Monumental Oddities
There aren't many places where you can see stuffed space dogs, play paintball and ride Moscow's only monorail. But all that - and more - can be found in the All-Russia Exhibition Center.
On Tuesday, the All-Russia
Exhibition Center, or VVTs, celebrates its 67th anniversary. But what's there
today has only a faint resemblance to the Stalinist wonderland that opened its
doors on Aug. 1, 1939. Back then, it was conceived as a one-time state fair
that would sell peasants on the wonders of collectivization. This was a hard
sell, so the leaders sweetened the pot by offering prizes for winning
exhibitions, including grand prizes of 10,000 rubles and a car. Over a quarter
of a million applications were received to display prize pigs, giant apples and
wilt-resistant cucumbers. These and thousands of other agricultural success
stories were exhibited in buildings and extensive gardens, with Vera Mukhina's
iconic sculpture "The Worker and Peasant" towering above it all.
The fair was such a hit that it became an annual event, and -- following an
interruption caused by World War II -- a permanent exhibition with a triumphal
new entry arch, spectacular fountains and dozens of new pavilions. It also
began highlighting industry and technology as well as agriculture. For the rest
of the Soviet era, it was one of the city's main pleasure parks and a hands-on
refresher institute for farmers and workers. Foreign tourists plodded through
pavilions to view ball bearings under glass, demonstration vacuum cleaners and
sad-sack pigs who looked as if they'd welcome being turned into bacon. All the
while, tour guides extolled the wonders of the Soviet system.
After the collapse of communism, no one was singing the
praises of the Soviet economy, and the exhibition grounds began their decline
into a rather shoddy market for consumer goods and honky-tonk amusement park.
The murals of Lenin and statues of robust workers and peasants became a
political embarrassment. Some of the socialist backdrop was dismantled, got
covered up by trading booths or fell into disrepair.
But the wheel of history keeps turning, and right now VVTs is in the middle of
an upswing. The Mukhina monument is being repaired, and there are plans to
reconstruct the old pavilions and build several new exhibition halls and
science museums. In the meantime, the sprawling exhibition center remains a
one-of-a-kind snapshot of Moscow's past, present and future, with plenty of
offbeat amusements that deliver an unexpectedly good time.
Michele A. Berdy / For MT
The canine space pioneers Belka and Strelka have been preserved for posterity in the Museum of Cosmonauts, just outside VVTs.
Back to the U.S.S.R.: VVTs is the best place in
Moscow to see the art of Socialist Realism. You can start your tour at the
spire-topped Central Pavilion, which now houses a museum of the People's Gifts
to Leonid Yakubovich, host of the popular television quiz show "Field of
Dreams," in a bizarre and apparently unintentional parody of the old
Soviet exhibitions of People's Gifts to Comrade Stalin. Behind this pavilion
are two magnificent fountains: the Friendship of Nations Fountain, with its
golden collective-farm maidens representing the 15 Soviet republics dancing
under 800 jets of water, and the fairy-tale Stone Flower Fountain. Around this
main square are some of the best preserved pavilions; be sure to glance up to
find remnants of the socialist past, like the paeans to Soviet metallurgy on
the walls of Pavilion 11.
Straight back is another grand square with the rocket that launched Yury
Gagarin into space and two Aeroflot planes open to clamoring kids. If you keep
walking, on the far side of this square you'll find an eerie no man's land of
decaying pavilions, with trees sprouting out of the glass dome of the former
Machine-Building Pavilion, and the empty Meat Industry Pavilion still supported
by columns of cow caryatids.
Vladimir Filonov / MT
The round movie theater in VVTs uses 11 screens to show 360-degree films.
360 Degrees of Kitsch: For the full Soviet
experience, stop in Pavilion 96 to see a film-in-the-round. Most of the
20-minute films, which were shot on synchronized cameras to form a 360-degree
view, were made in the '60s and '70s. In the faded but fascinating "On the
Road" from 1969, you can see Novy Arbat without casinos, neon signs or
even Zhuguli cars. The last scene is a wedding in sunny, happy, affluent
Abkhazia, where men in traditional costumes blur in a dizzying dance around the
11 screens lining the walls of the movie theater.
The building is near the front entrance; turn left between pavilions 2 and 4
and then right just before the South Gate. Films are shown at noon, 1 p.m.,
2:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday,
although the theater management can only afford to screen them when there are
at least four visitors. Call 181-9525 for details. 
Vladimir Filonov / MT
The Ice Age Museum shows life-size replicas of mammoths.
Fun for the Whole Family:
VVTs is packed with two amusement parks, a petting zoo, pony rides, go-karts,
ping pong, a toy train that tours the grounds, theatrical performances, trade
fairs and exhibitions. Bring your own Rollerblades or bicycle, or rent them
near the Friendship of Nations fountain. The grounds farthest from the entrance
are quiet and beautifully landscaped, good for strolling or rollerblading.
There you can rent a boat to paddle about Golden Sheaf pond and admire the
fountain, even if it isn't spouting water.
VVTs also has surprisingly good shopping hidden among the dross of typical
consumer goods markets. The best selection of gifts and souvenirs is in the
Culture Pavilion, No. 66, although Pavilion 71 has treasures like chased
silver, a souvenir-packed army supply store and superb olive oil from a Greek
monastery. When you need a break, stop in the Armenia Pavilion, No. 68, to
enjoy cognac and pastries in the setting of a gentlemen's club. And don't
forget to pick up a pet: There are always three or four cat shows selling
Moscow's "in" breed, the British Shorthair.
Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel: In the shady and quaint Fisherman's
Village, near the Likhoborsky Entrance, you can rent fishing tackle to catch
carp, trout or several kinds of sturgeon and catfish -- and have it immediately
cooked for your meal. While you're enjoying lunch and a sauna, the kids can
work out their sibling rivalry in a game of paintball.
See the facility's web site (www.fishing-moscow.ru)
for more information, and definitely call ahead (544-3504/05) since it is
frequently closed for corporate retreats. Apparently paintball tournaments are
good for team-building -- or eliminating departmental rivals.
Furry Rhinos and Space dogs: Go to the Ice Age Museum in Pavilion 71 to
see a family of woolly mammoths, a furry rhinoceros and skeletons of very
large, scary creatures. There is also an extraordinary exhibition of carved
ivory, including a breathtaking throne.
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Vladimir Filonov / MT Opened with fanfare in 2004, Moscow's only monorail link has been criticized as a wasteful pipe dream of City Hall. |
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Just outside the VVTs grounds you can fast-forward from Ice
Age to Space Age in the Museum of Cosmonauts, located in the base of the
space-rocket obelisk (open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.;
683-7914). The one-hall museum displays equipment, capsules and space suits
from the earliest Soviet space flights, all of which give you great
appreciation for the heroism of those first cosmonauts. You can also see the
first dogs who took a round trip to the stars: The space pooches Belka and
Strelka have been stuffed for posterity and are displayed next to a canine
space suit.
Futurama: After a visit to the museum, if you feel inspired to leave the
earth, take a ride on the monorail, Moscow's foray into 21st-century public
transportation. Trains leave every half-hour to Timiryazevskaya metro station.
Although the elevated line remains controversial, the folks who run it are true
believers: They say that building a monorail costs two or three times less than
building a metro line, and they point out that with underground Moscow already
cluttered with parking lots, metro lines and shopping malls, the only way to go
is up. Besides, it's fun, and the views are great.
VVTs is located at 119 Prospekt Mira. Metro VDNKh. Grounds are open daily
from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., pavilions from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For details on events
and exhibitions, see www.vvcentre.ru or
call 544-3400.