In the manufacture of concrete (or “betonite”, as they were called then) blocks, slag and waste from the metallurgical and coal industries began to be widely used. Cinder blocks were also used, which have retained their significance to this day. Cinder stones and blocks were used in the construction of workers' settlements in the pre-war years. Industrial and public buildings were also built from them. In 1927, on the initiative of G. B. Krasin, E. V. Kostyrko and A. F. Loleit, the USSR began to use large textured blocks for multi-story buildings. Before the war, hundreds of residential buildings and public buildings up to 8 floors high were built from such blocks in Moscow, Leningrad and some cities of Ukraine. Of greatest interest is the 6-story residential building in Moscow, built in 1941 according to the design of architects A.K. Burov and B.N. Blokhin. Here, for the first time, a new two-row cutting of walls into blocks was used and an aesthetically meaningful structure of the facade, rich in decorative details, was proposed.
In 1936-1937 A. N. Samoilov, M. Z. Simonov, as well as researchers working at TsNIPS, proposed and implemented lightweight structures based on slag, expanded clay and other porous materials. In 1958, during the construction of the metro bridge in Moscow, expanded clay concrete was widely used, and four panel houses were first built from it.
During the war years and especially after the war, in the difficult conditions of restoring the national economy, large-block construction played a huge role. Large factories for the production of concrete blocks were built in Moscow, Leningrad, Zhdanov and other cities. At first they were made on the basis of slag, and then other light aggregates (expanded clay, agloporite, perlite). The effectiveness of concrete blocks is due to their industrial nature, i.e., factory production of blocks with given dimensions and properties; the possibility of using local raw materials; the use of small-scale mechanization; reducing construction time.
At the same time, large blocks had their own technical “ceiling,” which was well understood by the engineers of the 1920s. This “ceiling” was determined by the view of the blocks as part of the wall, and not the building as a whole, and was determined by the idea of a system of load-bearing walls. Another factor that limited the scope of use of large blocks was the properties of the material: concrete, as is known, worked well only in compression.
The view of concrete as an exclusively plastic, rather sculptural than structural material, is not new; it emerged at the end of the last century during the revival of Roman concrete. This view is justified, because concrete really has plastic forms and is used in modern sculpture no less actively than in architecture. However, the plastic possibilities of concrete in architecture should be considered only in connection with that constructive system and tectonic logic, which constitute the significant difference between the space of architecture and the space of sculpture.
Topic: Economy of the USSR in 1920-30. Development of construction technologies.
They laid up to 12 km per day manually, and not “on average about 1.5 km per day, and on some days even 4 km.”
"Russian miracle" in black sands
The very intention of the Russian government to build a railway through the Karakum desert caused a wide international response. Moreover, most of both domestic and foreign experts doubted the implementation of such a project.
American and European newspapers published ironic notes, the authors of which condescendingly called the project a “Russian utopia.” But the construction of the road that began soon cooled the ardor of the skeptics: the Western press published weekly reports on the progress of work as if it were military operations. This construction was so extraordinary that science fiction writer Jules Verne became interested in it. And already in 1892, his new novel, “Claudius Bombarnac”, was published, describing the journey of a French reporter along the already existing Trans-Caspian railway...
Transport problem
In the second half of the 19th century, Russia controlled significant territories on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. The created bridgehead made it possible to continue the offensive deep into Central Asia, which ended with the annexation of part of the Khiva, Kokand and Bukhara possessions to the empire. But the remoteness of this strategically important region from the European part of Russia created difficulties both in managing the region and in protecting new borders. In other words, it was necessary to solve the transport problem. St. Petersburg and General Mikhail Skobelev, whose troops in 1880 were preparing to storm the Geok-Tepe fortress on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, urgently asked for the same. Without taking it, there was no point in thinking about further advancement deeper into the Akhal-Teke oasis.
On July 9, 1880, the emperor ordered “to begin immediately the construction of the base and the transport of the necessary supplies to it by means of camels, horses and the Decauville portable road” and “at the same time, to begin detailed studies for the construction of a permanent railway.” And already on July 27, 1880, General Annenkov was entrusted with leading the work on the construction of the first stage of the railway from Mikhailovsky Bay to Kizil-Arvat...
From the Caspian Sea to Kizil-Arvat
In the same year, 1880, the 1st reserve railway battalion was formed, which included 25 officers, 30 technical engineers, doctors and representatives of other professions, as well as 1080 lower ranks of various specialties. These were the builders of the first section of the future Trans-Caspian Railway. Initially, it was planned to build a portable horse-drawn railway of the Decauville system here. However, it soon became clear that this was unrealistic: shifting sands, dunes and an almost complete absence of water and fodder... Without completely abandoning the use of “carrying”, Annenkov decides to build a steam railway and after 10 days (September 4) reports completion work. In response, another highest order followed, ordering the continuation of the construction of the highway to Kizil-Arvat. The total length of the road from Mikhailovsky Bay to this point was supposed to be 217 versts (230 kilometers). Exactly a year later (September 4, 1881), the first steam locomotive arrived in Kizil-Arvat, and already on September 20, regular train traffic began on this route.
The Trans-Caspian railway was built in incredibly difficult conditions: it went through sand dunes, salt marshes and steppes, was laid under the scorching sun, and there was not enough water. To speed up the work, civilian workers from Russian provinces joined the military builders. But they, not accustomed to the hot climate, lack of water and local food, often got sick. It was decided to “mobilize” Armenians from Baku, Shushi and Elizavetpol, who could more easily endure the hot climate and spoke Persian and Turkic languages. They helped Russian engineers and technicians communicate with the Muslim population.
A special packing train of 27 double-decker cars was formed for the soldiers of the railway battalion. They were adapted not only for housing, they housed kitchens and workshops, a dining room, a forge and warehouses, a telegraph and a first-aid post. The construction control center was also located here.
All necessary materials were delivered from Russia to St. Michael's Bay by steamship, then the rails and sleepers were loaded onto special trains. Construction was carried out using high-speed American technology: trains, pushed from behind by steam locomotives, approached the place where the already built track ended. After laying every 100 fathoms of track, the material train moved forward along the laid line, and work continued. The supply of materials was usually enough for two miles. When they ended, the train moved back and stood at a specially designated dead end to allow the next train with construction materials to pass. In this way it was possible to lay six miles of track per day. And to deliver lighter materials to the construction site, horse and camel transport was used. Water supply for construction was a particular problem. To completely waterless sections of the route, water was delivered by special trains and camels, transporting it in cans.
Most of the road being built, which only occasionally crossed oases, passed through clayey, saline, sandy desert, sometimes giving way to dunes. Flying sand, carried from place to place, covered and destroyed sleepers, railway tracks, barracks for workers, and rendered equipment unusable. But nothing could stop General Annenkov, who led the construction. Mikhail Nikolaevich came up with a new way to combat moving sands: he ordered to plant saxaul bushes along the railway route being built. Annenkov's method turned out to be so effective and cost-effective that it was subsequently successfully used in the construction of railways in Algeria, Libya and the Sahara Desert...
However, the completion of the construction of this section was carried out without General Annenkov. The war with the Tekins continued during construction, so the soldiers of the railway battalion had to take up arms more than once. Mikhail Nikolaevich, having received a serious injury while reconnaissance of the area in Yangi-Kala, was forced to leave his post. He returned to the Samurskoe fortification and, having recovered a little, was recalled to St. Petersburg, where he received a new assignment: he was ordered to supervise the construction of strategic railways in Polesie.
Kizil-Arvat – Merv – Samarkand
After three years of active operation of the road, in April 1885 it was decided to extend it to the Amu Darya River: already on July 12 of the same year the first rails from Kizil-Arvat were laid. The construction of the next section of the highway was again entrusted to Mikhail Annenkov. The pace of work increased sharply, and on November 29 the first locomotive arrived in Askhabad: in four and a half months, 205 miles of track were laid. In the capital of Transcaspia, a solemn meeting was arranged for the builders of the highway.
But St. Petersburg demanded that construction be accelerated. The 1st reserve railway battalion was renamed the 1st Transcaspian, and the 2nd Transcaspian railway battalion was formed to help it. The very next year, the battalions were united into a single railway brigade and replenished with special personnel companies.
On July 2, 1886, the road reached the city of Merv. When the first Russian train arrived here, in Merv, according to eyewitnesses, triumph and rejoicing reigned... This day was noted by the commander of the 2nd Transcaspian railway battalion, Colonel Andreev, with a corresponding order, which said: “Today, exactly a year after the start of laying the continuation Trans-Caspian military railway, after long, urgent and intense work, amid all sorts of hardships under the midday heat and cold, under snow and rain, along the rails laid by our battalion for 527 miles, the first Russian steam locomotive arrived in the city of Merv, located in the depths of Asia, on the most remote outskirts of our fatherland and having special significance and importance in Central Asia... From the first days of the formation of the battalion entrusted to me, he had the enviable fate of fulfilling an independent task - to lay a rail track to Asia, through the Trans-Caspian region and Bukhara to Turkestan. Now, thanks to the common efforts of all the ranks of the battalion, who worked honestly and conscientiously for this matter, the extensive task has already been half completed quite successfully; in one year, 527 miles of track were laid and 21 stations were furnished with the conditions necessary for proper movement, which represents a fact that has not yet been unprecedented until now. , since neither in Russia nor in other states where there are special railway units of troops, such extensive tasks were not assigned to them and similar results were not achieved, and the lines built abroad were only meant as access, bypass or connecting tracks of a very insignificant length... "(TsGVIA, Kushkinsky field company. Orders for the Turkestan brigade. Case 21, f. 5873-1, sheets 218–224).
The work continued under incredibly difficult conditions. The sandy section between Merv and Chardzhuy was especially difficult. At the slightest breath of wind, the ridges of the dunes began to smoke; with a stronger wind, the contour of the area instantly changed. Where there was a sandy hill, a recess was formed, and at the site of the recess a mound grew. It happened that we didn’t have time to make the canvas, but it was immediately destroyed, the excavation was carried over, and the embankment was blown out. However, despite such obstacles, construction of the road proceeded quickly.
Having completed the most difficult section of the highway through the waterless expanses of the Karakum desert, the builders reached the Amu Darya on November 30, 1886. By this time, the 1st Transcaspian Railway Battalion had built a 27-verst line from Mikhailovsky Bay to a new, more convenient port on the Caspian Sea, Uzun-Ada, which from now on became the starting point of the Transcaspian Railway.
The lands beyond the Amu Darya belonged to the Bukhara Emirate. The Russian government managed to agree with the emir to continue the construction of a highway through his territory to Samarkand. And immediately the builders were faced with the most difficult task - building a bridge across the Amu Darya. But General Annenkov coped with it: in 124 days of continuous day and night work, the job was done. The enterprising Annenkov built a wooden bridge with a length of 2 versts and 247 fathoms. No one has ever built wooden railway bridges of this length anywhere in the world! And therefore, the largest railway engineers from Europe and America specially came to admire this miracle of construction equipment.
And already in the summer of 1887, an order was issued to the 2nd Transcaspian Railway Battalion to begin laying a railway track deep into Turkestan: from the Bukhara city of Chardzhuya to the “Russian” Samarkand. The experience acquired by the builders in the Trans-Caspian region, and carefully carried out engineering surveys along the line of the new site, gave the opportunity to General M.N. Annenkov to do this work in more favorable conditions. The pace of laying the linen increased, and already in the last days of February 1888 the first train arrived in Bukhara. And then it took only a month to bring the canvas almost to the very border of the emirate...
The first train, leaving Krasnovodsk, more precisely, from the Uzun-Ada station, arrived in Samarkand on May 15, 1888 - on the day of the anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Alexander III, during whose reign Central Asia was annexed to Russia. The completion of such a large-scale project literally amazed the entire civilized world: the construction of the railway was called the construction project of the century, which henceforth began to be called the “Russian miracle”.
The Trans-Caspian Military Railway was the first experience of construction of such a scale by a military department. The average cost of each of the 1,343 versts from Uzun-Ada to Samarkand was only 33,500 rubles. Such a quick and cheap construction of a road through the sandy steppe and waterless desert was accomplished only thanks to the exceptional energy and heroic work of the builders. The hero of the above-mentioned novel by Jules Verne (alter ego of the author himself) states: “They often talk about the extraordinary speed with which the Americans laid a railway track across the plains of the Far West. But let it be known that the Russians in this respect are in no way inferior to them, if not even superior, both in the speed of construction and the boldness of industrial plans.”
It is truly difficult to overestimate the services of General Annenkov to the fatherland. The construction of the Trans-Caspian Military Railway cost the Russian government only 43 million rubles. For comparison: not a single railway built in the country cost such a modest amount. And this is despite the fact that nowhere else have we had to face such difficulties in the delivery of equipment and building materials, the range of their delivery, shifting sands and waterless deserts, the scorching sun and hot steppe winds...
Mikhail Nikolaevich Annenkov (1835–1899) was a hereditary military man. His father, Adjutant General Nikolai Nikolaevich, distinguished himself during the Polish campaign. Then he was the commander of the Izmailovsky regiment, director of the office of the War Ministry. Consistently held the posts of Novorossiysk and Bessarabian governor-general, state controller, Kyiv, Podolsk and Volyn governor-general. He was a member of the State Council. Mikhail Nikolaevich graduated from the Corps of Pages, then from the Academy of the General Staff, and took part in pacifying the Polish rebellion. In 1867 he published a series of articles on the use of railways in military affairs. In 1869, he was promoted to major general and appointed head of troop movements along all Russian railways. His engineering and organizational talent brought many benefits to the fatherland during the Russian-Turkish War. In 1879, Annenkov was promoted to lieutenant general. This was followed by a business trip to Turkestan for the construction of the Trans-Caspian Military Railway. He was the first head of the military communications department of the Trans-Caspian region. In the last years of his life, he held various responsible posts in Central Russia, in particular, he led a special department of public works to provide assistance to the population affected by crop failure... But the main work of his life, which inscribed the name of Mikhail Nikolaevich in the annals of the fatherland, was, of course, the construction Transcaspian railway.
For the brilliant performance of important and responsible work, completed in such a short time, for the impeccable honesty and dedication of M.N. Annenkov was awarded a certificate from Emperor Alexander III, awarded the diamond sign of St. Alexander Nevsky and showered with other favors. And to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the railway, grateful Russia erected a monument to its worthy son on the station square of Samarkand. More than a hundred officials from various cities of Russia and the same number of guests from neighboring regions of Turkestan, local officials, officers and eminent citizens were invited to the celebrations on this occasion in the former capital of Timur’s empire. Guests from Russia were greeted on the platform of the Samarkand station on October 20. And the next day, with a large crowd of people in a solemn atmosphere, the opening of the monument to the general took place. It was a gray granite pedestal made of blocks, on which a bust was installed next to a double-headed eagle. On the front side of the monument there was an ornate inscription “General of Infantry Mikhail Nikolaevich Annenkov, builder of the Trans-Caspian Military Railway. 1835–1899." On the back side of the monument, facing the station, there was brief information: “The construction of the Trans-Caspian Military Railway began on November 25, 1880, and was completed on May 15, 1888.” The celebrations concluded with a sumptuous dinner at the Public Assembly, given on behalf of the city. 200 invited persons, both non-resident and local, took part in it. Documents preserved in the archive indicate that this feast cost the city treasury 1,400 rubles...
In Soviet times, a bust of M.N. Annenkov, the double-headed eagle and both inscriptions were destroyed. On the vacated pedestal in September 1924, the figure of the leader of the world proletariat was erected. Accordingly, a new inscription appeared:
“...Leninism is alive. Lenin's ideas are as firm and unshakable for us as this rock on which we immortalized the memory of Ilyich. We will fulfill Lenin’s behests.” Some time later, in the spirit of Stalin’s propaganda, a Soviet myth was created about the construction of this monument: “On the station square of ancient Samarkand, as a sign of love for the great leader V.I. The workers, farmers, and working intelligentsia of the city erected a majestic monument to Lenin on their own. On a huge block of marble, carved from a solid rock in the Nurata Mountains, a bronze figure of a leader was installed." This monument, which stood for the next seven decades, was then dismantled...
Great construction projects
The party and the country took on the difficult task of implementing the “Five Year Plan,” as the plan began to be called for short. A constellation of construction sites has sprung up in both old industrial areas and new up-and-coming areas that previously had little or no industry. Old factories were being reconstructed in Moscow, Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, and Donbass: they were expanded and equipped with new imported equipment. Completely new enterprises were built, they were conceived on a large scale and based on the most modern technology; construction was often carried out according to projects ordered abroad: in America, Germany. The plan gave priority to heavy industry sectors: fuel, metallurgical, chemical, electric power, as well as mechanical engineering in general, that is, the sector that would be called upon to make the USSR technically independent, in other words, capable of producing its own cars. For these industries, gigantic construction sites were created, enterprises were built with which the memory of the first five-year plan will forever be associated, about which the whole country, the whole world will talk: Stalingrad and Chelyabinsk, and then Kharkov tractor factories, huge heavy engineering factories in Sverdlovsk and Kramatorsk, automobile factories in Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow, the first ball bearing plant, chemical plants in Bobriki and Berezniki.
The most famous among the new buildings were two metallurgical plants: Magnitogorsk - in the Urals and Kuznetsk - in Western Siberia. The decision to build them was made after long and heated disputes between Ukrainian and Siberian-Ural leaders, which began in 1926 and lasted until the end of 1929. The former emphasized that the expansion of existing metallurgical enterprises in the south of the country would require lower costs; the second is the prospects for the industrial transformation of the Soviet East. Finally, military considerations tipped the scales in favor of the latter. In 1930, the decision became widespread and large-scale - the creation in Russia, along with the south, of a “second industrial base” and a “second coal and metallurgical center.” The fuel was supposed to be Kuzbass coal, and the ore was to be delivered from the Urals, from the depths of the famous Magnitnaya Mountain, which gave its name to the city of Magnitogorsk. The distance between these two points was 2 thousand km. Long trains had to shuttle from one to the other, carrying ore in one direction and coal in the opposite direction. The question of the costs associated with all this was not taken into account, since the question was about the creation of a new powerful industrial region, remote from the borders and, therefore, protected from the threat of attack from without.
Many enterprises, starting with the two colossi of metallurgy, were built in the bare steppe, or, in any case, in places where there was no infrastructure, outside or even far from populated areas. Apatite mines in the Khibiny Mountains, designed to provide raw materials for the production of superphosphate, were generally located in the tundra on the Kola Peninsula, beyond the Arctic Circle.
The history of great construction projects is unusual and dramatic. They went down in history as one of the most amazing achievements of the 20th century. Russia did not have enough experience, specialists, and equipment to carry out work of such magnitude. Tens of thousands of people began to build, practically relying only on their own hands. They dug the earth with shovels and loaded it onto wooden carts - the famous grabbers, which stretched back and forth in an endless line from morning to night. An eyewitness says: “From a distance, the construction site seemed like an anthill... Thousands of people, horses and even... camels were working in clouds of dust.” At first, the builders huddled in tents, then in wooden barracks: 80 people in each, less than 2 square meters. m per capita.
At the construction of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, for the first time, it was decided to continue construction in winter. We had to hurry. Therefore, they worked at 20, 30, 40 degrees below zero. In front of the eyes of foreign consultants, sometimes admiring, but more often skeptical of this picture, which they perceived primarily as a spectacle of grandiose chaos, expensive and most modern equipment purchased abroad was installed.
One of the leading participants recalls the birth of the first Stalingrad Tractor Plant: “Even for those who saw this time with their own eyes, it is not easy to remember now what it all looked like. It is completely impossible for younger people to imagine everything that comes out of the pages of an old book. One of its chapters is called: “Yes, we broke machines.” This chapter was written by L. Makaryants, a Komsomol member, a worker who came to Stalingrad from a Moscow factory. Even for him, American machines without belt transmissions and with individual motors were a marvel. He didn't know how to handle them. What can we say about the peasants who came from the village? There were illiterate people - reading and writing was a problem for them. Everything was a problem back then. There were no spoons in the canteen... Bugs were a problem in the barracks...". And here’s what the first director of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant wrote in a book published in the early 30s: “In the mechanical assembly shop, I approached a guy who was grinding cartridges. I suggested to him: “Try it on.” He began to measure with his fingers... We didn’t have any measuring instruments.” In a word, it was more of a mass assault than systematic work. Under these conditions, acts of selflessness, personal courage, and fearlessness were numerous, all the more heroic, since for the most part they were destined to remain unknown. There were people who dived into the icy water to repair the hole; who, even with a fever, without sleep and rest, did not leave their work post for several days; who did not come down from the scaffolding, even to have a snack, just to quickly start the blast furnace...
Among Soviet authors who today entrust to paper their reflections on that period and evaluate it in accordance with their own ideological preferences, some are inclined to attribute the merit of this impulse to the extraordinary fortitude of the Russian people in the most difficult trials, others, on the contrary, to the hidden energy hidden in the masses and the revolution unleashed. Be that as it may, from many memories it is clear that a powerful incentive for many people was the idea that in a short period of time, at the cost of grueling hard efforts, a better, that is, a socialist, future could be created. This was discussed at rallies. At the meetings they remembered the exploits of the fathers in 1917–1920. and called on young people to “overcome all difficulties” in order to lay the foundation of the “bright edifice of socialism.” At a time when crisis was raging throughout the rest of the world, “the youth and workers in Russia,” as one English banker noted, “lived with hope, which, unfortunately, is so lacking in capitalist countries today.” Such collective feelings are not born through spontaneous reproduction. Undoubtedly, being able to generate and maintain such a wave of enthusiasm and trust is in itself no small merit; and this merit belonged to the party and the Stalinist trend, which from now on completely led it. One cannot deny the validity of Stalin’s reasoning when in June 1930, at the 16th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, he declared, essentially revealing his innermost thought, that without the idea of “socialism in one country,” this impulse would not have been possible. . “Take it (the working class) away from it. Note ed.) confidence in the possibility of building socialism, and you will destroy all basis for competition, for labor upsurge, for shock movement.”
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From the book 50 famous mysteries of the history of the 20th century author Rudycheva Irina Anatolyevna“Algemba” and other bloody construction projects of the century The construction of grandiose structures is always associated with enormous material costs and human losses. But many of the great construction projects of the Soviet Union were bloody in the full sense of the word. And if about construction
From the book History of the Persian Empire author Olmsted AlbertConstruction of Artaxerxes Artaxerxes was approaching the end of his long and, despite numerous uprisings, quite successful reign. Most of his wealth went towards construction. At the beginning of his reign, he restored the palace of Darius I in Susa, which had been destroyed
From the book 50 Famous Royal Dynasties author Sklyarenko Valentina MarkovnaTHE GREAT MOGULS A dynasty of rulers of a state that arose in northern India and Afghanistan in the 16th century after the ruler of Kabul conquered the Delhi Sultanate. In the 18th century, the Mughal Empire broke up into a number of states, most of which at the end of the 18th century
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From the book Stalin's Baltic Divisions author Petrenko Andrey Ivanovich6. Velikiye Luki 6.1. The corps was to take part in the Velikiye Luki offensive operation of the Kalinin Front, carried out from November 24, 1942 to January 20, 1943 by the forces of the 3rd Shock Army and the 3rd Air Army. The front was given the task of encircling and destroying
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From the book Two Faces of the East [Impressions and reflections from eleven years of work in China and seven years in Japan] author Ovchinnikov Vsevolod VladimirovichFive goals of the construction of the century Half a century ago, I, then Pravda’s correspondent in China, went from Beijing to the provincial town of Yichang. My fellow countrymen worked there - specialists from the Leningrad Institute "Hydroproject". They had a boat at their disposal. We sailed on it
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From the book Louis XIV by Bluche FrancoisConstruction of Apollo When the king and court arrive at Versailles on May 6, 1682, the beautiful castle is still “filled with masons” (97). When they return here on November 16, after staying first in Chambord and then in Fontainebleau, they settle among the construction site. Despite the imperturbability
At the very top of the CPSU Central Committee they knew how and loved to build grandiose plans for the future. Large-scale and easily implementable ideas on paper were supposed to provide the country with superiority in all areas over everything and everyone in the world. Let's look at some of the ambitious Soviet projects that never came to fruition.
The idea of this project, which was supposed to literally elevate the USSR above the whole world, was born in the early 1930s. Its essence boiled down to the construction of a skyscraper 420 meters high with a giant statue of Vladimir Lenin on the roof.
The building, which was named the Palace of the Soviets even before construction began, was to become the tallest in the world, surpassing even the famous skyscrapers of New York. This is how they imagined the future giant in the party leadership. It was planned that in good weather the Palace of the Soviets would be visible from a distance of several tens of kilometers.
The place chosen for the construction of the future symbol of communism was a wonderful one - a hill on Volkhonka. The fact that the location had long been occupied by the Cathedral of Christ the Savior did not bother anyone. They decided to demolish the cathedral.
They say that Stalin's associate Lazar Kaganovich, watching the explosion of the temple from a hill through binoculars, said: “Let's pull up the hem of Mother Rus'!”
Construction of the main building of the USSR began in 1932 and continued until the start of the war.
Construction of the basement During this time, we managed to completely settle accounts with the foundation and begin work on the entrance. Alas, the matter did not progress further than this: the war made its own adjustments, and the country’s leadership was forced to abandon the image idea of providing the people with a high-rise building. Moreover, what had already been built began to be dismantled and used for military needs, for example, to create anti-tank hedgehogs.
In the 50s, they returned to the “palace” theme and even almost started work, but at the last moment they abandoned it and decided to build a huge swimming pool on the site of the failed high-rise building.
However, this object was later abandoned - in the mid-90s the pool was liquidated, and in its place a new Cathedral of Christ the Savior was erected.
Perhaps the only thing today that reminds us of the once grandiose plans of the authorities to create the Palace of the Soviets is the gas station on Volkhonka, often called “Kremlevskaya”. It was supposed to become part of the complex's infrastructure.
Now look at what the capital could look like if the leadership of the Union had been able to implement plans to erect a “symbol of communism.”
“Construction No. 506” - Sakhalin Tunnel
Not all construction projects of the Stalin era were of an image nature. Some were launched for the sake of a practical component, which, however, did not make them any less grandiose and impressive. A striking example is the colossal construction project on Sakhalin, which started in 1950. The idea of the project was to connect the island with the mainland through an underground 10-kilometer tunnel. The party allocated 5 years for all the work.
As usual, the work of constructing the tunnel fell on the shoulders of the Gulag.
Construction stopped in 1953 almost immediately after Stalin's death.
In three years of work, they managed to build railway lines to the tunnel (about 120 km of railway track in the Khabarovsk Territory), which were subsequently used for the removal of wood, dug a mine shaft, and also created an artificial island on Cape Lazarev. Here he is.
Today, only infrastructure parts scattered along the shore and a technical shaft, half filled with debris and soil, remind us of the once large-scale construction.
The place is popular among tourists - lovers of abandoned places with history.
"Battle Mole" - secret underground boats
The construction of skyscrapers and other structures that amaze the average person is not the only thing the Soviet budget was spent on in an effort to “overtake the competition.” In the early 30s, people in high places came up with the idea of developing a vehicle that was often found in the books of science fiction writers - an underground boat.
The first attempt was made by the inventor A. Treblev, who created a boat shaped like a rocket.
Treblev's brainchild moved at a speed of 10 m/h. It was assumed that the mechanism would be controlled by the driver, or (the second option) using a cable from the surface. In the mid-40s, the device was even tested in the Urals near Mount Blagodat.
Unfortunately, during testing the boat proved to be not very reliable, so they decided to temporarily cancel the project.
The iron mole was remembered again in the 60s: Nikita Khrushchev really liked the idea of “getting the imperialists not only in space, but also underground.” Advanced minds were involved in the work on the new boat: Leningrad professor Babaev and even academician Sakharov. The result of painstaking work was a vehicle with a nuclear reactor, capable of accommodating 5 crew members and carrying a ton of explosives.
The first tests of the boat in the same Urals were successful: the mole covered the allotted path at walking speed. However, it was too early to rejoice: during the second test, the car exploded, killing the entire crew. The mole himself remained immured in the mountain, which he could not overcome.
After Leonid Brezhnev came to power, the underground boat project was canceled.
"Car 2000"
No less sad was the fate of a completely peaceful transport development - the Istra car, also known as the “two-thousander”.
The creation of “the most advanced machine of the Union” began in 1985 in the Department of Design and Experimental Works. The program was called "Car 2000".
Through the efforts of designers and constructors, the result was a truly promising car with a progressive design, ahead of its time.
The car was equipped with a lightweight duralumin body with two doors opening upwards, a 3-cylinder ELKO 3.82.92 T turbodiesel with a power of 68 horsepower. The maximum speed of the car was supposed to be 185 km/h with acceleration to 100 km in 12 seconds.
The most advanced car in the USSR was supposed to have computer-controlled air suspension, ABS, airbags, a projection system that allows instrument readings to be displayed on the windshield, a forward-looking scanner for driving at night, as well as an on-board self-diagnosis system showing malfunctions and possible ways to eliminate them.
Alas, the futuristic Soviet sedan failed to enter the market. During the preparation for the launch, as it happens, minor problems related to the modification and serial production of engines surfaced. Moreover, if the technical issues were completely solvable, then the financial troubles that befell the authors of the project already in 1991 turned out to be critical. After the collapse of the Union, there was no money for implementation, and as a result, the project had to be closed. The only example of the “two-thousander” is kept today in Moscow in the museum of retro cars.
The Palace of the Soviets is a labor of love between modernist Art Deco and harsh Soviet neoclassicism. Designed in the 30s of the last century, the design of this building impresses with its exterior to this day (though only in pictures). The hundred-story, 420-meter Palace of the Soviets was supposed to be the tallest building in the world.
Its construction began in 1937 and suddenly ended in September 1941, when the building materials intended for the palace were used for military needs. After the war, they decided not to resume construction; there was no time for that.
Main Turkmen channel
The year 1950 marked the beginning of the great all-Union construction project. The Main Turkmen Canal was designed with the aim of watering and reclamation of the arid lands of Turkmenistan, increasing the area under cotton cultivation, and also with the aim of establishing a shipping connection between the Volga and Amu Darya. It was planned to carry 25% of the flow of the above-mentioned Amu Darya along the dry riverbed of the Uzboy to the city of Krasnovodsk.
The goal is truly impressive, especially considering that the length of the designed canal was about 1200 km, width - at least 100 m, depth - 6-7 m. In addition to the main canal, a network of irrigation canals with a total length of 10,000 km, about 2,000 reservoirs, three hydroelectric power stations. During construction it was planned to use 5,000 dump trucks, 2,000 bulldozers, 2,000 excavators, and 14 dredgers. It was decided to use prisoners and local residents as labor. In 1953, there were 7,268 free laborers and 10,000 prisoners at the construction site.
Of course, the ruling elite was not limited to the above means. The whole country worked on this construction project, as the figure of 1000 (!) freight cars that were delivered here from all over the Union every month eloquently tells us.
Immediately after the death of the leader, the construction of the State Customs Committee was stopped on the initiative of Beria. And then it was completely stopped due to reasons of unprofitability. But by this time, more than 21 billion Soviet rubles, or 2.73 trillion modern Russian rubles, had been irrevocably spent on the construction of the facility.
Transpolar Railway (construction 501-503)
Man of the Year (1940, 1943) according to Times magazine (talking about Stalin, if anything) did not limit his ambitions on a geographical basis. On his initiative, in the post-war period, from 1947 to 1953, a large construction organization with the simple name “GULAG” worked on a grandiose project - the Transpolar Highway.
The purpose of this construction was to connect the western north (Murmansk, Arkhangelsk) with the eastern north (Chukotka, the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk).
Due to extremely tight deadlines, construction was carried out in parallel with design and survey work, which could not but affect the quality of the railway track being built. In total, approximately 80 thousand people were involved in the construction, not counting security. In 1953, work was stopped, and in 1954 - their cost has been calculated: approximately 1.8 billion Soviet rubles.
Sakhalin Tunnel (construction 506-507)
Another colossal construction project that ended its existence with the death of Stalin is the Sakhalin Tunnel.
Construction, which started in 1950, was scheduled to finish in 1955. With a tunnel length of 10 km, the deadlines were more than tight. From socialism to communism in five-year steps! And the country walked specifically on this construction site with the feet of more than 27 thousand people, all the same prisoners and free workers. And in the spring of 1953, the construction site was closed.
Turn of Siberian rivers
Let’s make a reservation right away: no one was going to turn the rivers around. It was only planned to transfer part of the flow of some Siberian rivers, for example the Ob and Irtysh, to the arid regions of the USSR - for agricultural reasons.
The project became one of the most ambitious projects of the twentieth century. For more than twenty years, 160 scientific and industrial organizations of the USSR worked on it.
The first stage of work involved the construction of a canal 2,500 km long, 130 to 300 m wide and 15 m deep. The second stage involved changing the direction of the Irtysh flow by 180 degrees. That is, the waters of the Irtysh were planned to be directed in the opposite direction using pumping stations, waterworks and reservoirs.
Of course, this project was not destined to come to fruition. Common sense prevailed over imperial ambitions - Soviet academics nevertheless persuaded the country's leadership to leave the Siberian rivers alone.
Nikitin Tower - Travusha 4000 (project)
In 1966, engineers Nikitin (by the way, the chief designer of the Ostankino TV tower) and Travush proposed a project for the tallest skyscraper in the world. Moreover, they planned to build it in Japan. Theoretically, the skyscraper was magnificent: its height was 4 km! The tower was divided into four mesh sections a kilometer long and with a diameter at the base of 800 m. The tower, being a residential building as planned, was supposed to accommodate up to 500 thousand people.
In 1969, design work was stopped: the customers suddenly came to their senses and demanded that the height of the building be reduced to 2 km. Then - up to 550 m. And then they completely abandoned the Tsar Tower.
Terra-3
The remains of structure 41/42B with the 5N27 laser locator complex of the 5N76 Terra-3 shooting complex. Photo 2008
"Terra-3" is nothing more than a project for a zonal anti-missile and anti-space defense system with a beam destructive element. It is also a scientific-experimental shooting-laser complex. Work on “Terra” has been carried out since the 60s of the last century. Unfortunately, already in the early 70s, scientists began to realize that the power of their lasers was not enough to shoot down warheads. Although she shot down satellites, this cannot be taken away from her. The project somehow came to naught.