 Moscow's Gostiny Dvor, one of the capital's most beautiful architectural monuments, is located 150 meters from the Kremlin. The history of Gostiny Dvor dates back to the fourteenth century. In the late eighteenth century, under a decree issued by Catherine the Great and in accordance with the design of the famous Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi, Gostiny Dvor was rebuilt into a single building with austere and elegant architecture that became Moscow's new adornment.
Gostiny Dvor is unique not only because of its exclusive location but also the peculiar style of its artistic design. The complex displays a distinct connection of different times. The inner courtyard paved with granite appears before you surrounded by stucco columns and classical arches with total area of roughly 12,000 square meters. It is covered with the largest light unsupported translucent coating in Europe (the urban area it covers is comparable with Piazza San Marco in Venice in terms of size and shape). In accordance with the functional purpose of the inner courtyard space, the coating has a system for melting snow, climatology as well as collecting and draining condensate. |
