Architecture of Chelyabinsk: monuments and structures

Almost all residents of Russia the city of Chelyabinsk is associated exclusively with heavy industry. Therefore, tourists come here very rarely, believing that there is absolutely nothing to watch 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 is divided into two parts. In the first we will talk about the general features of urban architecture, and in the second - we will focus on individual buildings and monuments of architecture of the city.

Chelyabinsk: a 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 has arisen here not by chance: it was at this point that important trade routes converging the settlements of the Ural and Siberian regions converged. Yes, and a loaded golden camel is present on the flag and the coat of arms of the city for a reason.

Chelyabinsk appeared on the map of Russia in 1736. By the end of the XIX century it became an important trading center of the empire. And in Soviet times, the city "overgrew" large industrial enterprises and took an important place in the economy of the country. Today about 1.2 million people live in Chelyabinsk. They are Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Bashkirs and representatives of many other nations.

Modern Chelyabinsk is not going through the best of its time. 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, too, leave much to be desired. But despite all these problems, the city remains a large industrial, business, educational and cultural center of the Urals.

Chelyabinsk: architecture and construction

As for the architectural appearance of Chelyabinsk, many bloggers, cultural and public figures of the country spoke about it not very flatteringly. Some of them quite harshly stated that in principle such concepts as architecture and design are alien to this city.

Chelyabinsk, in the opinion of director Alexander Sokurov, is "not well-groomed and impersonal." The popular rapper Basta mentioned the "architectural degradation of the city", the painter and sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin spoke of the scarcity of urban architecture. Well-known blogger Ilya Varlamov once said that the architecture of Chelyabinsk is "a complete mess of buildings of different eras and styles." At the same time, he was incredibly impressed with the appearance and design of the ChMZ district.

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 XIX century. In addition, many of the old and valuable buildings (in particular, religious buildings) were destroyed by the Bolsheviks. Nevertheless, the architecture of Chelyabinsk is represented by five different styles. It:

• Classicism (a striking example is the building of a tobacco factory);
• Modern (Danziger's mansion, the Yakushevs' passage and other buildings);
• Eclecticism (the cinema "Znamya");
• Stalin's Empire (building of the State University);
• Modern style, or high-tech.

The temple architecture is of particular interest in the city. Chelyabinsk quite can boast to tourists its beautiful St. Simeon's Cathedral, generously decorated with patterns and stucco molding. Impressive of its appearance and brick Holy Trinity Church, built in the early twentieth century.

Modern architecture of Chelyabinsk

In the last decade in the city there is a real construction boom. In the residential areas have grown new multi-storey buildings, actively built townhouses. The modern appearance of Chelyabinsk is formed due to the rather powerful creative potential of local architects.

Vice-mayor of the city Vladimir Slobodskaya one of the most successful examples of modern architecture in the city calls the building of the business center "Chelyabinsk-City". In his opinion, it ideally blended with the ensemble of the ancient building of Chelyabinsk and a few revived it. But the real "architectural failure" Vladimir Slobodskoy considers the so-called iron on the Scarlet Field - a vague construction of an unintelligible destination.

Modern Chelyabinsk is developing and actively being built. So, on the site of the unused industrial zone, a new shopping and entertainment center "Gorki" has grown up. 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. When it was erected, the highest quality modern materials were used. The "chip" of this building is its inclined glazing, made of 8 mm glass.

"Chelyabinsk-City" - 23-storey and the highest building in the city. Its height, together 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-storey 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" is a shopping mall of original forms, built in 2002 on the Privokzalnaya 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 the high-tech style in Chelyabinsk, a real pride of the city. The new building of the museum was opened in 2006.

Architectural sights of Chelyabinsk

Fans of old architecture will also find themselves amusing themselves in this harsh Urals city. The architecture of the old Chelyabinsk is best preserved on the pedestrian street of 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 iconic architecture of Chelyabinsk. In the city you can see three elegant old churches: St. Simeon's Cathedral, Alexander Nevsky and Holy Trinity Church. In addition, an old mosque and a synagogue have been preserved in Chelyabinsk.

Separately it is worth mentioning Chelyabinsk buildings in the Art Nouveau style (this style prevailed in Europe and Russia in the early twentieth century). There are about a dozen in the city. The most remarkable houses in the modern style in Chelyabinsk:

• Mansion of S.G. Danziger;
• Valeev's shop;
• Mansion of A.V. Breslin;
• City power station building.

Further we will acquaint you with the most interesting architectural monuments of the city of Chelyabinsk.

Main building of SUSU

The main building of the South Ural State University can be called without any exaggeration the main architectural symbol of the city of Chelyabinsk. The building was built in 1943 in the style of the Stalin Empire. The majestic central tower with the 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 by Prometheus and the goddess of glory.

The main building of the university is one of the highest buildings in Chelyabinsk and is compulsorily included in all excursion routes around the city.

Holy Trinity Church

The largest of pre-revolutionary churches in Chelyabinsk is the Holy Trinity Church. Its construction began in 1911 and lasted three years. Its functions did not last long: with the advent of Soviet power the church was closed. Initially, 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 the Holy Trinity Church stands by the busy road and against the background of multi-storey buildings looks even more ancient. The walls of the temple are made of red-brown brick and decorated with a restrained decor. Inside the church, tourists can see a chic iconostasis made of cedar wood.

Yudina's Mansion

This is one of the most artsy houses in Chelyabinsk! In addition, it is built of wood, which gives it a special color.

The mansion of Praskovya Yudina is located at Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, 100 - and is an architectural monument of local significance. The building dates back to 1905. It was built of wood and trimmed with boards. The house looks like an old Russian tower, which seemed to have jumped out of a fairy tale on the street of Chelyabinsk. It is very symbolic that today it houses the regional center for tourism development.

Chelyabinsk elevator

What other masterpieces hides the architecture of Chelyabinsk? In this unusual city is a real agricultural skyscraper - 40-meter elevator, built in the early twentieth century. This is the only such building in the whole of Russia! To the great regret, the unique construction of the Chelyabinsk elevator is in an emergency condition today. And its side wings are completely destroyed to the ground.

Chelyabinsk elevator is located in the heart of the city with a million inhabitants. It was built in 1918 by the design of engineer K.E. Zhukov. Until the middle of the 1990s, the elevator still carried out its direct functions, and then was finally abandoned. Recently this building entered the TOP-7 of the most eerie buildings in Russia (according to the version of the Russia Beyond the Headlines project).