of the MSU GC

The main building of Moscow State University is divided into buildings (sectors, zones), which are assigned the letter of the Russian alphabet:

Sector "A" (the main part of the building, on which the spire is located) - there is a dining room (the so-called professor's) and a cafe, the Faculty of Geology (3-8 floors), the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics (12-16 floors), the Faculty of Geography ( 17-22 floors), administration (9-10 floors) and administration, scientific library, Museum of Geosciences (24-31 floors), assembly hall for 1500 people and the Palace of Culture of Moscow State University with a large hall for 640 seats (2nd floor), "rotunda » (31st and 32nd floors: meeting room on the 31st floor, observation deck on the 32nd floor), 33rd floor - gallery, 34th floor - technical and spire.

Zones "B", "C" - hostels for students, canteens.

Zones "G", "D", "E", "G" - dormitories for graduate students.

Buildings "I", "K", "L", "M" - apartments of the teaching staff.

The main building of Moscow State University is decorated with sculptures and symbols of the Soviet period.

Main entrance to GZ MSU Stone student at the main entrance to the Moscow State University

Inside the building are beautiful interiors.

Hall 2nd floor

Near the Moscow State University, you can find a commemorative tile installed in Soviet times.

Commemorative tiles on the alley near the building of Moscow State University

Near the Moscow State University complex there is a large sports complex, several parks, the Moscow State University library (built in 2005), the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University.

On the side of the main entrance is Alley of Academicians- along this alley there are busts of famous academicians related to Moscow State University. So, you can see the busts of Lomonosov, Pavlov, Michurin, Lobachevsky, Lebedev, etc. Moving from the Moscow State University building along the alley of academicians, you can come to the observation deck on Sparrow Hills.

From the side of the Palace of Culture (house of culture) a monument to Lomonosov was erected (1953, sculptor N.V. Tomsky).

The statue is surrounded by four "fountains". But in fact, these are not fountains, but air intakes for ventilation of buildings.

Fountain shaped air intakes

Stories, legends about Moscow State University

GZ MGU was built in Stalin period. Naturally, the decision to build and the construction itself was covered with a veil of secrecy. Here are some stories and legends.

1) They say that when the GZ plan was brought to Stalin for approval, he pointed to the alleys around the building. “And what trees are you going to plant here?” the leader asked. The architects were not ready to answer the question, since they did not determine the types of trees for planting. Then Stalin said, "Why not plant apple trees here?" Since then, numerous apple trees have been growing around the university, and students are often happy to supplement their meager diet with free apples.

2) They say that on one of the basement floors, there is a 5-meter bronze statue of Stalin. She was supposed to stand in front of the main entrance to the GZ. But Stalin died in 1953 and this statue was left in the basement of the still unfinished GZ.

3) Many people think that the GCs were built by convicts. But in fact, the building was mainly built by German prisoners of war. They say that once, one of the prisoners, flew off the spire on a piece of plywood in Ramenki. He was later caught by the NKVD. This rumor came from an article published in Komsomolskaya Pravda in 1989. The accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed.

Moscow State University named after M. V. Lomonosov has long ceased to be only the center of national culture and science. Its building on the Lenin (Sparrow) Hills and the surrounding area is a full-fledged landmark of Moscow, which every guest of the capital should admire.

History of the Main Building of Moscow State University

Without the Stalinist skyscrapers that have become the face of Moscow, it is no longer possible to imagine the appearance of the city. They reflected the era and were a source of pride as Soviet power as well as ordinary citizens. The seven skyscrapers also include the main building of Moscow State University, which for a long time was among the tallest buildings not only in Moscow, but also in Europe. It is built on high place city ​​and is visible from everywhere, as it should be the main Soviet and Russian temple of science. After all, it was science driving force which made our country a leading world power.

The history of the new building of Moscow State University began in 1947, when, by order of I.V. Stalin, a decision was made to build high-rise buildings. A year later, several decrees were issued regarding the project. The first was accepted in 1948 - this date is officially considered the birthday of the university. The design and construction works were entrusted to the architect Boris Iofan. It was he who conceived the design of the main building, but due to a number of disagreements, the design was entrusted to the architects Chernyshev, Rudnev, Khryakov and Nasonov. The carrier system of the entire structure was developed by Nikolai Nikitin. He proposed new solutions that made it possible to build high building in difficult geological conditions and provide it with the necessary strength.

In 1951, I. V. Stalin personally endorsed the projects for landscaping the territories and building roads, the general estimate, the number of storeys, the height of the spire and the technical design. And, just 6 (!) years after the end of the most destructive war in history, construction began ...

The opening of the renovated University took place in the fall of 1953. On the same day, September 1, classes began.

Interestingly, at the time of opening, the Main Building of Moscow State University was a record high by European standards. Its height exceeds 183 meters, and together with the spire - 240 meters. Interestingly, the university held this title for 37 years, until 1990. And until 2003, the building was the tallest in Russia.

For information: in the central sector - "A" - the rector's office, mechanical and mathematical, geological and geographical faculties, assembly hall and administration are located. The side sectors are a residential area with student dormitories and teachers' apartments.

It is very interesting that in terms of everyday life the building of Moscow State University is self-sufficient. There is a library, canteens, a post office, a hairdresser's, a sports center with a swimming pool, shops and an atelier. It is worth noting that the services and services of the infrastructure of the Main Building (in the local jargon, simply “GZ”) are such that for all 5 years of study you can not go out.

Inspection of the Main Building of Moscow State University.

First of all, at MSU, the main interest is the building itself. Moreover, from the spire crowned with a star, which can be seen from afar, to the deepest basement. Both the cellars and the spire are shrouded in so many legends that it is impossible to retell them...

It seems that the star and the spire are covered with gold. But they were faced with more durable plates of yellow glass that sparkles in the sun...

The main building of Moscow State University, both inside and outside, is richly decorated with many sculptural compositions. Eminent artists worked on their creation: Georgy Ivanovich Motovilov, the creator of the design of many Moscow metro stations, Sergey Mikhailovich Orlov, the author of the monument to Yuri Dolgoruky, the famous Vera Mukhina and many others.

All sculptures and bas-reliefs personify science and enlightenment, as well as the abundance that education brings...

By the way, the Museum of Earth Science operates at Moscow State University, which is located on the last 7 (!) floors of the building. Its extensive collection consists of thousands of exhibits. Among them - rocks, minerals, samples from the bottom of the oceans, meteorites. The museum offers interesting thematic excursions, including those for schoolchildren.

There are also a lot of interesting things around the Main Building of Moscow State University. First of all, these are the buildings of the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry, built simultaneously. They stand on opposite sides square and are twin buildings. Between them stands a monument to Lomonosov, with which a curious story is connected. For many years, students of Moscow State University argued about which faculty the monument is closest to. Using a laser rangefinder, they calculated that the "victory" was for the Chemistry Department. Naturally, physicists did not recognize the accuracy of the device as sufficient, and the dispute continues.

There is a complex of fountains in front of the Main Building of Moscow State University. Classical fountains are also installed in the park near the entrance - urban legends are also associated with them. According to rumors, there is a secret underground city under the fountains.

A significant attraction on the territory of Moscow State University is the alley of scientists. It leads from the main building to the slope Sparrow Hills. Along the alley are granite busts of 12 great Russian scientists: N. I. Lobachevsky, N. G. Chernyshevsky, M. V. Lomonosov, A. I. Herzen, D. I. Mendeleev, I. P. Pavlov, N. E. Zhukovsky, K. A. Timiryazev, P. L. Chebyshev, V. V. Dokuchaev, A. S. Popov, I. P. Michurin.

One of the newest monuments of Moscow State University is a monument to construction teams. This is no coincidence - the first student construction team was formed precisely at Moscow University in 1959.

It is impossible to pass by the rich Botanical Garden - one of the most interesting parks in Moscow. It was created in 1953 for scientific purposes, and now the collection consists of 2.5 thousand plants from around the world. You can visit the Moscow State University Botanical Garden only as part of an excursion. It involves familiarity with the arboretum, rock garden and a collection of ornamental crops. There are also workshops on caring for plants and making floral postcard designs.

All these sights can be seen by combining sightseeing with a walk along the picturesque shady alleys. At the same time, it is worth visiting the Sparrow Hills observation deck, from which the whole city and its sights are visible at a glance.

How to get to Moscow State University

The nearest metro stations to Moscow University are Lomonosovsky Prospekt and Universitet. From each station to the Main Building of Moscow State University is about 1.5 kilometers and 20 minutes on foot. You can also drive three bus stops - routes 1, 113, 661.

By the way, the address of the Main Building of Moscow State University is Moscow, Leninskiye Gory, 1.

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov on the map of Moscow.

Photos of the Main Building of Moscow State University

The main entrance of Moscow State University is decorated with a bas-relief "The People-Creator", and bronze sculptures "Athletes" are installed on the sides.

The main entrance is considered to be looking at Moscow. The opposite one is usually called "Club", because next to it is the House of Culture of Moscow State University. By the way, “home” is a relative concept. This is the name of the complex of "cultural premises" in the Main Building.

The illumination of the Main Building is most impressive on a winter evening.