It is one of the famous seven “Stalin’s skyscrapers” in Moscow. The building was constructed by the architects V. G. Gelfreih and M. A. Minkus and designers S. D. Gomberg and G. M. Limanovsky from 1948 to 1953. Its height makes 172 meters. Initially the building had no spike; however, by order of Stalin the final stage was completed as a decorative spike within two weeks in 1952. The visual mismatch of the facade elements and the spike can be very well observed from the Smolenskaya Square. The building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs became a paragon for all the other Moscow skyscrapers.

 

Located at the address: 32/34, Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square, near the Smolenskaya metro station.

 

 

The first stage of the White Town business center was built in 2006-2009. The white stone St. Nicholas The Wonderworker Church that was restored with assistance of construction investors was expected to become the fundamental element of the new complex. The complex consists of one 6-storeyed and two 15-storeyed buildings. Two more towers are planned to be completed in 2014. A light and music fountain is located in the center of the “White Square” next to the white stone church. Live open-air concerts and exhibitions take place there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The building of the Northern River Station was constructed along with the Moscow Canal in 1937, even before the filling of the Khimki Water Reservoir, on the bank of which it stands. It was a joint project of the architects A. M. Rukhlyadev, V. F. Krinsky, the sculptors I. S. Yefimov and the artist N. Ya. Danko. It was meant to become the symbol of Moscow as “the port of five seas”. The building has the shape of a large ship. The spike on its roof is topped with a star, which used to crown Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin in 1935-1937. The sickle and hammer on it are inlaid with the Ural semi-precious stones. One can voyage from the Northern River Station along the routes to St. Petersburg, Astrakhan, and Rostov-on-Don. Pleasure boats start from here to Radosti Bay and Troitsky. 

 

Located at: 51/2, Leningradskoe Shosse, near the Rechnoy Vokzal metro station.

 

 

 

 

 

It is the biggest Catholic cathedral in Russia and the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Mother of God at Moscow headed by Archbishop Paolo Pezzi. It is one of the two working Catholic churches of Moscow along with St. Louis King of France Church (by architect Domenico Gilardi, 1830). The church was built in 1901-1911. The author of the project was F. O. Bogdanovich-Dvorzhetsky. 

The Feast of Immaculate Conception Cathedral is a neogothic three-aisled cross-shaped pseudo basementless. It is assumed the architect was inspired with the Westminster Abbey as a pre-image for the cathedral, and with the Milan Cathedral as a prototype for its dome. 

Since 2009 the cathedral has been hosting the educational course West European Sacred Music dedicated to the Gregorian choral and organ improvisation.

 

Located at: 27/13, Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, near the Krasnopresnenskaya and Barrikadnaya metro stations.

 

 

 Next: The Most Beautiful Moscow Buildings, Part 4