Rossiya in Moscow / Russia

 

Now it's time for most famous Russian cinema - cinema Rossiya in Moscow.

Opened in 1961, it was the largest cinema hall in Europe and the main cinema hall of the USSR with an audiorium for 2.500 people. In the basement, there were two smaller halls with each 200 seats.

Yury Nikolayevitch Sheverdyaev, Dmitry Sergeyevitch Solopov and Elmira Gadshinskaya were the architects. The cinema was built in 1957-1961 on Pushkin Square on the site of the 1937 demolished Strastnoy Monastery. 

An architectural feature is the outstanding floating roof. This idea was already realised in the late 1920s in Moscow with the Rusakov's Worker Club by the architect Konstantin Melnikov

Another original solution that transformed the square was a staircase thrown across the street, connecting the foyer with the pedestrian boulevard of Pushkinskaya Square - one of the busiest city squares in the world.

The cinema has always hosted major events, such as the Moscow International Film Festival.

In 1997, the cinema Rossiya was leased to the large film distributor Karo Film, which renovated the theatre and changed its name to Pushkinsky. In 2012, the building was renovated to host musical performances and renamed Rossiya.

Of course, this building is protected as an architectural monument of regional significance.

I recieved this postcard via postcrossing. In the foreground you can see the Pushkin monument (1880, by Alexander Mikhailovich Opekushin), in the background the Rossiya cinema. On the cinema, you can read the names Rossiya and Pushkinskiy. The cinema advertises the movie Война миров / War of the Worlds (USA 2005, directed by Steven Spielberg).