Then and now
Preparation
Before you start shooting, you need to do two obvious things: first, make a list of places, and second, find the necessary photos. If the first point is relatively simple, then the search for photos took a bit longer. I wanted to find a good enough source, and not take random photos from anywhere. Quality also matters – overcompressed JPEG 800*600 and smaller, which are littered with the Internet, are practically unusable. Luckily, I found it – the Russian State Library digitized several albums of local historian Nikolai Naidenov, they can be found Here. The photographs are taken from the album “Moscow. Views of some urban areas, churches, notable buildings and other structures” of 1884 unless otherwise indicated (some photographs are dated 1883).
Kitay-gorod, Lubyanka and its environs
I am amazed at my own originality. Seriously, I wanted to go around the points of interest in one day, without stretching out the shooting for too long, especially since there really is something to see here. The Kitay-gorod stop, the bus opens its doors, and I get out. To the left is Ilyinsky Square, behind is Varvarka – this is what interests us.
Barbarian Gate
The Kitaygorod wall was laid back in the 16th century, but in 1934 it was almost completely destroyed, the demolition was justified by the need to widen the streets. At the same time, Zaryadye, where the Varvarskie Gate led, was also destroyed (although in two stages – the 30s and 60s).
In the modern photo on the left you can see a restored fragment of the wall (1968-1973), adjacent to the Varvarskie Gate. Part of the wall is covered with scaffolding, so the angle has been slightly changed for clarity. Speaking of scaffolding: by 2016, only a few churches and the Persitsa apartment building (built in 1909) remained from the historical development of the area. That same year, the building was demolished to build a hotel with apartments in its place, here I cannot help but quote RBC:
The cost of the land for apartments in Kitay-gorod is about 300 million rubles, the cost of construction itself is 500 million rubles, estimates Vladimir Sergunin, a partner at Colliers International. At the same time, in his opinion, the possible revenue from the project could amount to 1.3-1.8 billion rubles.
Ilyinsky Gate
If you walk towards Lubyanka past Ilyinsky Square (or through it), you will find yourself at Ilyinsky Gate Square. The original photo is taken from catalogue of the museum fund. The year of filming is unknown (most likely not earlier than 1906), and the quality is frankly lame, but in this case it is not important. Three landmarks have survived to this day: the wall of the Polytechnic Museum, the apartment building of the Moscow Merchant Bank and the spires of the Embassy Court.
Museum of Science and Industry
About 200 meters from the previous point, the traveler will be greeted by the facade of the Polytechnic Museum, opened after many years of reconstruction (I, however, do not know what is going on inside). The first thing that catches the eye are the buildings added in 1906. The old photograph was most likely taken from the church opposite or from the window of one of the adjacent buildings. There is probably nothing more to say.
Vladimir Gate
The fate of the Vladimir Gate leading to Nikolskaya is quite predictable. It is difficult to understand from what point the original was taken or even to recognize this place; the only remaining landmark is the barely noticeable spire of the Tretyakov Gate at the right edge. The modern photo was taken near the center of the FSB headquarters wall, you need to take a few steps towards Detsky Mir.
The place of the tower and the section of wall on the left was taken by the vestibule of the Lubyanka metro station, and in the place of the chapel (yes, it is a large chapel) now stands Luzhkov's legacy – the Nautilus shopping center, which is rightfully considered one of the ugliest buildings in the city.
Church of St. Louis
Hidden between Malaya Lubyanka and Milyutinsky Lane is the Church of St. Louis of France, or, as parishioners affectionately call it, St. Louis. The parish was created by decree of Catherine II at the request of the French Catholic community back in 1789. The current building was constructed and consecrated in 1835 and has survived to this day in this form. Moreover, it was not simply not destroyed — despite what was happening, the parish continued to operate, albeit without regularly serving priests, and those that were there were under the supervision of the Council for Religious Affairs until 1990.
To get a perspective similar to the original, I would have to learn to walk through walls, but it's probably not worth it – the photo allows for comparison.
Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
A modern photo was taken from the fence – a phone in the left, a camera in the right, the elbow is clasped around an iron rod, otherwise nothing can be seen because of the same fence and trees. In general, the parish of the apostles Peter and Paul is the oldest in Moscow, it has a rather rich history and in general this is a separate topic. In short, the old building in the German Quarter was damaged in the fire of 1812, but was rebuilt. However, the community increased significantly, and Moscow Catholics lived not only in the German Quarter – a new building was built at the expense of the parishioners, which is what we are talking about. It is also worth mentioning that a significant contribution to the construction was made by the outstanding doctor Friedrich Haas, better known as Fyodor Petrovich. In 1937, the rector of the parish was arrested and shot, the building was to be rebuilt into a cinema, but the war somewhat changed the plans. Since 1946, there has been a research institute here, and now it is Giprouglemash LLC, which has rebuilt the temple to suit its needs. According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities Currently, the main activity of this organization is leasing office space. In the 90s, the revived parish began a fight for the return of the temple and continues to this day, but so far without success.
Tretyakov shopping arcade
In 1868, the Tretyakov brothers and patrons of the arts purchased a plot of land in Kitay-gorod, and in 1870 they received permission to dismantle part of the wall, in place of which these gates would be built. The shopping arcades connect Kitay-gorod, Nikolskaya and Teatralny proezd. If I understood everything correctly, the gates have survived and were not torn down in their time. In 2008, the Mercury company (which owns stores selling luxury goods) restored the shopping arcades, and the Bentley and Ralph Lauren logos clearly hint at what is there now. You could say that there is some continuity, but personally, I think that these companies have no place in the historical center.
Resurrection (Iversky) Gate
“We'll finish off” Kitay-gorod once and for all. The photo is again taken from catalogue of the museum fundthe author and the exact date of creation are unknown (1883-1889). The gates acquired their appearance as in the old photo in 1680, and in 1781 a chapel was added to them. In 1931, the gates were demolished as they interfered with the movement of military equipment during parades (in some sources – demonstrations). In 1995, they were restored, but Pedivikia in the article about the Kitay-Gorod wall claims that During restoration, the original dimensions and appearance were not observed. You have to be careful with your belief, but it looks like the photos confirm it — look at the middle row of windows and the gap between the towers. One photo isn't enough? Here's a photo from Naidenov's already familiar album:
There is one more detail that confuses me – the color. In the photos above they seem white, but it is too early to draw conclusions. Before this I searched only in domestic sources, what about foreign ones? Here is an image from the collection of American travel photographer Branson Decoux, his works are interesting because they are colored (1931, the slides are hand-colored by the author, the entire collection can be found here):
So many questions and so few answers… However, such a new product is in any case better than nothing at all.
Trinity Gate and Kutafya Tower
Red Square was closed that day, although the New Year's skating rink on the other side would have made it impossible to get the shots we needed anyway, so we head to the Alexander Garden. The towers are well preserved, but there is one significant change: behind the wall, on the right. The barracks (also known as the old Armory building) were torn down in 1959 to make way for the Palace of Congresses, which can be seen in the new photo.
Borovitsky Gate
Taken from the hill where the monument to Prince Vladimir now stands. The old photograph does not allow us to examine this area in detail, but I am willing to bet that there used to be an icon above the gate instead of a clock.
Pashkov House
In 1883, the Rumyantsev Museum was located here; currently, the building belongs to the Russian State Library.
And again the charge
View of Kitai-gorod and Zaryadye from Raushskaya Embankment — I'll finish roughly where I started. The 1884 photo was taken from a different point, I'll assume from a hotel window, but mere mortals are off-limits there. There are more than enough landmarks — several Kremlin towers plus St. Basil's Cathedral. There are also plenty of differences — Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge was rebuilt in the 1930s, while Zaryadye was being torn down, and the new shopping arcades were opened 9 years after the photo was taken.
