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Photo by Felipe Tofani. .

10 Amazing Examples uof Soviet Brutalist Architecture in Russia

Brutalism emerged as a style of modern architecture in Great Britain. This was in bid to reconstruct using the cheapest means possible after the ravages of  World War II. It soon spread throughout the world. Brutalist Architecture was particularly embraced in the Soviet Union. European countries have however gotten rid of many of their brutalist buildings over time. Nevertheless, many of these buildings in Russia have largely survived.

Brutalism is harsh, rough, geometric, and the single most discordant architectural movement, calling to mind massive concrete spaceships 鈥� and nobody did it better than the Soviets. Brutalism reached Soviet architecture in the 1970s, replacing the Stalinist classicist style with a built form defined by functionality and mass production. Here are the 10 Amazing Examples of  Soviet Brutalist Architecture in Russia.

1. Aviators

Photo by Stefan Spassov.

Nicknamed the 鈥渃entipede鈥� for its unusual shape, Aviators is an apartment for workers of an aviation plant. However, this building was  initially planned to be a hotel for athletes taking part in the 1980 Olympics. It is sometimes called The House of Aviators. 

Aviators was built in 1978 by Architect Andrey Meerson. The building stands on 40 pillars that are intended to create a 鈥渄raft鈥� to blow away exhaust emissions from the nearby motorway. The construction may seem quite fragile, but it鈥檚 very safe. This house makes an unexpected impression when you walk by and see it.

2. Chelyabinsk State Academic Drama Theater

Photo by Gevorg Avetisyan. .

This building, which was erected in the mid-1970s. It serves as a reminder to  visitors and residents of the industrial history of this city. This is because the marble building is decorated in  exquisite cast-iron molding that was created in the local town of Kasli.

On the other hand, the interiors feature rare stones (red jasper, amazonite) and wood. The lobby of the theater is decorated with marble sculptures from local artists.

3. Tver business center

Photo by Michal Hvorecky. .

Local residents call this building 鈥渞yumka,鈥� which means “shot glass” in Russian. Some residents even joke that during its construction workers must have turned the blueprints upside down. This is because of the shape and design of the building.

Originally, the building was supposed to house a hotel built for the 1980 Olympics, but its construction was not completed in time. It stood practically unused in subsequent years, although at one point a local TV company was based here. In 2013, after a lengthy reconstruction, the building was converted into a business center.

4. Don State Public Library

The Don Library is a major regional cultural center that boasts a collection of over five million books. Inside, its walls are covered in marble, and the reading halls include conservatories and waterfalls.

The construction of a new library building on Pushkinskaya Street began in 1974. It was designed by architect Yan Zanis and engineer Boris Sidelkovsky. The construction was severely delayed over the next 20 years and was finished only in 1994.

5. Chuvash State Opera and Ballet Theater

Photo by Pavel Nekoranec. .

This “space” building was erected in 1985 and became a local landmark, although you wouldn’t necessarily guess straight away that it is a theater. This is because the building’s shape is typical of a spaceship base.

However, on the inside it looks like a veritable palace with a gorgeous main staircase and a chandelier the size of a two-story house. It looks more like an airspace base than an Opera and Ballet Theater and rightfully so because of the soviet brutalist architecture.

6. Avrora cinema theater in Krasnodar

One of Krasnodar’s landmarks, the Avrora cinema theater was built in 1967. It was listed as an architectural monument by 1981. From the outside, it looks like a huge ship with a fa莽ade made of display glass.

The square in front of the building is dominated by a sculpture of Aurora and a fountain. The cinema “Aurora” was built from 1963 to 1967. The project manager was the famous architect EA Serdyukov.

The building is located at the intersection of Krasnaya and Ofitserskaya streets. The building was awarded the title of a monument of architecture. Thus, the “Aurora” is not just an entertainment center, but a structure with a special historical and cultural value.

7. The State Scientific Center for Robotics in St. Petersburg

Photo by Michal Hvorecky. .

This huge 77-meter-tall tower is a testing laboratory for space technologies built in the 1970s. Its shape resembles either a satellite or a spaceship. The tower consists of a metal frame made of concrete panels.

It is hollow on the inside. The building is renowned, particularly in Russia as being an example of Soviet Architecture as well as expressing Russia’s dominance in the research of space travel.

8. The House of Soviets

Located in the center of Kaliningrad, The House of Soviets is a Russian brutalist building designed by architect Yulian L. Shvartsbreim. Built on the K枚nigsberg Castle, which got drastically destroyed after the Second World War, The House of Soviets is a symbolic building for the city.

Although the construction commenced in 1970, the building was abandoned mid-construction, leaving it unfinished. However, its inhabitants recognize it as a classical urban landmark in their city. The structure is usually referred to as 鈥榯he face of the robot鈥� since its peculiar shape implores images of a robot buried up to its neck, only showing its face.

9. Russian State Scientific Center for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics

The Russian State Scientific Center for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics was completed in 1987. It is located in St. Petersburg and it is one of the most famous buildings of the Soviet space architecture.

Like most of Russia鈥檚 space travel-related architecture, the design of the building intends to communicate Soviet dominance in the exploration of outer space. A concertina-edged tower, also called the White Tulip that stands at the center of the complex, to drive this point home.

10. Fyodor Dostoevsky Theater of Dramatic Art

Photo by Sergiy Klymenko. .

Fyodor Dostoevsky Theatre of Dramatic Art was designed in 1983 by Vladimir Somov, a Soviet Union architect. The Theater was established to bring the dramatic arts to the people.

Constructed over several years, the completion of the building coincided with the period of perestroika within the Soviet Union. With Escher-esque hallways and rooms within rooms, the theatre is a marvel that very few outsiders know about, even as it continues to function as an arts hall to this day.