10 very beautiful books about Soviet architecture

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

An ambiguous legacy of the past in the work of photographers and urbanists.

1. "Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed", Frederic Chaubin

Once upon a time the French photographer Frederic Chaubin came across an old book dedicated to the Georgian post-revolutionary architecture. Chaubin could not read a word, but at first sight he fell in love with the illustrations. Thus began his seven-year journey through the former Soviet republics: he went in search of the most unusual creations of Soviet architects.

The result of this colossal work was a solid photo album, which contains the best examples of the futuristic architecture of the USSR: houses of culture, wedding palaces and even crematoria. Some look like flying saucers, others look like majestic ships, and still others resemble bizarre pyramids. Unfortunately, many of these unique structures are of no use to anyone today and are under threat of destruction.

2. Architecture of Moscow during the NEP and the First Five-Year Plan. Guide

A team of professional researchers of architecture and everyday life of post-revolutionary Moscow worked on this book. The guide details several dozen key buildings from the avant-garde era. Some of them are very recognizable, for example, the building of the Izvestia newspaper or the house-workshop of the architect Melnikov. Others are far from well known, but their story is still interesting.

The convenient format of the book assumes that the reader can choose one of 12 exciting routes in order to become his own guide and discover the unusual sides of the city. But the publication may well be used as an encyclopedia.

3. "Guide to VDNKh", Pavel Nefedov

A solid illustrated guide will be very useful while walking through the territory of the legendary exhibition. The book will tell you how to decipher the numerous signs of history that have survived at VDNKh, and will help the ordinary visitor find their way.

For those who are not yet going for a walk, the guidebook will in any case allow a new look at the history of VSKhV-VDNKh-VVTs. It is noteworthy that the publication also contains many useful links to Internet sources.

4. "Soviet Bus Stops", Christopher Herwig

Canadian photographer and videographer Christopher Herwig drew attention to the unusual architecture of Soviet bus stops. The inspired researcher embarked on an odyssey through the former Soviet republics (mainly Central Asian countries) with one goal: to collect as many photographs as possible of this underestimated part of the USSR's architectural heritage. Herwig told Soviet Bus Stops - Photo book that the trip was not without curiosities: the locals were distrustful of the curious foreigner and almost accused him of espionage.

Collected over 12 years of photographs Christopher published in the album Soviet Bus Stops, which became so popular that in 2017 a sequel was released. This time, the camera lens of Herwig turned out to be the bus stops of Russia, Ukraine and Georgia.

5. “Moscow: the architecture of Soviet modernism. 1955-1991. Handbook-guide ", Anna Bronovitskaya, Nikolay Malinin

In their guide, the authors tell what is interesting about Soviet modernism and why this direction is underestimated. The guide covers the vast architectural era of Moscow from Khrushchev to Gorbachev.

The book includes not only famous buildings like the Palace of Congresses or the "golden brains" of the Academy of Sciences, but also buildings that are often undeservedly overlooked: for example, an unusual pharmacy in Orekhovo-Borisovo or the House of New Life on Shvernik Street.

6. Yekaterinburg. Architectural guide. 1920-1940

The book is dedicated to the famous Sverdlovsk constructivism - a bright era in the architectural history of Yekaterinburg. The publication presents eight of the most important walking routes in the city. Unusually, the travel book dust jacket is functional: it unfolds into a large map.

Leading experts in the field of architecture of the 20th century worked on the creation of the book, including those who worked on the project "Architecture of Moscow during the NEP and the First Five-Year Plan".

Unfortunately, the guidebook, which was published in a small edition (only 2,000 copies), is almost impossible to find on sale. But now the TATLIN publishing team is working on the Architectural Guide to Yekaterinburg on the second issue with an updated cover.

7. "Holidays in Soviet Sanatoriums", Maryam Omidi

British journalist Mariam Omidi was greatly impressed by a trip to the Khoja-Obigarma sanatorium in Tajikistan, a resort with radon sources that was once famous throughout the Soviet Union. The girl was impressed by both the architecture of the Soviet spa and the unusual wellness procedures.

Returning, Mariam launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for an expedition to the existing sanatoriums of the USSR, and the result was the nostalgic photo album Holidays in Soviet Sanatoriums.

8. “Alma-Ata: the architecture of Soviet modernism 1955-1991. Handbook-guide ", Anna Bronovitskaya, Nikolay Malinin

The second guide by Anna Bronovitskaya and Nikolai Malinin, published by the Garage publishing house, tells about the architecture of Almaty.

Modern Alma-Ata can be called a reserve of Soviet modernism: after all, its golden age fell on the second half of the twentieth century. Further transfer of the capital to Astana contributed to the conservation of the city. It is thanks to this that the unique architectural heritage has been preserved in Alma-Ata.

9. “Towards the Typology of the Soviet Typical House Building. Industrial housing construction in the USSR. 1955-1991 ", Philip Moiser and Dmitry Zadorin

Typical residential architecture of the USSR is an ambiguous phenomenon. On the one hand, thanks to her, millions of families received their own apartments. On the other hand, this architecture is perceived by the townspeople as ugly and inhuman, and it is customary to contemptuously call typical Soviet houses khrushchobs and boxes.

Researchers Philip Moiser and Dmitry Zadorin understand in detail the history of panel housing construction from Khrushchev's reforms to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Perhaps this colossal work will make the reader take a completely different look at the project for the renovation of five-story buildings. By the way, the expanded edition of the book in English (Towards a Typology of Soviet Mass Housing: Prefabication in the USSR 1955–1991) includes a card game based on the popular series of panel houses and a plaster model of Khrushchev.

10. "Soviet Asia: Soviet Modernist Architecture in Central Asia", Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego

Milan photographers Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego started the architecture of Soviet modernism in photographs. Lecture by Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego a career in filming abandoned industrial buildings in Italy, and later became famous for photo projects about Soviet architecture in Armenia, Georgia and Russia.

Now, like-minded people have released an album dedicated to a joint journey through the former republics of the USSR in Central Asia. Moreover, the question of the preservation of these unique buildings is still open.