Kommunarka: History and culture

• The information center of the Pamjati Foundation was established in 2020 and opened in May 2021; it brings together information on local history and current historical research.
• The Kommunarka House of Culture was built in 1973 and opened in 1974 for the residents of the settlement.
• The House of Culture’s folk ensemble “Krasna devitsa” has preserved Russian cultural traditions for more than 35 years.

The information center and the House of Culture represent different perspectives. At the Pamjati Foundation, the dates mark two steps: the center was established in 2020 and then opened in May 2021. Its focus is on bringing together information about the history of the area and current historical research. The institution thus centers on local history and historical research.

The House of Culture combines a history of its own with a focus on folklore. It was built in 1973 and opened the following year for residents of the Kommunarka settlement. The house is associated with the folk ensemble “Krasna devitsa,” which has preserved Russian cultural traditions for more than 35 years. Taken together, the two institutions offer distinct cultural points of reference: historical research into local history and the preservation of Russian folklore.

From June 2021, the Museum of the History of the Gulag organized regular tours of the Kommunarka site. The route included the Stena Pamyati, sites where mass graves had been discovered, and the information center. This brought a memorial site, discovery sites, and the institution devoted to local history together in a guided format. The tours are described as an offering from June 2021; no current schedule is provided. If you would like to include a tour in your plans, check with the museum for current dates.

In the wider Moscow travel destination, the Kremlin offers a perspective on architectural history. The Moscow Kremlin stands in the center of the Russian capital, on a high hill above the Moskva River. The State Museum Reserve “Moskovskiy Kreml” includes the Armoury Chamber and the architectural ensemble of Sobornaya ploshchad. The Kremlin is one of the world’s largest architectural and urban ensembles.

Kolomenskoye offers a different focus: it was a favored residence of the Russian tsars from the 16th century and has been a museum reserve since 1923. The site covers 256 hectares and includes an ethnographic complex and a museum of wooden architecture. Thus, the wider Moscow travel destination brings together a major architectural and urban ensemble and an extensive museum reserve with its own historical and ethnographic themes.

Another part of Moscow’s cultural history is connected with VDNKh. It opened on August 1, 1939, and later went by several other names: VSKhV, VDNKh SSSR, and VVTs. In the restored “Kosmos” pavilion, the “Kosmonavtika i aviatsiya” center opened in 2018; it is considered the largest space museum complex in modern Russia. These examples show how varied the cultural highlights are across the wider Moscow travel destination.

Discover more destinations: Vatutinki, Gorki Leninskije, Vidnoye, Kartmazovo, Rumyantsevo, Volodarskogo, Aparinki, Desna.

When did the information center in Kommunarka open?

The Pamjati Foundation established it in 2020; it opened in May 2021.

Which places were included on the historical tour route?

The route went through the Kommunarka site and included the Stena Pamyati, sites where mass graves had been discovered, and the information center. The Museum of the History of the Gulag organized the regular tours from June 2021.

What does the Kolomenskoye site in the wider Moscow travel destination include?

The 256-hectare site includes an ethnographic complex and a museum of wooden architecture. Kolomenskoye was a favored residence of the Russian tsars from the 16th century and has been a museum reserve since 1923.

To the wider travel overview: Leninskiy rayon.