Almost all residents of Russia associate the city of Chelyabinsk exclusively with heavy industry. Therefore, tourists come here very rarely, believing that there is absolutely nothing to see here. However, this statement is quite far from the truth. The architecture of the city of Chelyabinsk deserves, if not admiration, then at least close attention.
Our article conditionally consists of two parts. In the first, we will talk about the general features of urban architecture, and in the second, we will dwell on individual buildings and architectural monuments of the city.
Chelyabinsk: portrait of the city
On the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains, on both banks of the Miass River , the city of Chelyabinsk is located. It arose here by chance: it was at this point that the important trade routes connecting the settlements of the Ural and Siberian regions converged. And the laden golden camel is present on the flag and coat of arms of the city for a reason.
Chelyabinsk appeared on the map of Russia in 1736. By the end of the 19th century, it became an important trading center of the empire. And in Soviet times, the city "overgrown" with large industrial enterprises and took an important place in the country's economy. Today, about 1.2 million people live in Chelyabinsk . These are Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Bashkirs and representatives of many other nations.
Modern Chelyabinsk is not going through its best times. The city is experiencing significant difficulties in the economic sphere. The problem of air pollution is very acute. The state of public transport and urban amenities in Chelyabinsk also leave much to be desired. But despite all these problems, the city remains a large industrial, business, educational and cultural center of the Urals.
The city of Chelyabinsk: architecture and construction
As for the architectural appearance of Chelyabinsk, many bloggers, cultural and public figures of the country spoke about him not very flattering. Some of them stated quite harshly that in principle, such a thing as architecture and design was alien to this city.
Chelyabinsk, according to director Alexander Sokurov, is "groomed and faceless." The popular rapper Basta mentioned the “architectural degradation of the city”, the artist and sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin spoke about the scarcity of urban architecture. The well-known blogger Ilya Varlamov once noted that the architecture of Chelyabinsk is "a complete mess of buildings of various eras and styles." At the same time, he was incredibly impressed by the appearance and design of the ChMZ area.
Indeed, there are few outstanding buildings and structures in this city, because Chelyabinsk began to be actively built up only in the second half of the 19th century. In addition, many Bolsheviks destroyed many old and valuable buildings (in particular, religious). Nevertheless, the architecture of Chelyabinsk is represented by five different styles. It:
- classicism (a vivid example is the building of a tobacco factory);
- Art Nouveau (Danziger mansion, Yakushevs passage and other buildings);
- eclecticism (cinema "Banner");
- Stalin's Empire (building of the State University);
- modern style, or hi-tech.
In the city, temple architecture is of particular interest. Chelyabinsk can quite boast to tourists its beautiful Holy Simeonovsky Cathedral, generously decorated with patterns and stucco molding. The brick Holy Trinity Church, built at the beginning of the twentieth century, is also impressive in its appearance.
Modern architecture of Chelyabinsk
In the last decade, the city has seen a real construction boom. New multi-storey buildings have grown in the sleeping areas, town houses are being actively built. The modern look of Chelyabinsk is formed thanks to the sufficiently powerful creative potential of local architects.
The vice-mayor of the city Vladimir Slobodskoy calls the building of the Chelyabinsk City business center one of the most successful examples of modern architecture in the city. In his opinion, it fit perfectly into the ensemble of the ancient buildings of Chelyabinsk and revived it somewhat. But Vladimir Slobodskoy considers the so-called iron on Alom Pole to be a real “architectural failure” - an indistinct construction of an unknown purpose.
Modern Chelyabinsk is developing and is actively being built. So, on the site of an unused industrial zone, a new shopping and entertainment center Gorki has grown. In recent years, the city has reconstructed the railway station, built a number of new temples and sports facilities. Next, we will try to highlight the most interesting from the point of view of architecture modern buildings of Chelyabinsk.
The five most interesting modern buildings in Chelyabinsk
Arkaim Plaza is a spectacular, beautiful and presentable building in the historical part of the city. During its construction, the highest quality modern materials were applied. The “trick” of this building is its inclined glazing made of 8 mm glass.
Chelyabinsk City is the 23-story and tallest building in the city. Its height along with the spire is 111 meters. The construction of this business center lasted almost four years; $ 45 million was spent on it.
Bovid is a grandiose 27-story business center on Lenin Avenue, the second tallest building in the city. The total area of the complex is about 15,000 square meters. m
"Sinegorye" - a shopping complex of original forms, built in 2002 on the station square of the city. The most remarkable feature of this structure is its huge glass pyramid.
The building of the State Historical Museum is a vivid example of high-tech style in Chelyabinsk, a real pride of the city. The new museum building was opened in 2006.
Architectural attractions of Chelyabinsk
Fans of ancient architecture will also find something to amuse themselves in this harsh Ural city. The architecture of old Chelyabinsk is best preserved on the pedestrian street Kirovka. Here you can see several beautiful mansions and civil buildings of the XIX-XX centuries.
Worthy of attention of tourists and local historians and the cult architecture of Chelyabinsk. In the city you can see three chic old temples: St. Simeon Cathedral, Alexander Nevskaya and Holy Trinity Churches. In addition, an old mosque and synagogue have been preserved in Chelyabinsk.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the Chelyabinsk Art Nouveau buildings (this style prevailed in Europe and Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century). There are about a dozen such in the city. The most notable Art Nouveau houses in Chelyabinsk:
- S.G. mansion Danziger
- Valeev's shop;
- mansion A.V. Breslin;
- building of a city power station.
Next, we will introduce you to the most interesting architectural monuments of the city of Chelyabinsk.
The main building of SUSU
Without exaggeration, the main building of the South Ural State University can be called the main architectural symbol of the city of Chelyabinsk. The building was built in 1943 in the style of the Stalinist Empire. The majestic central tower with a spire was planned in the original design, but it was built much later. In 2003, the roof of the building was decorated with two impressive black sculptures of Prometheus and the goddess of Glory.
The main building of the university is one of the highest buildings in Chelyabinsk and is included in all excursion routes around the city without fail.
Holy Trinity Church
The largest of the pre-revolutionary temples of Chelyabinsk is the Holy Trinity Church. Its construction began in 1911 and lasted three years. The temple did not perform its functions for long: with the advent of Soviet power, the church was closed. At first, the Bolsheviks planned to convert the temple into a cinema, but then changed their minds and placed here one of the expositions of the city museum.
Today, Holy Trinity Church is located on a busy road and against the backdrop of multi-story new buildings looks even more ancient. The walls of the temple are made of red-brown brick and decorated with discreet decor. Inside the church, tourists can see the chic iconostasis made of cedar wood.
Yudina's mansion
This is one of the most pretentious houses in Chelyabinsk! In addition, it is built of wood, which gives it a special touch.
The Praskovya Yudina mansion is located at 100 Krasnoarmeyskaya Street and is a local architectural monument. The building dates from 1905. It was built of wood and planked. The house looks like an old Russian tower, which seemed to have jumped out of some fairy tale onto the street of Chelyabinsk. It is very symbolic that today it houses the regional center for tourism development.
Chelyabinsk elevator
What other masterpieces is the architecture of Chelyabinsk hiding in itself? In this unusual city there is a real agricultural skyscraper - a 40-meter elevator, built at the beginning of the twentieth century. This is the only such building in all of Russia! Unfortunately, the unique construction of the Chelyabinsk elevator today is in disrepair. And its lateral wings are completely destroyed to the ground.
The Chelyabinsk elevator is located in the very center of the million-plus city. It was built in 1918 according to the project of engineer K.E. Zhukov. Until the mid-90s, the elevator still performed its direct functions, and then was finally abandoned. Recently, this building was included in the TOP 7 of the most terrible buildings in Russia (according to the Russia Beyond the Headlines project).