The Soviet era was big on monuments and some of them can still be seen today in Moscow. Outside the New Tretyakov Gallery in Gorky Park, the Fallen Monument Park or Muzeon Park of Arts shows a wild potpourri of discarded statues and monuments from the past. Some new statues have also been added to the park and add a nice touch to the greenery.

Proud of winning the Space Race, there is a whole museum dedicated to Russian space exploration. Also, here is a really Soviet looking statue of the first man in space:

The VDNKh or Vystavka Dostizheniy Narodnogo Khozyaystva (Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy) is a large complex with various buildings representing different nationalities and regions within the Soviet Union, a bit like a World’s Fair. Spacious and perfect for strolling around and enjoying snacks along the way. Not far from the VDNKh, the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman perch high up on a structure built especially for them. This sculpture was actually used at a World’s Fair (1937 in Paris). As Soviet as it gets, I guess.

A monument to Lenin’s body that has been conserved for more than 90 years.

Unfortunately, Novodevichy monastery was under construction when we visited, but the adjacent cemetery houses many famous Russians, including politicians, composers and writers. Also, unique statues and gravestones seem to be hugely popular.

This is a bronze sculpture of writer Sholokhov in a rowing boat among the sea of horses’ heads on Gogol Boulevard. Apparently, the horses represent the pro-Communist and pro-Tsar movements in the beginning of the 20th century.

 

August 17th – 24th, 2018