Seven Sisters (Moscow)

The Seven Sisters are a group of seven large Stalinist-era skyscrapers scattered across central Moscow, built in a similar monumental Gothic-Revival-influenced style. They are among the most recognisable examples of Soviet monumental architecture and were constructed as part of a postwar campaign to create prestigious public and administrative buildings.

The complex includes university faculties, hotels, government ministries and residential blocks; the tallest and most prominent is the main building of Lomonosov Moscow State University, which rises to about 240 metres including its spire. The group was completed in a concentrated period from 1947 to 1953 and is notable for its stepped silhouettes, spires and ornate facades.

The towers are sited across central Moscow rather than on one campus, so popular visitor experiences are external viewing and photography from vantage points such as Sparrow Hills and the river embankments, and entering those buildings that permit public access such as the university and hotel lobbies. Many of the buildings remain in active use as offices, residences, hotels and university facilities.

• Construction period: Built between 1947 and 1953 as part of a postwar building programme commissioned by the Soviet government and designed by several architects including Lev Rudnev.
• Tallest tower: The tallest of the group, the main building of Moscow State University, reaches about 240 metres including its spire and offers one of the best high-level views over the city.
• Best viewing points: Good public viewpoints include Sparrow Hills (Vorobyovy Gory) for panoramic views and riverside embankments for frontal perspectives of the towers.

What to See #

• Moscow State University: The main building of Lomonosov Moscow State University rises to about 240 metres including its spire and contains lecture halls, faculties and an observation point on its upper floors.
• Hotel Ukraina (Radisson Royal): The former Hotel Ukraina, now the Radisson Royal, occupies the Moskva River bank and includes hotel accommodation and public spaces within one of the tallest of the group.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building is the government tower among the group and houses offices with its characteristic stepped spire and ornate facades.
• Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building: Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building is a mixed residential and commercial high-rise on the Moskva River embankment noted for its decorative sculptural work and riverside position.
• Kudrinskaya and Red Gates buildings: Kudrinskaya Square Building and the Red Gates Administrative Building are the remaining two towers, both built as residential and administrative skyscrapers with the same Stalinist architectural vocabulary.