On April 18, the world celebrated Monument Protection Day. On the eve of the holiday, Arhnadzor reported that international organizations ICOMOS, Docomomo and UIA appealed to the Russian authorities to take urgent measures to save the Melnikov House, which is in a critical situation. Meanwhile, according to RIA Novosti, the construction work carried out near the House does not affect it in any way - this was confirmed by the results of the geotechnical examination ordered by the developer.
Unfortunately, the famous avant-garde monument is not the only historical building in Russia requiring immediate restoration: in order to draw the attention of the authorities to this situation, the youth branch of A Just Russia decided to create a Red Book of Monuments, Izvestia reported. It will include monuments in need of urgent restoration. The activists will then transfer these data to the Ministry of Culture.
Meanwhile, in Yaroslavl city defenders continue to fight to save the historical panorama of the ancient city, speaking out categorically against the planned construction of the bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral, - wrote the portal "76.ru". And the publication "In the city of N" published a research article dedicated to the historical development of Nizhny Novgorod and its possible future.
Continuing the theme of the legacy, this week the press again recalled the second stage of the Mariinsky Theater, which the defenders of old Petersburg disliked. Interfax reported that the author of the stage design, Canadian architect Jack Diamond, called the Mariinsky-2 the "crown" of his career. And the Forbes columnist, having seen the building with his own eyes, was surprised to note that it did not cause absolutely any feelings in him, except for … the feeling of emptiness. In his opinion, “The Mariinsky is a monument to the subconscious. Here the true foreign policy doctrine of Russia was realized - to dissolve, to merge either with the Euro-Atlantic civilization, or with the growing Asian civilization. Wear gray. Be modest. At the same time, mastering immodest budgets”. And The Village offered readers a photo report from the Mariinsky-2, the interiors of which were shown to journalists for the first time.
But back to the Moscow press. An international competition for the concept of the Zaryadye park has finally been announced in the capital. According to RIA Novosti, the competition will be held in two stages, and the winner will be announced in the first half of November.
Progress has also taken place in the implementation of the program for the construction of 200 churches. According to Kommersant, after the patriarch's speech, the authorities drew attention to the problems in the implementation of the program: Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered to speed up the construction process and commission the churches at least once a month.
Continuing the theme of Moscow's urban planning policy, one cannot fail to mention the results of the public hearings on the reconstruction of Leninsky Prospekt, which took place in the capital last week. Moscow Perspective and RBC daily published reports from the events. According to publications, most of the residents who came supported the reconstruction project. Meanwhile, the NEWSru.com portal, analyzing the comments of bloggers, outlined the picture of the hearings from the other side: “Instead of bringing the responsible persons to the hearings, who would tell about the project, listen and write down the opinion of residents and leave calmly, staged an incomprehensible circus with horses,”complained the municipal deputy Maxim Katz.
And in St. Petersburg this week the first meeting of the Council for Urban Development took place, which was described in detail by Kommersant. The governor of the city put forward a number of initiatives, which were greeted with caution not only by city defenders, but also by developers: the mayor proposed to develop several standard facade solutions for new buildings and to deal with those pre-revolutionary buildings that represent “outright squalor”. Also this week it became known about the appointment of the new head of the KGA Oleg Rybin, who was previously the chief architect of the Nizhny Novgorod region, - this was reported by "Fontanka". Rybin simultaneously assumed the post of chief architect of St. Petersburg, - IA Regnum reported.
And in conclusion, a few words about the interview, which was published by "City 812". The publication spoke with a St. Petersburg expert, who claims that construction of the Lakhta Center at the selected site is unsafe due to geological conditions. The scientist is confident that Gazprom needs to conduct additional research to ensure that the building does not collapse in the future.
