Manezhnaya square in the center of Moscow

There are few who do not know this place in the center of Moscow, located next to the Kremlin and the Alexander Garden. The Manege Square received its name from the large Manege building erected in 1817 on it. This place has always been at the center of various transformations of both historical and urban order. The area was constantly rebuilt and subjected to re-planning. Its present appearance was formed already in the mid-1990s, and there is no certainty that it has been formed permanently and forever. Manezhnaya Square, Moscow

Throughout the twentieth century, the square played a significant role in the life of the capital. During the Soviet era, military units and columns of heavy military equipment were built on it for the march through Red Square on November 7 and May 1. " In many respects, even the very appearance of the square was formed precisely for this function. The Bolsheviks cleaned its territory from a significant part of the architectural and historical heritage of past centuries without unnecessary ceremony. Manezhnaya Square was freed from everything that prevented military parades. Muscovites should be grateful to them for what remained to stand in their place the red brick building of the Historical Museum, which also stood across the movement of military equipment. The final of the Soviet era itself is connected with the square directly. It did not pass the revolutionary events of the 90s. Many remember a grand meeting in the winter of 1991. The number of those who came to Manezhnaya Square to support the coming changes in the country can not even be calculated. Rallies in this place are held and to this day quite often. Only the place for their conduct was significantly reduced. Since the mid-90's, the area was a construction site, and it was working on heavy construction equipment around the clock. Manezhnaya square underwent considerable restructuring.

What happened as a result of the reconstruction of the square

The main object that was built here in the 90s was the shopping complex Okhotny Ryad, which in a quite organic way corresponded to a new era. Commerce instead of military parades and political rallies. We should pay tribute to the authors of the trade complex project, they tried to minimize damage to the historical appearance of the city from the construction of its structure. The complex is largely located under the ground, and only the lighting structures located along the historic facade of the Manezh are on the surface. Many contradictory judgments cause various decorative elements of the design of the shopping complex and the adjacent territory. In particular, the fountain became popular at tourists on Manezhnaya Square. People like to be photographed against its background, and connoisseurs of Moscow's antiquity unanimously note the absurdity of sculptural compositions and their inconsistency with Moscow's architectural traditions. But it is possible that in a hundred years after the circus horses Tsereteli will become a classic. Something similar was in Paris, the inhabitants of which did not like the Eiffel Tower.