In the early 1920s, S. M. Kirov, at that time the 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, proposed the idea of building a grand building in Moscow for the needs of the party - the Palace of Soviets. The monumental structure was supposed to appear on the site of the blown-up Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 1931, but despite the preparatory work carried out, the building was not destined to appear on the maps of the capital.
The plan to build high-rise buildings in Moscow received its development in the late 1940s. Then, in the year of the 800th anniversary of the city, the ceremonial laying of buildings took place, which are now a real symbol of Russian capital. Today we call them Stalin's skyscrapers, or the "seven sisters." This story will focus on one of these amazing buildings, the "Leningradskaya" hotel.
How to Get There by Metro
The address of the skyscraper is Kalanchevskaya Street, 21/40. Literally a few minutes' walk from the hotel is the metro station "Komsomolskaya".
A huge advantage of architectural landmarks, in which hotels operate, is the opportunity to stay in one of their rooms. Today, a five-star Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya hotel is located in the skyscraper building.
A Bit of History
The construction of the hotel on Komsomolskaya Square was carried out from 1949 to 1953. The authors of the building project were architects L. M. Polyakov and A. B. Boretsky. "Leningradskaya" is the lowest among all Stalinist skyscrapers, however, the cost of its construction per square meter became the highest among the cost of all the "sisters". Valuable wood and stone were used to decorate the interiors of the hotel. Despite the fact that the construction was carried out according to an agreed project, after the issuance of the famous decree "On the Elimination of Excesses in Design and Construction", the blame for wastefulness in the construction of the hotel was laid on the architects. Polyakov and Boretsky were deprived of the Stalin Prize, which they had been awarded earlier for the project of the "Leningradskaya".
The hotel project provided for the arrangement of 352 rooms, from small single rooms to suites consisting of three rooms. For guests at the "Leningradskaya", there were cafes, a restaurant, a billiard room, a telephone station for 2000 rooms. In the basement of the building, a bomb shelter was equipped, and today there is a spa center with a swimming pool.
In the early 21st century, large-scale restoration work was carried out at the "Leningradskaya", and in 2008, the fashionable hotel reopened its doors to guests under a new name - Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya. By the way, this is the first Russian hotel of the international Hilton brand.
I checked into the hotel late in the evening on a weekday, there weren't so many guests in the public areas anymore. The feeling of walking through deserted corridors and grandiose vestibules of the historic building is simply fantastic. By the way, for guests staying at the hotel who decide to learn a little more about the history of the skyscraper, you can find a QR code with a link to an audio guide with a story about the hotel in the elevators.
By the way, you can see miniature models of this and other Stalinist skyscrapers in the "Moscow Model" pavilion, which I wrote about not so long ago.
Have a nice trip!
