This list was originally compiled by Timeout.ru. Translation was provided by SRAS Home and Abroad Scholar Michael Filitis.
1. Cosmos Hotel
All these years, this building, situated next to VDNKh park, has operated according to its intended design. In 2004, it even celebrated a milestone: its 7 millionth visitor. It is impossible to not recall the hotel’s presence in Russian cinema: the curved shape of its façade in the films, Guest from the Future and Day Watch.
2. Olympic Village
Located in the southeast of Moscow, these multi-level residential buildings are where the Olympians were housed. They were constructed “with an eye towards the future.” The famous places that were located there in the 80s include the dance club Milk, a refuge for Moscow’s black marketeers, and the shopping gallery Lux—which initially could only be accessed by invitation. Today, apartments in these buildings are sold at average prices for resellers, and Lux—formerly known as “The Gallery of Dreams”—has become a standard shopping center.
3. Dinamo Sports Palace
During the Olympics, basketball tournaments were held in Dinamo, a typically gray Soviet-style building. Today, the sports palace specializes in volleyball. There are also areas for martial arts, table tennis, and other activities.
4. Other Sports Facilities
In addition to a canal for rowing, the Olympics built gyms, a cycling track, and a stadium for archery. Today, these facilities are used for training in tennis, squash, cycling, rowing, and light athletics.
5. Press Center
(RIA Novosti Building –
Rossiya Segodnya Building)
On Zubovsky Boulevard a building was constructed to function as the Olympic press center; four years later it became the home of the RIA Novosti news agency and the Journalist’s Union. Today it is still contains these organizations, although in December 2013, RIA Novosti was shuttered and replaced by the Russia Today news agency, which now operates the building.
6. Izmailovo Hotel
Izmailovo was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest hotel complex at the time. Today, it is perhaps one of the largest hotels for business travelers. The five buildings on the complex can accommodate 10,000 guests, with differing accommodations—from the budget Gamma rooms to the very expensive Alpha rooms.
7. Bitsa Equestrian Complex
Bitsa is the largest equestrian complex in Europe and functions today as one of the “flagships” of equestrian sport in Moscow. There are regularly held competitions in dressage, jumping, and vaulting, as well as training sessions.
8. Sheremetovo 2
The foundation stone for this international airport terminal was laid on November 17, 1977 and its grand opening occurred shortly before the start of the Olympic games. Since then, for 15 years Sheremetovo 2 has remained the main “window abroad” for Muscovites. Several years ago, there was a large-scale restoration project that modernized the airport and merged it with Sheremetovo 1. The Sheremetovo 2 building is now called “Terminal F.”
9. Olympic Sports Complex
The Olympic Sports Complex continues to be indoor arena and an indoor pool. Today, both professional athletes and ordinary Muscovites train there and the complex holds competitions and a variety of other extreme sports spectacles. Olympic is also a popular concert venue, where Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Depeche Mode have all performed—in 2009 the Eurovision competition was staged there. The largest flea market in Moscow also brings consumers to Olympic for large discounts on textbooks, books, and brand-name clothing.
10. Wings of the Soviets
This sports palace was built for the Olympics by a on the order of a Soviet factory. It houses the hockey team Wings of the Soviets and functions as their training complex and as a venue for matches. However, the venue is not limited to hockey, as it also functions as a space for “disco-skating” and rock concerts.
