Sowjetischer Pavillon auf der Weltausstellung in Paris, Destroyed building in the 16th arrondissement, Paris, France
The Soviet Pavilion at the Paris World's Fair was a large temporary building erected in the 16th arrondissement of Paris in 1937, designed by architect Boris Iofan. It was topped by a monumental steel sculpture by Vera Mukhina depicting a worker and a collective farm woman holding a hammer and sickle.
The pavilion was built for the 1937 Paris World's Fair, held under the theme of art and technology in modern life. After the fair closed at the end of 1937, the building was demolished, though the sculpture was returned to Moscow.
The building no longer exists, and the site in the 16th arrondissement is now an ordinary part of the city with no visible memorial. Visitors interested in the history of this place are best served by consulting old photographs and written accounts before going, as there is nothing to see on the ground.
The pavilion stood directly opposite the German pavilion designed by Albert Speer, and the two buildings were deliberately positioned to face each other. Mukhina's sculpture rose above the German eagle on the opposing tower, a placement that Iofan reportedly planned on purpose after seeing the German design.
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