The main department store of the country: history and modernity. GUM: description, history, excursions, exact address
If you have to consider the shops of the capital, the State Department Store (GUM) comes to mind first of all. Today you can buy almost everything here - from children's toys to food. What is GUM? This is not just a shopping complex, but a real landmark of Moscow. Guests of the capital certainly strive to visit it and buy something as a keepsake.
Historical information
Today, every Muscovite and many residents of other cities know what GUM is. The city department store today is a large shopping complex, which presents a huge range of goods. It also has a long history.
So, until 1923, these were shopping arcades in the center of the capital, which occupied a whole block. Their main facade already then overlooked the central square of the city. The malls were built in the form of arcades, which were so popular at that time in European countries. These were street stalls
At the end of the 19th century, the authorities decided to open the State Department Store (GUM) on the site. And its construction began in 1888. In 1923, a new trading establishment began to function. In the post-war years, the store was in danger of disappearing. The building was about to be demolished. And if this happened, today's youth would not be familiar with the decoding of the word "GUM". However, they did not demolish it. The building was restored, and in 1953 it began to function again.
So what is GUM? This abbreviation reads like a state department store, but few people know that GUM has actually been private property since 1990. The store was privatized, but despite this, the original name has been preserved. By the way, many people still know its older name - “Upper Rows”.
Adult Stores
cinema hall
Long shopping trips usually do not please the representatives of the stronger sex. In this case, a man can be sent to watch an interesting movie, while a woman enjoys shopping for her own pleasure.
The GUM cinema is a huge hall with cozy armchairs. Films from various categories are shown here. There is a separate hall for children, where kids can watch cartoons. A new session starts every two hours. Tickets are always available.
Interesting is the fact that the cinema hall has completely preserved the architecture of the main department store. There are stucco moldings on the walls - a classic theatrical decor. The hall has large windows overlooking the main street of the country. During movie screenings, they are covered with multi-layered velvet curtains.
Showroom
What is GUM? It is also an ideal place for various social events. For this purpose, there is a showroom, which is rented for presentations and other events important for the country. The total area of the hall is 365 square meters. The bright atmosphere here is created by lighting fixtures and original architecture.
After restoration in 1953, the hall began to be used for fashion shows. Stores that worked within the walls of GUM presented their collections. Anyone can enter the showroom. The entrance ticket then cost 50 kopecks.
Shows are less frequent these days. The showroom is more used for concerts, demonstrations and conferences.
Privilege System
Like any other store, GUM has its own discount system. Having received everyone can significantly save on purchases. Initially, visitors are given a burgundy card. To get it, you need to make a purchase at any outlet participating in the loyalty program. The card is not registered and can be transferred to third parties.
When making purchases in GUM stores for a total amount of 120 thousand rubles, the visitor is issued a silver card that allows you to receive discounts of up to 10%. With the accumulation of the total amount of purchases for a million rubles, you can get a gold card, discounts for which in some stores exceed 25%. Gold and silver cards are personal. It is no longer possible to transfer them for use by other people. In case of violations, the GUM management reserves the right to withdraw the card.
How to get there
Every metropolitan resident knows where the main store of the country is located. Visitors should still know the exact address. GUM is located right on Red Square (building 3). You can get here from the Okhotny Ryad and Teatralnaya stations.
There is a parking near the shopping complex, daily from 8:00 to 23:00. The cost is 250 rubles per hour. For people who especially value their time, valet parking services are offered. All you need to do is give the keys to the manager at the entrance to the store, and call before leaving, and the car will be waiting at the main entrance.
So what is GUM (Moscow)? The decoding of the name of this shopping complex is fully justified. This is truly a national scale department store. Guests of Moscow should definitely come here to enjoy relaxing in cozy cafes, admire the original architecture, and buy souvenirs for relatives and friends.
The old building of the Upper Trading Rows, the Main Department Store - GUM in Moscow is located. It is the largest department store in the country. It is an architectural monument of federal significance.
GUM in Moscow - history
Few shops in the country and in the world have such an interesting and rich history as the largest one in the capital. The building of the Upper Trading Rows (the former name of the department store) was built in 1893 according to the project of architect A. Pomerantsev and engineer V. Shukhov. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov and Princess Elizaveta Feodorovna attended the opening. The length of the building along the Kremlin wall is about 250 meters. And its form is presented in the form of three longitudinal three-story galleries. Engineer V. Shukhov created a unique openwork glass roof, the construction of which took more than fifty thousand pounds of metal. Its diameter is 14 meters.
The entire area of the opened Upper Trading Rows was divided among merchants into 322 stores, which sold all kinds of food and industrial goods. A bank branch and a post office, a jewelry workshop and a hairdresser's were also opened here. Price tags were used for the first time. Books of complaints and suggestions appeared. And the slogan "The customer is always right" became the rule of trade. The restaurant soon opened. Musical evenings began to be held. Art exhibitions were organized. Now people came to the Upper Trading Rows not only for shopping. Here they rested and had fun. You could use the left-luggage office, information desk, wardrobe.
After the revolution, like other outlets, GUM was nationalized. This led to a decline in trade. Offices were filled with officials. The NEP revived trade. In 1935, a project appeared, fortunately not implemented, according to which it was proposed to demolish the building in order to expand Red Square. On May 9, 1945, Yuri Levitan announced the unconditional surrender of Germany from the department store building. In the post-war years, the department store was again in danger of being demolished. A place was needed to erect a monument in honor of the Victory in the war. But this plan was not implemented either.
1953 was the year of the second birth of the building. It was decided to remove all institutions from it and leave only retail outlets and salons in it. The building has been reconstructed. More than 30 thousand items of goods were presented in 11 large departments.
During the Brezhnev era, they wanted to close the department store again. But chance helped. The wife of a high-ranking figure sewed outfits for herself here - in the atelier. Thanks to her request to keep it, the department store was also saved.
In December 1990, the department store became known as the GUM Trading House Joint Stock Company. That is, the form of activity has become the same as 100 years ago. In 1993, the 100th anniversary of the opening of the department store was celebrated. The entrance was opened from the side of Red Square.
GUM - modernity
Modernity brings its own features to the appearance of GUM. The department store is constantly evolving. The Showroom has been restored. It hosts various cultural events. Illumination was installed on the outer facade. Since 2006, a skating rink has been opened on Red Square in winter. A match between the stars of the USSR and the stars of the World was held here. The skating rink has become a place of rest and meetings. Festive atmosphere, celebrity performances always delight guests of the rink. In 2007, a fountain opened in the center of the department store where customers meet. This fountain is almost the same age as the Upper Trading Rows.
Familiar objects of the capital appeared here, in which the appearance of the 50-60s is preserved. So, Gastronome No. 1 is open, where tea “with elephants” is sold. Dining room No. 57 has a self-service line with dishes of Russian and European cuisine. It also offers soft drinks and alcoholic drinks. The cafe "Festivalnoye" was opened, named after the Festival of Youth held in the capital in 1956. The menu includes dishes from different countries.
GUM is not only an architectural monument. It is a place of relaxation with restaurants and cafes, as well as a venue for cultural events. Like the rest of Red Square, it is an integral part of the history of Russia.
GUM stores
The department store is conditionally divided into 3 lines, along which there are many shops and boutiques, salons on three floors. There are more than 200 of them here. A variety of goods of popular domestic and foreign brands are presented - Adidas and Nike, Levi's and Ecco and many others. There is a pharmacy and a bank branch, photo services and an order desk. Although now the department store is not a state-owned one, the name GUM is still popular. Its main owner is the Russian company Bosco di Ciliegi. Bosco di Ciliegi family card holders in Optika, Hogl, Gabor and some other salons enjoy fixed discounts from 5 to 15%. More than 30 thousand people visit the department store every day.
For visitors to GUM in Moscow, parking is provided in Vetoshny Lane.
) in the center of Moscow, which occupies a whole block of Kitay-gorod and overlooks Red Square with its main facade. The building, built in the pseudo-Russian style, is an architectural monument of federal significance.
On lease until 2059 from a Russian retail company Bosco di Ciliegi, which specializes in the sale of luxury goods. The lease is extended without competition, its cost is a state secret.
Story
On the site of the dilapidated shops of the 18th century, under Catherine II, the design of a grandiose shopping center in the style of classicism began. The project was developed by Quarenghi himself, but the construction was hastily carried out by city architects and was not brought to the end. After the fire of 1812, the shopping arcade was rebuilt
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The building was located in the quarter between Red Square and Vetoshny passage along the radius: according to documents of that time, the length of the facade overlooking Red Square was 116 sazhens, and that of 122 sazhens facing Vetoshny passage.
The building of the Upper Trading Rows quickly became dilapidated and obsolete. Already in 1869, the Moscow governor-general demanded that the city duma consider the issue of reconstructing the shopping complex. The owners of the shops, who did not want third-party interference in their affairs, came up with a counter initiative: they created their own commission for the restructuring of rows. For 20 years, representatives of the shop owners have been holding fruitless negotiations with the city government. On the one hand, the shopping complex consisted of more than 600 separate properties owned by more than 500 people; reconciliation of the interests of this mass of owners was difficult. On the other hand, the shop owners hoped to bargain some preferences from the city. In particular, one of their ideas was the free provision by the city of a strip of land cut off from Red Square to expand the aisles between the rows; The city vehemently disagreed with this demand. In 1880, the City Duma, despairing of the success of the negotiations, petitioned the government for the creation of a joint-stock company for the restructuring of rows, participation in which would be mandatory for shop owners. But this initiative did not find sufficient support and died out.
In 1886, the new Moscow mayor, N.A. Alekseev, managed to achieve some success: at a meeting of shop owners, he obtained the consent of their majority to establish a joint-stock company, and a committee elected by them drew up and published a draft charter for the company. However, after that, things did not move forward. This time the city government decided not to retreat, and in the same 1886 closed the Upper Trading Rows under the pretext of their accident rate. The shops were moved to temporary buildings on Red Square. The decline in trade as a result of these events was so strong that the shop owners finally decided to start reconstruction.
In 1888, the charter was approved "Joint Stock Company of the Upper Trading Rows on Red Square in Moscow". The joint-stock company had share and bond capital. The share capital consisted of a piece of land occupied by the old Upper Trading Rows. Shop owners contributed their buildings and plots under them to the share capital, and the shares were distributed among them in proportion to the income from existing real estate. Those who did not want to participate in the society being created could demand the redemption of their property, in addition, the Moscow city government received the right to forcibly alienate real estate from those who did not want to give it up at all. The charter provided the society with significant benefits: property was transferred to the society without paying serf duties, and property rights were recognized for existing owners by the very fact of current ownership, without the demand of merchants (for many years, ownership documents were lost). The total amount of share capital (which was, in essence, the valuation of the land) amounted to 9.4 million rubles. The construction itself was financed by bond capital, for which 5% bonds were issued with a total face value of 5 million rubles, payable over 90 years. In order for the Society to be recognized as open, it was required to receive an application for joining the society from two-thirds of the owners, which happened in August 1888. The board of the society was headed by the industrialist A. G. Kolchugin.
In November 1888, a closed architectural competition was announced, which received 23 designs; one of the conditions of the competition was the conformity of the appearance of the new buildings with the style of other buildings on Red Square. The first prize (6,000 rubles) was received by A. N. Pomerantsev, the second (3,000 rubles) - R. I. Klein, the third (2,000 rubles) - A. E. Weber. Most of the competitive projects and all the awarded ones were very similar both in space-planning solutions and in style. The dismantling of the old building began in the autumn of 1888, a year later the foundations were laid, and the official laying ceremony of the new building took place on May 21, 1890. Construction work reached its maximum intensity in 1891, when up to 3,000 workers were involved in the construction at the same time. From the end of 1891, separate parts of the complex began to be opened for trade; the grand opening of the malls took place on December 2, 1893. However, finishing work in some rooms continued until 1896.
In 1923, the State Department Store (GUM) was opened in the building, which was run by the People's Commissariat of the RSFSR
In 1934-1936 the building was being prepared for demolition. In its place, they wanted to put a huge building of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry.
In 1952-1953, the building was restored and in 1953 the State Department Store was reopened in it. In the 1970s, another restoration of the building was started, which was completed by 1985.
In 1990, the store was corporatized, and in 1992 it was privatized. Despite the fact that the store has ceased to be a state store, the name "GUM" has been retained and is used along with the old name - "Upper Trading Rows".
In 1997-2001 and in 2011-2012, fragmentary restoration work was carried out on the facades, in the lobbies, and individual retail premises of the building, which were completed according to the project of the architect-restorer M. B. Kanaev and under the scientific guidance of G. V. Mudrov. During the first stage of restoration, the building was illuminated with lines of electric light bulbs, emphasizing the architectural elements of the facade and the silhouette of the building.
Architecture and decoration
Inner panorama of lines
Second line
third line
The complex of buildings of the Upper Trading Rows was built according to the project of the architect A. N. Pomerantsev, with the participation of the architect P. P. Shchekotov, engineers V. G. Shukhov and A. F. Loleit. The main building was placed parallel to the Kremlin wall, the main entrance to the rows was arranged in the center of the facade on Red Square. The back of the main building overlooks Vetoshny Lane, where there is another independent building of rows. The main building was built in the form of a passage - a type of commercial building popular in European architecture of the second half of the 19th century, where shops are placed in tiers on the sides of a wide passage-gallery, with a glazed ceiling. The building consists of 16 buildings, connected by three longitudinal and three transverse galleries (“lines”), above which there are skylights.
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Notes
Literature
- , Ottmar Perchi, F. V. Shukhov, M. M. Gappoev et al., 192 pages, Mir, Moscow, 1994.
- Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov. The first engineer of Russia. ”, E. M. Shukhova, 368 pages, ed. MSTU, Moscow, 2003.
- Moscow: Architectural guide / I. L. Buseva-Davydova, M. V. Nashchokina, M. I. Astafyeva-Dlugach. - M .: Stroyizdat, 1997. - S. 29-30. - 512 p. - ISBN 5-274-01624-3.
- / Rev. ed. I. A. Savina, M. V. Lyapina, E. I. Stepanova. - M .: OGI, 2012. - S. 258-261. - 319 p. - ISBN 978-5-94282-690-1.
- Kiprin, V. A., Malygin, S. M., Tonchu E. A. From shops to arcades. - M .: TONCHU Publishing House, 2014. - 584 p. - ISBN 978-5-91215-092-0.
- , und andere, 192 S., Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart, 1990.
- a dissertation in architecture, 264 p., University of Pennsylvania, 2000.
Links
- - badges of GUM employees,
An excerpt characterizing GUM
This contradiction arises from the fact that military science accepts the strength of troops as identical with their numbers. Military science says that the more troops, the more power. Les gros bataillons ont toujours raison. [Law is always on the side of large armies.]In saying this, military science is like that mechanics, which, based on the consideration of forces only in relation to their masses, would say that the forces are equal or not equal to each other, because their masses are equal or not equal.
Force (momentum) is the product of mass and speed.
In military affairs, the strength of an army is also the product of the mass by something like that, by some unknown x.
Military science, seeing in history countless examples of the fact that the mass of troops does not coincide with strength, that small detachments defeat large ones, vaguely recognizes the existence of this unknown factor and tries to find it now in geometric construction, now in armament, then - the most ordinary - in the genius of the generals. But substituting all these multiplier values does not produce results consistent with the historical facts.
And meanwhile, one has only to abandon the established, for the sake of the heroes, false view of the reality of the orders of the highest authorities during the war in order to find this unknown x.
This is the spirit of the army, that is, a greater or lesser desire to fight and expose themselves to the dangers of all the people who make up the army, completely regardless of whether people fight under the command of geniuses or non-geniuses, in three or two lines, with clubs or guns firing thirty once a minute. The people who have the greatest desire to fight will always put themselves in the best conditions for a fight.
The spirit of the army is a multiplier for the mass, which gives the product of force. To determine and express the meaning of the spirit of the army, this unknown multiplier, is the task of science.
This task is possible only when we stop arbitrarily replacing the value of the entire unknown X with the conditions under which force is manifested, such as: the orders of the commander, weapons, etc., taking them as the value of a multiplier, and recognize this unknown in all its wholeness, that is, as a greater or lesser desire to fight and endanger oneself. Only then, by expressing known historical facts in equations, from a comparison of the relative significance of this unknown, can one hope to determine the unknown itself.
Ten people, battalions or divisions, fighting with fifteen people, battalions or divisions, defeated fifteen, that is, they killed and took prisoner all without a trace and themselves lost four; therefore, four were destroyed on one side, and fifteen on the other. Therefore, four was equal to fifteen, and therefore 4a:=15y. Therefore, w: g/==15:4. This equation does not give the value of the unknown, but it does give the relation between two unknowns. And from subsuming various historical units (battles, campaigns, periods of wars) under such equations, series of numbers will be obtained in which laws must exist and can be discovered.
The tactical rule that it is necessary to act in masses during the offensive and separately during the retreat, unconsciously confirms only the truth that the strength of the army depends on its spirit. In order to lead people under the core, more discipline is needed, achieved only by movement in the masses, than in order to fend off attackers. But this rule, in which the spirit of the army is overlooked, constantly turns out to be wrong and especially strikingly contradicts reality where there is a strong rise or fall in the spirit of the army - in all people's wars.
The French, retreating in 1812, although they should have defended themselves separately, tactically huddle together, because the spirit of the army has fallen so that only the mass holds the army together. The Russians, on the contrary, tactically should have attacked en masse, but in reality they are splitting up, because the spirit is raised so that individuals strike without the orders of the French and do not need coercion in order to expose themselves to labor and danger.
The so-called guerrilla war began with the entry of the enemy into Smolensk.
Before guerrilla warfare was officially accepted by our government, already thousands of people of the enemy army - backward marauders, foragers - were exterminated by Cossacks and peasants, who beat these people as unconsciously as dogs unconsciously kill a runaway rabid dog. Denis Davydov, with his Russian intuition, was the first to understand the significance of that terrible club, which, without asking the rules of military art, destroyed the French, and he owns the glory of the first step in legitimizing this method of war.
On August 24, the first partisan detachment of Davydov was established, and after his detachment others began to be established. The further the campaign progressed, the more the number of these detachments increased.
The partisans destroyed the Great Army in parts. They picked up those falling leaves that fell of themselves from a withered tree - the French army, and sometimes shook this tree. In October, while the French fled to Smolensk, there were hundreds of these parties of various sizes and characters. There were parties that adopted all the methods of the army, with infantry, artillery, headquarters, with the comforts of life; there were only Cossack, cavalry; there were small, prefabricated, foot and horse, there were peasants and landlords, unknown to anyone. There was a deacon head of the party, who took several hundred prisoners a month. There was an elder, Vasilisa, who beat hundreds of Frenchmen.
The last days of October were the time of the height of the guerrilla war. That first period of this war, during which the partisans, themselves surprised at their audacity, were afraid at any moment to be caught and surrounded by the French and, without unsaddling and almost dismounting their horses, hid through the forests, waiting for every minute of the chase, has already passed. Now this war had already taken shape, it became clear to everyone what could be done with the French and what could not be done. Now only those commanders of the detachments, who, according to the rules, went away from the French with headquarters, still considered many things impossible. The small partisans, who had long ago begun their work and were closely looking out for the French, considered possible what the leaders of large detachments did not even dare to think about. The Cossacks and the peasants, who climbed between the French, believed that now everything was possible.
On October 22, Denisov, who was one of the partisans, was with his party in the midst of partisan passion. In the morning he and his party were on the move. All day long, through the forests adjoining the main road, he followed a large French transport of cavalry items and Russian prisoners, separated from other troops and under strong cover, as was known from scouts and prisoners, heading for Smolensk. This transport was known not only to Denisov and Dolokhov (also a partisan with a small party), who walked close to Denisov, but also to the heads of large detachments with headquarters: everyone knew about this transport and, as Denisov said, they sharpened their teeth on it. Two of these great detachment commanders - one Pole, the other German - almost at the same time sent an invitation to Denisov to join his detachment in order to attack the transport.
- No, bg "at, I myself have a mustache," said Denisov, after reading these papers, and wrote to the German that, despite the sincere desire that he had to serve under the command of such a valiant and famous general, he must deprive himself of this happiness, because he had already entered under the command of a Pole general, but he wrote the same to the Pole general, notifying him that he had already entered under the command of a German.
Having ordered in this way, Denisov intended, without reporting to the top commanders, together with Dolokhov, to attack and take this transport with his own small forces. The transport went on October 22 from the village of Mikulina to the village of Shamsheva. On the left side of the road from Mikulin to Shamshev there were large forests, in places approaching the road itself, in places moving away from the road by a verst or more. For a whole day through these forests, now going deep into the middle of them, then leaving for the edge, he rode with the party of Denisov, not losing sight of the moving French. In the morning, not far from Mikulin, where the forest came close to the road, Cossacks from Denisov's party captured two French wagons with cavalry saddles that had become muddy and took them into the forest. From then until evening, the party, without attacking, followed the movement of the French. It was necessary, without frightening them, to let them calmly reach Shamshev and then, connecting with Dolokhov, who was supposed to arrive in the evening for a meeting at the guardhouse in the forest (a verst from Shamshev), at dawn fall from both sides like snow on his head and beat and take them all at once.
Behind, two versts from Mikulin, where the forest approached the road itself, six Cossacks were left, who were supposed to report it immediately, as soon as new French columns appeared.
Ahead of Shamshev, in the same way, Dolokhov had to explore the road in order to know at what distance there were still other French troops. During transport, one thousand five hundred people were supposed. Denisov had two hundred men, Dolokhov could have as many. But the superiority of numbers did not stop Denisov. The only thing he still needed to know was what exactly these troops were; and for this purpose Denisov needed to take a tongue (that is, a man from an enemy column). In the morning attack on the wagons, things happened with such haste that the French who were with the wagons were all killed and only the drummer boy was captured alive, who was backward and could not say anything positively about what kind of troops were in the column.
Denisov considered it dangerous to attack another time, so as not to alarm the entire column, and therefore he sent the muzhik Tikhon Shcherbaty, who was with his party, forward to Shamshevo - to capture, if possible, at least one of the French advanced quartermasters who were there.
It was an autumn, warm, rainy day. Sky and horizon were the same color of muddy water. Now it seemed to fall like a mist, then suddenly it allowed a slanting, heavy rain.
On a thoroughbred, thin horse with tucked-up sides, in a cloak and hat, from which water flowed, Denisov rode. He, like his horse, which squinted its head and pursed its ears, frowned at the slanting rain and peered anxiously ahead. His face, emaciated and overgrown with a thick, short, black beard, looked angry.
Next to Denisov, also in a cloak and hat, on a well-fed, large bottom rode a Cossack esaul - Denisov's employee.
Esaul Lovaisky, the third, also in a cloak and hat, was a long, flat, white-faced, fair-haired man, with narrow bright eyes and a calmly smug expression both in his face and in his seat. Although it was impossible to say what was the peculiarity of the horse and the rider, but at the first glance at the esaul and Denisov it was clear that Denisov was both wet and awkward - that Denisov was a man who mounted a horse; whereas, looking at the esaul, it was clear that he was just as comfortable and calm as always, and that he was not a man who mounted a horse, but a man together with a horse, one being, increased by double strength, being.
A little ahead of them walked a sodden peasant conductor, in a gray caftan and white cap.
A little behind, on a thin, thin Kyrgyz horse with a huge tail and mane and with bloody lips, rode a young officer in a blue French overcoat.
A hussar rode next to him, carrying a boy in a tattered French uniform and a blue cap behind him on the back of a horse. The boy held on to the hussar with his hands, red from the cold, moved, trying to warm them, his bare feet, and, raising his eyebrows, looked around him in surprise. It was the French drummer taken in the morning.
Behind, in threes, fours, along a narrow, limp and rutted forest road, hussars were drawn, then Cossacks, some in a cloak, some in a French overcoat, some in a blanket thrown over their heads. The horses, both red and bay, all looked black from the rain streaming from them. The necks of the horses seemed strangely thin from wet manes. Steam rose from the horses. And clothes, and saddles, and reins - everything was wet, slippery and slushy, just like the earth and the fallen leaves with which the road was laid. People sat ruffled, trying not to move in order to warm the water that had spilled to the body, and not to let in the new cold water that was leaking under the seats, knees and necks. In the middle of the stretched-out Cossacks, two wagons on French and saddled Cossack horses rumbled over the stumps and branches and grunted along the water-filled ruts of the road.
The abbreviation GUM stands for General Department Store. Until 1921, the department store was called the Upper Trading Rows. This is the largest shopping complex in the center of the capital, occupying an entire quarter of Kitay-Gorod. The main facade of the department store overlooks Red Square. The building is a monument of pseudo-Russian architecture for federal purposes. It belongs to the Russian company Bosco di Ciliegi, which specializes in the sale of luxury goods.
Instead of dilapidated shops of the 17th century, during the reign of Catherine II, the design of a grandiose shopping center, made in the style of classicism, was started. The project was taken up by Quarenghi, but the construction was hastily carried out by city architects, which was never completed. After a fire in 1812, Osip Bove, a master of classicism, undertook to rebuild the malls.
The upper shopping arcade, which we see today opposite the Kremlin wall, was built in 1890-1893 by architect A.N. Pomerantsev and engineers V.G. Shukhovfm and A.F. Loleit. This building is designed in a pseudo-Russian style, the decorative elements were borrowed from Russian monuments of the pattern era. It is also impossible not to notice the consonance of the double turrets above the main entrance with the neighboring building of the Historical Museum.
The grand opening of GUM or, as they were then called, the Upper Trading Rows, with the participation of the Governor-General Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov and Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna, took place on December 2, 1893.
The giant three-storey building, consisting of three longitudinal passages and having deep basements, accommodates more than a thousand stores. The passages are covered with arched steel structures with glazing of sixteen-meter spans. In addition to the passages, large halls are arranged here. The exterior finish is made of Finnish granite, Tarusa marble and sandstone.
In 1934, preparations began for the demolition of the GUM building. In its place, they wanted to build a huge building of the People's Commissariat for Heavy Industry. Fortunately, GUM was restored in 1952-1953. Now it was the State Department Store. Although today the mall is no longer state-owned, its name GUM is still in use, like the old name "Upper Trading Rows".
You can buy almost everything in this store. This is a whole shopping district, where there are pharmacies, and flower shops, and bank branches, and comfortable recreation areas, and restaurants, and cafes. It is also an art gallery where cultural events are held.
Trading House "GUM" is the most famous shopping complex in Moscow.