Kremlin Palace of Congresses

the largest public building of the Moscow Kremlin. Built in 1959–61.

For the design and construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, its creators—M. V. Posokhin, A. A. Mndoiants, G. N. L’vov, A. N. Kondrat’ev, E. N. Stamo, P. P. Shteller, and I. I. Kochetov—were awarded the Lenin Prize in 1962. The opening (Oct. 17, 1961) was timed for the beginning of the Twenty-second Congress of the CPSU. The palace is used for highly important party, government, public, and international gatherings and as a theater; it is a second stage for the Bolshoi Theater. The building plan is rectangular, 120 X 70 m, with a total volume of 40,000 cu m; its foundation is 15 m under the ground. The building’s facade is divided by white marble pylons, with stained-glass panels between them. Above the main entrance is a gilded representation of the emblem of the USSR, made from a design by sculptor A. E. Zelenskii.

The auditorium of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses has 6,000 seats, the latest acoustic engineering, 7,000 loudspeakers, and 4,500 large and small lights. The walls and ceilings are covered with sound-absorbent materials. Translation is done into 30 languages of the world. The stage is equipped with raising and lowering devices. The palace’s banquet hall holds up to 4,500 people. On the curtain of the meeting hall, Latvian craftsmen under the direction of Kh. M. Rysin created a chased panel with a portrait of V. I. Lenin from a drawing by the artist A. A. Myl’nikov. A mosaic frieze in the main foyer and mosaic emblems on the marble piers of the banquet hall facades are works of the artist A. A. Deineka. The integrity of composition, clarity of rhythm, and large scale of simple forms in combination with the open space of the interiors define the solemn character of the structure and underline its great social significance.

Among meetings held in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses have been the Twenty-second through Twenty-fourth Congresses of the CPSU, the 15th and 16th congresses of the Komsomol, the third congress of the All-Union Congress of Kolkhoz Workers, the fifth congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions, the World Congress of Women, the 13th through 15th congresses of the trade unions of the USSR, and the World Youth Forum; many ceremonial meetings and receptions have been held there. The country’s best performing companies appear on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and international film festivals are held there.