Lobnoe Mesto

(Place of Execution), a round stone dais in Red Square in Moscow.

Lobnoe Mesto was constructed of brick, apparently in the 1530’s. It is first mentioned in the chronicles in 1549. It served as a sort of rostrum for the announcement of major government decrees and for solemn ceremonies, such as church services. Executions were sometimes performed on log scaffolds near the Lobnoe Mesto. The name perhaps derives from the fact that the Lobnoe Mesto was situated on the steep bank (vzlob’e) of the Moskva River. The platform has existed in its present form since 1786, when it was rebuilt according to the design of the architect M. F. Kazakov, which called for a facing and parapet of white stone. The old layout of the monument was preserved in the reconstruction. On May 1, 1919, V. I. Lenin delivered a speech at the Lobnoe Mesto for the unveiling of the provisional monument to S. Razin.