What Moscow lost in 2012

Photo: ITAR-TASS

City protection activists from Arkhnadzor and officials from the Moscow City Heritage Center today discussed the results of 2012 in the field of protecting Moscow’s historical heritage. And, naturally, they did not agree on estimates of architectural damage.

According to Arkhnadzor, the main losses this year were the destruction of the interiors and atrium of the former Detsky Mir department store, the demolition of three-quarters of the historical walls of the Dynamo stadium and the demolition of the 18th century Melgunov house on Arbat. What is curious is that such “reconstruction” in Moscow is being carried out by VTB developers: Hals Development is responsible for the work on the stadium, and VTB Arena is responsible for the work on the former department store.

Photo: Alexander Vilf/RIA Novosti

Representatives of “Arkhnadzor” assure that even the highest status of an object now does not guarantee its inviolability: “2012 confirmed that no protection status, even the highest, is a guarantee of the safety of the monument. This year Russia began active work at UNESCO World Heritage sites and in their buffer zones: service buildings are being erected near the Kutafya Tower of the Kremlin, the reconstruction of the 14th building and the construction of a utility block in the Tainitsky Garden are underway, the Alexander Garden has been cut down, and it is planned to build a four-story hotel next to the Novodevichy Convent."

Photo: frontetv.ru

At the same time, the head of the Moscow City Heritage Department, Nikolai Pereslegin, believes that over the past year there has been a change for the better and the demolition of historical buildings has stopped: “A year ago there was no such positivity. For the first time, not a single house was demolished during the May holidays.”

Another achievement, according to officials from the Moscow City Heritage, should be considered the adoption of altitude tables, which will henceforth limit investors.

The issue of limiting investors in Moscow could not be more relevant now: on December 10, the Moscow authorities announced that the center would become denser. For example, in the Tver region it is planned to build about 2 million square meters. m of real estate. This will increase the density of existing buildings by almost 30%.