[MSN] Russians see red over square

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Russians see red over square

Luke Harding in Moscow
March 3, 2007

IT IS home to St Basil's Cathedral, the GUM department store and the waxy remains of Vladimir Lenin. But Red Square is at the centre of a row after the Kremlin secretly demolished five of its 19th-century buildings in what critics say is merely the latest example of rampant architectural vandalism.

The ornate neo-classical buildings at 5 Red Square were part of a courtyard next to the colourfully domed 16th-century cathedral, and opposite the Kremlin's looming Spassky tower. They were razed in the middle of the night on Wednesday, it is alleged, with the rubble taken off in army trucks.

In their place the Kremlin plans to build a luxury hotel and exclusive apartments as part of a $A375 million makeover.

"This is a tragedy," said David Sarkiyasan, the head of the Schusev museum of architecture in Moscow. "It shows our laws are not working."

Mr Sarkiyasan said he managed to sneak a look at the complex during an opening 18 months ago. "The buildings were nice. They are part of a wonderfully elegant complex done in Russian Tudor style, a sort of Russian art nouveau.

"Throughout the whole Soviet period the authorities destroyed this or that building all the time. Later they started to preserve them.

"Now, though, Moscow is in the hands of wild and uncultured people. They think a replica done with fresh materials is better than an old building."

The building, originally used by traders, was where Leon Trotsky's military committee would meet after the 1917 revolution. Later the Soviet defence ministry took over. Rumours that tanks were kept there to crush unwanted demonstrations in Red Square were untrue, Mr Sarkiyasan said, adding there was not enough space.

A spokesman for the presidential logistics directorate, which owns the buildings, dismissed accusations of improper behaviour by the Kremlin. Viktor Khrekov told the Moscow Times on Wednesday that the buildings had "no architectural value" and said it was "complete rubbish" to suggest they had been knocked down in the dead of night.

They were flattened late last year, he said, and had been stripped of their listed status. UNESCO said it was seeking clarification from the Kremlin. Although Red Square has been listed as a world heritage site since 1990, it was unclear whether the razed buildings were included, officials said.

Architectural experts said more than 2000 historic buildings had disappeared in Moscow over the past 15 years.

http://www.smh.com.au/