House on the Embankment, Constructivist apartment building near Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
The House on the Embankment is a Constructivist residential building from the early 1930s that occupies an entire city block along the Moskva River facing the Kremlin. The twelve-story structure appears monumental with its strict geometric form and dark facade, while the interiors hold over five hundred apartments of varying sizes.
The complex was completed in 1931 as housing for high-ranking party members and government officials of the Soviet Union. During the years of purges under Stalin, a very large number of residents disappeared, making the building a symbol of political repression.
The name refers to its location directly on the riverbank, where members of the Soviet political elite once lived. Visitors can spot small memorial plaques on the facade that remember disappeared residents and shape the character of the site.
A museum on the ground floor displays photographs and personal belongings from the Soviet era and can be accessed through a separate entrance. Viewing the building from the opposite Kremlin embankment offers a good perspective on the entire facade.
The residential complex originally featured its own cinema hall and theater in the interior, which was rare for Soviet buildings of that period. Some of the original communal rooms are still preserved and give insight into the concept of collective living at the time.
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