Stalin’s golden cage
March 2, 2008
In 1931 was opened in the very center of Moscow the biggest and most modern residential complex in Europe. Fully equipped with a wealth of facilities and services, one may say it was a city within the city. Its exclusive apartments were addressed to the most outstanding members of the soviet elite. But what began as a dream turned into a nightmare: in just a few years a third of its residents came to a bad end because of Stalin’s purges, so the building became a symbol of that dark period of repression.
Current view of the building
How it all began
In the late 20s Moscow was packed with communist activists arrived from all over the USSR and abroad. The city was in full swing with lots of activity and people piled up in communes, guest houses or any habitable place. Soviet elite didn’t escape from such overpopulation and also lived stacked in apartments, hotels or even the Kremlin, where about 1,300 people lived.
As a result of this situation, in 1927 was decided to build an apartment block to shelter in good conditions the main figures of the soviet regime: from party leaders to military commanders, as well as writers, engineers, and so on. The location chosen was the islet situated in front of the Kremlin. The place was functional, as it was close to all official buildings, and privileged, because of its excellent location in the Moskva river.
The architect appointed to carry out the works was Boris Iofan, who may be considered Stalin’s architect, as he was chosen under his personal command to be in charge of the Palace of Soviets construction, the emblematic building of the huge metropolis dreamed by the dictator.
Palace of Soviets
The residential complex, widely known as the House on the Embankment (Дом на Набережной), is located in front of the place where it was to be built the colossal palace, where nowadays stands once again the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, after had been demolished in 1931 and turned into the World’s biggest swimming pool once the palace works were canceled [see map].
From dream…
To build the House on the Embankment no expenses were spared, and its final cost was up to 14 million rubles. From the original project it was only sacrificed the pinkish granite facade, as it was considered too expensive and - most of all - not suitable for keeping up appearances (such building wasn’t agree with the Bolshevik principles).
The five hundred apartments of the complex had the best equipment available at that time: gas stove, hot water, telephone, radio receiver, gramophone, oak furniture… All these furniture and fixtures were provided by the Kremlin administration, which kept an accurate inventory and collected a little monthly sum for its rental.
The building had whatever one may dream of: bank, laundry, school, medical center, supermarket, gym, post office… everything at the exclusive disposal of the neighbors. Moreover, every family had a maid and no need to cook, as they were provided coupons to be exchanged for ready food.
In 1932, when the building was fully occupied, there were 2,745 residents. Some of the most distinguished were: Nikita Jruschov (USSR president from1953 to 964), Georgi Zhúkov (Marshal who led to the victory of World War II), Nikolai Bukharin (Bolshevik leader), Artem Mikoyan (MiG aircrafts constructor), Vassily Stalin (son of the dictator) and its own architect, Boris Iofan.
…to nightmare
This oasis of privileges didn’t escape from the dark side of Stalin’s dictatorship: each entrance had a caretaker who kept the keys from all the apartments and kept an eye on every move of the neighbors. Every entry or exit of people or goods was recorded. Something so trivial like giving a piece of cake to a relative should be notified in writing.
There was such a strict control by the NKVD (precursor of the KGB) that is told that the thin walls of the building were specially build this way to let the agents spy the apartments with the rudimentary means they had by then. Oddly enough, the only soundproof flat belonged to Vassily Stalin, who was very fond of Jazz.
Although the house was under a close surveillance from the very beginning, as Stalin’s thirst for power grew it became the epicenter of the political repression carried out in the late 30s. The so-called Great Purge was the breaking point of this repression: from 1936 to 1938 more than 1 million people were killed (executed or tortured) and about 2 million were sent to labor camps (nowadays the estimated number of victims is still not precise, and it’s considered that it may be up to 2.5 times higher).
During those years of terror the House on the Embankment suffered the visits of the NKVD agents every other day, who used to burst into the apartments at night to take with them the ones appointed by Stalin, while he could observe the scene from his window. Their destination was the basement of the NKVD Headquarters at Lubyanka square, from where there used to be no way out but to be executed or to be sent to Siberian gulags.
Lubyanka, headquarters of NKVD, KGB and current FSB
The system they made up and which placed them on top became a deadly trap from which they couldn’t escape: for the House on the Embankment the victims toll exceeded the 800 people, including executions (about 250), suicides, tortures, sentenced to gulags and children sent to orphanage. After the Great Purge more than 200 flats remained empty.
Nowadays, the memories of that repression and what the House on the Embankment meant is still alive thanks to a little two-room museum, which recreates how used to be those flats and shows some pictures and documents from their former tenants, as well as a hair-raising list of victims. Moreover, along the facade are displayed several commemorative plaques:
Under the icy gray color of the house everything has changed and just a few of the current neighbors lived the soviet times of the building. What used to be facilities of the complex now are regular supermarkets, offices, a theater or the cinema Udarnik, the most well known in the city. The flats are bought by new rich Russians and foreigners who can afford its high price.
Let’s hope this ordinary life will not put an end to the memory of one of the most cruel regimes in history.
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4 Responses to “Stalin’s golden cage”
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I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Tom Humes
Interesting site, thank you for it.
A small remark: I think the unlucky ones were sent or sentenced to gulags; the term “kulaks” (kulaki) describes the former class of rich farmers.
Thank you both for your kind comments.
dalaj, you’re absolutely right. Shameful lapsus linguae corrected. Thanks.
Nice website!!