House of Soviets, Soviet Modernist administration building in Kaliningrad, Russia.
The House of Soviets is a 21-story concrete structure standing at the intersection of Shevchenko and Leninski Avenues in central Kaliningrad. The building displays the characteristic features of Soviet Modernist architecture with its massive geometric forms and broad facade surfaces.
Construction began in 1970 under architect Lev Valentinovich Misozhnikov but halted permanently in 1985 due to financial difficulties. The building remained incomplete and empty as economic resources for completion were not available.
Local residents call the structure the 'buried robot' because its geometric forms resemble a mechanical head emerging from the ground. This nickname shows how people in the city see and talk about the building in their everyday lives.
The exterior underwent renovation in 2005 with light blue paint and new windows, making the building look maintained from outside. The interior remains inaccessible since the structure has never been occupied or developed internally.
Demolition started in May 2023, with plans to sell fragments of the structure as commemorative pieces to interested buyers. This unusual approach attempts to give a failed building project a new purpose.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
