The Palace of the Soviets (Russian: Дворец Советов, Dvorets Sovetov) was a project to construct an administrative center and a congress hall in Moscow, Russia, near the Kremlin, on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The architectural contest for the Palace of the Soviets (1931–1933) was won by Boris Iofan's neoclassical concept, subsequently revised by Iofan, Vladimir Shchuko and Vladimir Gelfreikh into a supertall skyscraper. If built, it would have become the world's tallest structure of its time. Construction started in 1937, and was terminated by the German invasion in 1941. In 1941–1942, its steel frame was disassembled for use in fortifications and bridges. Construction was never resumed. In 1958, the foundations of the Palace were converted into what would become the world's largest open-air swimming pool. The Cathedral was rebuilt in 1995–2000.
A nearby subway station, built in 1935 as Palace of the Soviets station, was renamed Kropotkinskaya in 1957.
Read more about Palace Of The Soviets: History of The Concept, Demolition of The Cathedral, Public Contest, Virtual Palace of Soviets, The Decision, The Iofan-Schuko-Gelfreikh Design, Construction, Legacy, In Literature and Culture
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