Before the 1917 revolution, the site of the future City Hall in Ekaterinburg was occupied by a two-story New Gostiny Dvor built at the end of the 19th century. After 1917, this building housed the regional museum's living and inanimate nature departments, archaeology, ethnography, and the Ural industry. In 1930, the building underwent its first reconstruction, and a five-story Sverdlovsk City Council (Gorsovet) building was added.
The reconstructed building was designed in the Constructivist style, a modernist architectural movement popular in the early 20th century in the Soviet Union. Constructivist buildings emphasized functionality and were often characterized by geometrical forms and the use of industrial materials. In addition to housing various city organizations, the building contained the Party publishing house and shops.
In 1947, a major reconstruction of the building began, which included adding columns and facing the base with granite. The modern appearance of the City Hall building was completed in 1954 when a tower with a spire and clock (with a height of 61 meters) was added. The spire is crowned by a five-pointed red star, illuminated from the inside during the night. This addition transformed the City Hall building into an architectural landmark and a dominant city centre feature.
In summary, the architectural uniqueness of the Ekaterinburg City Hall lies in its transformation from a 19th-century New Gostiny Dvor to a Constructivist building and finally to its modern form, which features a prominent tower and spire that have become a symbol of the city centre.
As a business traveller in Ekaterinburg, you walk from the Yeltsin Center back to the Tenet Hotel, passing through the city centre and discovering the rich history of the Ural capital. The Ural region, situated between Europe and Asia, derives its name from the Ural Mountains, which have long been considered the natural boundary between the two continents. The term "Ural" likely originates from the word "ur," meaning "a mountain" in the ancient Turkic and Finno-Ugric languages.
Russians began to explore and settle in the Ural region in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Ekaterinburg was founded by Vasily Tatishchev and Georg Wilhelm de Gennin in 1723 and was named in honour of Empress Catherine II (Catherine the Great). Its original name was Ekaterinburg, which was briefly changed to Sverdlovsk during the Soviet era before reverting to its original name in 1991.
Before the Bolshevik Revolution, Ekaterinburg was a vital industrial and cultural centre, with a thriving mining and metalworking industry due to the abundant natural resources of the Ural Mountains. The city also served as a hub for the arts, with a rich theatre, music, and literature tradition.
In modern times, Ekaterinburg has continued to grow in importance as a significant industrial, cultural, and economic centre. It is the administrative centre of the Sverdlovsk Oblast. It plays a vital role in Russia's economy, primarily due to its industrial sector and strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The city is also known for its vibrant cultural scene, hosting numerous festivals, exhibitions, and conferences, making it a key player in Russia's contemporary landscape.
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