When they built a gum on Red Square. Upper trading rows - gum

25.09.2019

The main department store (GUM, until 1953 - Upper malls) is a large shopping complex in the center of Moscow and one of the largest in Europe. It occupies a whole block, the main facade overlooks Red Square. It is an architectural monument of federal significance. In 2008, the GUM building turns 115 years old.

More in the 15th century self-made trading shops were set up in disorder on Red Square. At the beginning 19th century Emperor Alexander I ordered to ennoble this motley market. According to the project of the architect Osip Bove, the facade was built in the Empire style, imitating the palaces of the Roman Empire. This is how the first building of the Upper Trading Rows appeared.

However, this building served only as a screen, hiding the cramped labyrinths of the market. Half a century later, it was decided to rebuild it on the initiative of the Moscow merchants. Among the 23 works put up for the architectural competition, the most daring project won. Its authors were architect Alexander Pomerantsev and engineer Vladimir Shukhov, who later created the famous radio tower on Shabolovka Street in Moscow.

Three spacious passages "in European style" made of glass and metal, enclosed in traditional "Old Russian" walls, became an architectural phenomenon for Russia at that time. Massive construction has begun in 1890 and ended three years later. The building was located in the quarter between Red Square and Vetoshny

driving along the radius. According to the documents of that time, the length of the facade facing Red Square was 116 sazhens (sazhen - 2.13 meters), and the length of the façade facing Vetoshny passage was 122 sazhens.

Along three wide passages (passages) Pomerantsev placed shops on two floors, the total number of which reached a thousand. The passages were covered with glass arcuate roofs, which required metal structures weighing 50 thousand pounds (833 tons). In the external decoration of the building, granite, marble and Radom sandstone were used to reproduce numerous ancient Russian decorative forms. The grand opening of the Upper Trading Rows with the participation of the Governor-General of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna took place December 14 (O.S. 2), 1893.

The new trading rows made the glory of the Russian merchants. The malls even then rightfully claimed the principle of universality and offered customers an exemplary infrastructure: the services of porters, barbers, bankers and postmen.

After the October Revolution, subordinate organizations settled in the historical interiors of the malls. Until the early 1950s, GUM remained a government agency.

The date of the second birth of the trading house is considered 1953 In August of that year, the Soviet government decided to reconstruct the building of the Trade Rows. Production and labor forces from all over the USSR were sent to the shock construction site. In record time, already in November 1953, the first and largest trade center in Soviet Russia, the State Department Store - GUM, opened here. The store has become a collection of the most scarce goods and a symbol of the capital of the USSR along with the Kremlin, Lenin's mausoleum and VDNKh.

In the early 1990s, economic realities changed in the country. Along with them, the trade policy of GUM also changed. The predominant part of the area on a lease basis was occupied by independent shops. Today, shoppers are offered an exhaustive list of products, from personalized designer clothes and jewelry to daily household items. GUM lost its centralization, but retained the principle of universality. GUM (now called the Main Department Store) is a whole shopping district, which has a pharmacy, a bank branch, and a flower shop. This is a comfortable recreation area with restaurants and cafes, an art gallery and a venue for cultural events. The internal space of GUM is being improved. The legendary Demonstration Hall, which went down in the history of Russian cinema, has been restored. It is planned to hold cultural events and social gatherings in its original interiors. The poster of GUM includes art expositions and bright presentations. A unique illumination project has been implemented on the outer facade: the architectural elements of the building are underlined by lines of electric light bulbs. The project of the updated design involves the reorganization of the passages in the style of the palazzo: a spectacular lighting system, a mosaic floor, living plants.

On December 2 (14), 1893, the grand opening of the new building of the Upper Trading Rows (architect A. N. Pomerantsev, engineers V. G. Shukhov and A. F. Loleit) took place in the presence of the Governor-General of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.

A frame from the film "Moscow in Color". 1954 GUM Gastronom.
The inscription on the price tag: "Fresh-frozen beluga, medium, 1 kg - 25r.10k."

F. Hilferding. Red Square in Moscow. 1787
On the right in the engraving, ancient shopping arcades on Red Square are visible.

Engraving by D. S. Lafon after the original by J. Delabarthe. 1795
The upper trading rows after the reconstruction project by G. Quarenghi.

Photo from the 1880s from the albums of N. A. Naidenov.
Old Upper Trading Rows (architect O. Bove, 1815)
The shopping malls, which are visible on the engraving of Hilferding and Lafon, burned down in the fire of 1812, and three years later, according to the project of O. Bove, the building of the new Upper Trading Rows was built on Red Square.
“The views of the Moscow city rows placed here, now partly already broken, were taken with some of their insides even before the order was issued in 1886 to close them. In the pictures of these rows are presented in the form in which they were for a very long time.
N. N-in. [N.A. Naydenov]. August 1890"

Photo from the 1880s from the albums of N. A. Naidenov. Interior view: Middle Transverse Passage (from the monument to Minin and Pozharsky).

F. Benois. Monument to Minin and Pozharsky.
In the background is the building of the Upper Trading Rows of O. Bove.

By the end of the 19th century, the building of the shopping arcade fell into a dilapidated state, fragments of plaster sometimes fell on the heads of buyers and sellers. And it was decided to build new rows.

Photo taken in 1889. Demolition of the Upper Trading Rows. The cellars of the late 16th century are visible.

Photo of 1889 by E. Simonov from the archive of the Museum of Moscow.
"During the demolition of the malls, two-tiered chambers from the time of Mikhail Feodorovich [more precisely, 1595 - d1] were discovered. Coins of the 1600s, a helmet, a rapier were found in the cache" From the MAO magazine, dated 1889.

Photo 1891 Construction of the new Upper Trading Rows.
In the summer of 1889, preparations began for the construction of rows. On May 21, 1890, the laying of the building took place. The official ceremony was attended by representatives of the highest Moscow administration and city government. In 1890-1891, the foundation and walls of the Upper Trading Rows were erected, and in 1893 its lining and interior decoration The huge Upper Trading Rows with their two buildings and a whole underground street under the house, with central heating and its own power plant, were built in two and a half years.

Photo of 1893. Fragment of interiors.

Photo taken in 1898. Cellars of the Upper Trading Rows.

Photo of 1899 from the archive of the Museum of Maecenases. Fragment of interiors. Fur shop P. Sorokoumovsky.

In the period 1918 - 1921. various Soviet offices moved into the building of the shopping arcade, and with the beginning of the New Economic Policy, trade returned here again and GUM appeared - the State Department Store.

Photo taken in 1931 by Branson DeCou.

By the mid-1930s, trade was once again forced out of the building by various institutions.
In 1953, shortly after the death of I. V. Stalin, it was decided to revive GUM.

Photo taken in 1953. Reconstruction of GUM.
The fountain in the center of GUM is a historical building founded in 1906.
The base of the fountain is a unique structure, built according to a complex design scheme - according to the same principle by which domes were calculated during the construction of churches. Originally the bowl of the fountain was round. But in 1953, during the reconstruction of the GUM building, its shape was changed, laying out a new octagonal base made of red quartzite.
The upper composition - an openwork design, which has become a kind of symbol of GUM - was made by chasing from copper sheets. This made it possible to lighten the total weight of the fountain installed on the ... dome. The bowl of the fountain rests on a system of metal frames located in the basement of the building. The support was designed and manufactured at the beginning of the 20th century specifically for the Upper Trading Rows and has survived to this day.

Photo, 1953 Installation of a sign.

Photo taken in 1953. GUM before opening.

Photo from the 1950s E. Evzirikhin.

Photo taken in 1954. In the GUM Gastronome.

Photo of the beginning 1960s
For many years - a favorite place of "guests of the capital" ...

April 20, 2009 2009-04-20T13:29:00Z 2009-04-20T13:29:00Z

"Photos of old Moscow"
Among the trading establishments in Russia at the end of the 19th century, the Upper Trading Rows occupied a special place. This largest shopping mall played an important role in the economic life of the country. The location of the malls in the very heart of Moscow, in the ancient center of Russian trade, predetermined their rich history.

The pre-revolutionary guidebook says the following about this fragment of Red Square: “The shops in the rows were the property of the guests. There were large and small, sometimes reaching sizes of one arshin wide. Crowding, frequent fires and crowded buyers forced the Moscow government to take more than once measures to streamline this So, after a big fire, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a long decree on streamlining the entire row trade with a detailed schedule for the location of the corresponding rows. "

The plans of Moscow, act materials (purchasing fortresses, lawsuits, etc.), archaeological sites - all testify that already in the 17th century, almost all retail and wholesale trade in Moscow was concentrated in the malls on Red Square. The place that is now occupied by GUM, Vetoshny passage and the opposite row of houses along it, has long been a lively shopping center of the city.

The ancient buildings of the 17th century existed until Catherine II, when they were broken down and replaced with new ones. According to the project of the famous Quarenghi (1744-1817), the restructuring was conceived on a grandiose scale, but not completed; Moscow city architects Selekhov and Karin hastily completed the building, which still exists today under the name of the Old Gostiny Dvor. This slender white building, with an elegant colonnade, unfortunately, completely overpriced by signboards, is located between Ilyinka and Varvarka, next to the Stock Exchange.

Only from the side of Red Square, and even then from a distance, did the former Upper Trading Rows, crowded with people and wagons, look more or less decent. There, from Nikolskaya to Ilyinka, opposite the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, which at that time stood in the center of Red Square, a whole block was occupied by a two-story building, a bit reminiscent of the architecture of the current Gostiny Dvor: two central turrets, eight columns, large rectangular windows on the first floor, semicircular windows of the second.

The stone building obscured the view of the swarm of small wooden shops that were always on fire. Fires occurred several times a year, especially often in winter - because of the stoves, which were heated by clerks who were not resistant to frost. But the biggest fire in 1812, during the days of the French invasion, bypassed the malls.

Upper city rows (top view from the back side)

In 1815, according to the project of the architect O. I. Bove, a new building of the Upper Trading Rows was erected. The building, which occupied an entire block, was divided among private owners, and they could not be persuaded in any way even for overhaul. The building collapsed before our eyes, once a layer of plaster fell on the buyers, and another time the lady, trying on a velvet dress, fell through the rotten floor, broke her leg and was taken to the hospital right in the unpaid renovation - the owner was afraid to remind her of this, rejoicing that she did not claim the loss. However, in the second half of the 19th century, when the rapid growth of industry and trade began in Russia, the malls no longer met the requirements of the time, the scale and modern forms of trade.

Upper city rows (view of the right side from Red Square)

“The old city rows were dark ruins. The passages in them were not distinguished by cleanliness, there were many steps and various steps, it was possible to walk along such rows only with great care. From the memoirs of the merchant I.A. Slonova.

Upper city rows (view of the middle part from Red Square)

Once there was such a case. I walked with children's boots behind a respectable gentleman and, going down the stairs, as usual, painted the unusual qualities of the children's boots he had chosen and gradually lowered the price for them. The buyer walked in silence. In the middle of the stairs we met a senior clerk and asked me: "What's the matter?" I answered him: “I appointed two rubles seventy-five kopecks, they favor a ruble fifty kopecks.” The clerk said: "Pin up," and went to the top. The buyer quickly turned around and, stepping on me, said menacingly: “Whom to pin?” I got scared and told him that no one. The buyer got angry, loudly expressed his displeasure, wanted to call the police and draw up a report. The owners and clerks tried to calm the formidable buyer and explained to him that the word "pin" in our jargon means "sell". The buyer called us all fools and left the shop without buying boots.

Instead of the words "give" and "sell" we spoke on the orders of the owner "favour" and "pin". He invented a few more intricate words, with the help of which the employees explained themselves among themselves in front of the buyers, and the latter, unfortunately, did not understand these words.

Upper city rows (view of the left side from Red Square)

Between the "verbs", along the entire length of Red Square, there was the liveliest original part of the Gostiny Dvor - the Knife Line. On one side of it were shops with fashionable goods, on the other, between the outer doors overlooking Red Square, numerous lockers were placed in stone piers. Each locker occupied a space three arshins long and two arshins wide. The merchants who traded in them were always on the outside of the counter, that is, they stood together with the buyers. Lockers for trading were extremely inconvenient, and certainly harmful to the health of traders; around them there was always a through wind; in winter they were covered with snow in a blizzard. In summer it was poured with slanting rain. Therefore, most of the merchants who traded in lockers often caught colds and got sick. The lockers sold cheap lace, fringe, buttons, needles, different finishes etc.

Old Red Square

The passage between the benches and lockers was four arshins wide. The exhibitions in the shops were small and bad, they were replaced by merchants and their clerks, who stood near their shops and loudly invited the passing public to come to them. Pointing their fingers at their shops, they shouted: “Perhaps we have satin, caniface and other silk goods for you.” The boot and clog merchants were not content with the mere inviting of customers at their shops; for a more visual understanding of their product, they gave their boys a pair of boots under their arms and sent them to Red Square to invite buyers. All day long the boys walked around the sidewalks in rows and offered to everyone they met to buy boots. Finding someone who wanted to, the boy brought him to the shop and handed him over to the clerks, and he again went to the square to catch buyers, who were called "areal". It was very difficult for them to sell, since these buyers always offered half the price, and sometimes less.

Upper city rows (view along Nikolskaya street from the northeast corner)

Wandering shoemakers, the so-called hackers, were still walking along the rows and along Red Square; they carried small pieces of leather, a knife, nails, a hammer, and a thick wooden stick with an iron foot. With the help of these tools, they repaired old boots in the most prominent and lively places for a cheap price. To do this, the owner of thin boots, in spite of any weather, took off his shoes on the street and stood barefoot while the liner repaired his boots. Such scenes and types are no longer found on Moscow streets.

Upper city rows (view along Nikolskaya from the historical museum)

There were many types of Ostrovsky among the merchants and their employees in the Knife Line. So, for example, not far from Zaborov's shop, a short, shaven old man Chervyakov was selling haberdashery in a locker. He dressed in summer in a lionfish, and in winter in a raccoon coat with a standing collar. On his head he always had a high top hat, with which he did not part even in winter, even in very coldy. In general, the figure of Chervyakov was extremely comical. He was such a suspicious person that he did not trust not only strangers, but even himself. Every evening he locked and printed his locker for more than an hour. When he finished typing, he removed the top hat from his head and began to pray on all four sides, first on an ordinary icon, then on his locker, on a neighboring bench and on a fruit “verb”. After that, he left. Moving away from his locker for 200-300 steps, he returned and again began to inspect and feel all the locks and seals in the locker. Then he again prayed on all four sides and left, but after a few minutes he again appeared for the same ... Thus, the old man made an audit of the locks and seals several times daily. He stopped this occupation when the rank and file watchmen took chain dogs out of the dungeon and let them in. them all night in the Knife Line.

Upper city rows - Knife line (2nd spinner from Nikolskaya st.)

Another original, a certain Batrakov, who sold ready-made clothes, went every morning to the "Bubnovsky Hole", from where he always returned in the evening red as boiled cancer. Entering the store, he loudly asked the clerks: “What, did you sell?” The senior clerk answered: "Sold, sir." The merchant went behind the counter to the "proceeds", opened an empty box ... "Where is the money?" - "Why, they sold, but they didn’t sell, sir," the Merchant silently approached the clerk and whispered something long and impressively in his ear.

Upper city rows (view along Ilyinka from Red Square)

The neighbor Eremkin, who sold tea, was also interesting, although he was not at all engaged in trade. His profession was "to intercede anywhere and everywhere, for everyone and everything." For this, he had acquaintances in various courts, offices, boards, etc. He never refused any case, he took on everything, for the possible and the impossible. His main specialty was to get merchants medals, orders, the title of honorary citizen, etc. For Svan, he took services inexpensively and therefore always had a large clientele among merchants.

Middle city rows (view from Moskvoretskaya street)

There was also a rather elderly merchant, Korolyov, who sold shoes. This guy was a big fan of fires. He always went to every fire, wherever it was, day or night, it makes no difference, and he was always the last to leave when the fire was extinguished.

Middle city rows (view along Khrustalny Lane from Ilyinka)

But the most striking and typical figure in the Knife Line was our host, old Zaborov. He always sat on a high stool at the entrance to the shop; on the other side of the door stood a bunch of his clerks and in unison called everyone who passed into the shop, offering them to buy shoes and boots. Zaborov traded wholesale and retail; its annual turnover was somewhat more than 100 thousand rubles.

No matter how many buyers there were in the store, all the clerks could not leave here. There was constant duty, the duty of the duty officer was to "call" buyers. Many passers-by did not like this call, they answered the caller saying: “What a watchdog ...” In the rest of the rows, the call was practiced on a smaller scale.

Middle city rows (view along Khrustalny Lane from Varvarka)

The icon row was very typical. One half of it was occupied by icon shops, and the other by women selling handmade lace in small lockers. In icon shops, icons were not sold, but “bartered”. It was done in this way. The buyer, entering the store, said:

I would like to exchange the icon.

The seller, in response to this, quickly took off his cap from his head and put it right there on the counter. The buyer followed the example of the seller and stood bareheaded as well. Icon selected. Buyer asks:

How much does it cost to exchange an icon?

The merchant charged a fabulous price for it. The auction began. For greater persuasiveness, the seller said that he had set a divine price, because it was a sin to bargain for icons. The buyer agreed with him and bought the icon for a "divine price". Icons were traded for the most part by Rogozhsky and Zamasvoretsky merchants. More intelligent buyers did not agree with the "divine prices" set by the merchant. They asked him to cover his head with a cap and take half of the "divine price" for the icons. The seller quickly made concessions and sold the icon for the offered price.

Middle city rows (view along Varvarka from Moskvoretskaya street)

Merchants and clerks who traded in icons were all POLITICALLY ardent alcoholics. They were considered the most honored guests in the Diamond Hole and enjoyed special respect. Some of them, who had been drinking an incredible amount of wine there every day for decades, were given a significant discount. The merchants were very proud of this well-deserved privilege.

Middle city rows - view along Ilyinka from the northeast corner

As you know, all stores and shops have their own special labels that mark the goods. To do this, the merchant chooses some word that has ten different letters, for example, "Mel'nikikov"; With the help of these (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0) letters, he writes units, tens, hundreds and thousands.

Middle city rows - view along Ilyinka from Red Square

I once witnessed the next interesting scene. Two merchants, an old one and a young one, came to the icon shop, and with them three women to bathe three icons for the wedding. They chose them for a long time, then asked how much it would cost to exchange these icons. The seller appointed 150 rubles for them. The merchants found this price too expensive and began to explain themselves with their mark as follows: a young man, obviously a fiancé, turning to his father, said: “You can give Artsy, whoever, rest in peace.” The old man answered this: “No, it’s expensive, it will be quite hard, he,” and turning to the seller, he said: “If you want to take 90 rubles, we won’t give you more than a penny, otherwise we’ll buy it elsewhere.” The seller quickly made concessions, and the ICONS were sold to merchants for "firmly, he."

Middle city rows. View from the Execution Ground

In the center of Gostiny Dvor there was a row of so-called "changers", most of them were Japanese. They exchanged money, sold and bought series and coupons. The money-changers were placed in benches one and a half arshins wide; in front of each of them on the counter were piles of small silver coins. One of the changers, a certain Savinov, was distinguished by great eccentricity. The man is very rich, always sober and stingy, he often arranged rather strange and ridiculous sprees. So, for example, during the winter, he hired a luxurious troika 8-10 times and rode it alone from morning to evening back and forth along Red Square.

Harmful city rows (view along Varvarka from the church of Varvara torment.)

In the summer, Savinov walked differently: he dressed up in a white suit, covered his head with a white cap, in the form of a skufia, and put on a gold ring with a huge diamond on the index finger of his right hand. In such a buffoonish form he sat for whole days on a bench on Tverskoy Boulevard, and all the time he showed off his forefinger with a diamond. Savinov was a fat 55-year-old, rather vigorous old man. The passing audience looked at this monster with great surprise and chuckled good-naturedly.

The upper city rows - the Hysterian passage (the beginning of the Big Vetoshny Row from Nikolskaya Street)

In the old days, beggars were engaged in the exchange of small coins on Red Square; they took three kopecks from each ruble for exchange. This is where the so-called money-changers and money changers originate; the latter are now called banking offices, and the money-changers are called bankers.

Upper city rows - Middle Cross Passage (from the monument to Minin and Pozharsky)

Many poor merchants had neither a clerk nor a boy, but they carefully went to the tavern twice a day and sat there for quite a long time. Leaving for the tavern, the merchant did not lock the shop or even close it, but simply placed a broom across the door and left calmly. If a buyer came in his absence, then, seeing a broom at the merchant's door, he resignedly went back, leaving the purchase until another time.

Upper city rows - Silver row (1st spinning from Ilyinka)

In winter, in severe frosts, the owners sat all day in the tavern, and generously left the clerks and boys to freeze in the shops. The latter suffered especially from the cold, as they were dressed very badly. Frosts sometimes reached 30 degrees or more; the birds froze and fell on the fly. In such severe frosts, it used to be completely numb, everything would freeze both outside and inside. When you drink hot tea in the cold, it produced the action of molten lead in the stomach, and the next day a large swelling appeared under the chin and it was painful to swallow. Such a disease was called "pigs". In severe frosts, thick ropes were stretched along all rows to warm the merchants; they were pulled with a cry by many people, and this warmed them. Then, in severe frosts, we still played “In ice” - a large piece of ice was driven with our feet along the rows. At night, in severe frosts, large bonfires were lit on Theater Square and at the intersections of the central streets to warm the poor people. Returning home from daily “hikes”, often with frostbitten feet and hands, since they didn’t give us warm boots and mittens, I often warmed up by the fire on Theater Square in the company of coachmen and cabbies who were waiting for the theatrical tour ...

Upper city rows. Silver row (2nd spinner from Ilyinka)

It was strictly forbidden to smoke tobacco and light a fire in Gostiny Dvor, so on dark autumn days, shops were locked at three in the afternoon.

Life in the ranks was family-patriarchal. As soon as the shops were unlocked, the neighbors gathered in groups in a row and reported various news, otherwise they simply told each other how someone spent their time yesterday. Such neighborly conversations were called "chesky" - to continue it, the company went to a tavern, where they sat for two or three hours over tea. Then they went to their shops. After staying in them for a short time, they gathered in a row in groups and again went to the tavern. Thus, the merchants spent their time quietly and cheerfully.

Upper city rows - Pansky row (1st spinning from Ilyinka)

From early morning until late evening, a lot of the public, buyers, suppliers, craftsmen, artel workers, cabbies, beggars and others wandered through the rows. In the shops everywhere was visible ebullient activity: they sold, bought and sent various goods. In general, in the whole diverse and noisy crowd there was a lot of life and movement. Among the public, numerous peddlers walked along the rows, carrying on their heads in long trays covered with warm blankets, roast veal, ham, sausages, pies, saiqs, etc., while all the peddlers loudly shouted out the names of their goods in different voices.

Upper City Rows - Small Cloth Row (view from Ilyinka)

Each peddler had his own nickname. Of these, some were called "Goat", "Rooster", "Master", "Snail", etc. Then there were interesting types of ordinary cooks. They carried in one hand a large clay pot with cabbage soup wrapped in a warm blanket, in the other hand a basket with bowls, wooden spoons and black bread. A bowl of hot tasty cabbage soup with meat cost ten kopecks. After eating, bowls with the remnants of cabbage soup and bread were placed on the floor in rows near their shops, where they were eaten by stray dogs running along the rows. Then the cook came, collected bowls, immediately wiped them with a dirty and greasy towel and again poured hot cabbage soup into them for those who wished.

Upper City Rows - Big Cloth Row (view from the middle of the rows)

Many beggars and holy fools walked along all the rows, among them there were many burnt-out merchants, drunkards and expelled clerks, officials and others. Their degrees Tit Titychi often forced former people sing and dance around their shops. Such a scene was beautifully depicted by Pryanishnikov in his painting, located in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Wandering musicians also walked along the rows and amused the merchants with unwise music. V New Year many military musicians came, who, after the music, congratulated the merchants on the New Year. The clerks and boys amused themselves by pinning on the backs of the poor and holy fools humorous figures cut out of paper, and to them various inscriptions, with which those already offended by fate walked through the ranks, arousing laughter everywhere with their appearance.

Upper city rows - Lapotny row

Then boxes with live mice, carefully wrapped in paper, were thrown up on busy places; Passers-by willingly picked up such finds and quickly hid with them.

The following fun was also in great use: a small silver coin was placed on the floor in the middle of the row, a thin black thread was glued to it, which was stretched along the floor into the shop; the end of the thread was in the hands of the employee. A passer-by, seeing a silver coin lying on the floor, quickly bent down to pick it up; at that moment, a thread was pulled from the shop and a coin flew out from under the nose of a surprised passerby. This trick was always accompanied by the Homeric laughter of the merchants.

In winter, in severe frosts, such fun was done a little differently. The coin was not tied, but frozen to the floor. The finder first tore off the coin with his fingernail, but he did not succeed; then he began to vigorously chip it with his heel. The merchants laughed and said to the finder: "And you try with your hoof..." The finder scolded the merchants and left. The coin remained in place.

Upper City Rows - Narrow Row

The game of checkers was widespread in Gostiny Dvor. To do this, the merchants sat in a row near their shops on stools or boxes and played all day long. Among the players were real virtuosos, whose game was going to be watched by many curious people, who sometimes made large bets for the players. During Thomas's week in Gostiny Dvor a "cheap" was arranged, for which various marriages and worthless things were specially prepared. To do this, outside, near the shops, temporary counters were set up, on them lay various goods in large heaps, and the customers dug into them like chickens.

Upper city rows. Big Vetoshnaya row (1st spinner from Ilyinka)

Selling "on the cheap" was furnished with special rules. So, for example, the goods bought "on the cheap" were not changed, they were not responsible for its quality, and under no pretext were they given money back. In shoe shops there was an additional rule - shoes were not allowed to be tried on cheap stuff. Shoes, tightly bound in pairs, for the most part were different, that is, one more, the other less, or very similar - two shoes, and both on one foot. The buyers brought such shoes back and asked to change them, but they were categorically denied this, citing the fact that they were not responsible for anything “on the cheap”.

On this occasion, rather unpleasant incidents often occurred between buyers and sellers. At night, all the numerous entrances to the Gostiny Dvor were closed with dilapidated, thin doors, knocked together from thin boards and popular prints. Inside the Gostiny Dvor was guarded by row watchmen and many angry dogs. moreover, each row in its entire width was hung with torn tarpaulins and matting.

Upper city rows. Large Icon Row (view from the middle of the rows)

Night thefts in the ranks were quite rare and exceptional. Despite the fact that it was certainly forbidden to smoke tobacco and light a fire in Gostiny Dvor, fires sometimes occurred there, as usual "from an unknown cause." Since horse firefighters could not get into the ranks, there was a special foot fire brigade in the city part to extinguish the row fires, which always ran to the fire very late, and each barrel of water was carried by three firefighters. This tortoise crew was of little use in extinguishing fires; usually she was sent on duty during performances at the Bolshoi and Maly theaters.

Upper city rows. Small Vetoshny Row

Every year on Saturday, during the sixth week of Lent, there is a palm market and a walk on Red Square. To do this, along the Kremlin wall, opposite Gostiny Dvor, linen tents and chests are arranged in several rows, in which they sell children's toys, artificial flowers, defective dishes, popular prints, old books, mostly with torn out sheets (second-hand booksellers sell them at a choice of 10 -20 kopecks) and many other things of the same kind.

Middle city rows. Transverse passage from the frontal place

Middle city rows. Mirror row (1st spinner from Ilyinka)

Middle city rows. Bottom vegetable row

This is where the first part ends. There will be a big sequel soon. You can view them by clicking on the photos good quality and see where it was taken from. You can also leave your comments and take part in the discussion of each picture. When preparing the material used:

I.A. Slonov: “From the life of commercial Moscow”
- Found: Moscow Cathedrals, Monasteries, Churches
- Alexey Dedushkin
- GUM website
- Site "Photos of old Moscow"
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History of GUM and Upper Trading Rows

Despite the relatively young age of GUM itself, the history of the Upper Trading Rows dates back to much more ancient times. Red Square has long been used as a trading square, and vice versa Kremlin wall there were wooden shops, periodically burned and rebuilt. In the 17th century, the square was a kind of retail and wholesale center for a variety of goods.

At the end of the 18th century, the existing shops of the Upper Trading Rows fell into disrepair, and by decree of Catherine II in 1786, a shopping complex was built in their place, designed in the spirit of classicism, the project of which was developed by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi. However, the construction was carried out hastily and was not completed to the end: a long two-story building stretched along the square, and behind it all the same wooden benches were located, constantly burning during fires - especially in winter, when the clerks tried to heat them with makeshift stoves. Oddly enough, in the fire of 1812, the quarter with shops did not burn out, but after the end of the Patriotic War, the Upper Trading Rows were rebuilt again, now according to the project of the architect Osip Bove. In fact, they were still a cramped pile of shops hidden behind civilized outer facades, so they quickly began to deteriorate.

Photo: Upper trading rows (view from Red Square and from the back side), 1884-1886, pastvu.com ( , )

In 1869, the Moscow authorities thought about rebuilding the rows, but there was one problem: the complex consisted of more than 600 separate properties owned by more than 500 owners. The shop owners did not agree with the city's plans and put forward a counter initiative by creating their own commission for the reconstruction of the Upper Trading Rows. For almost 20 years, shopkeepers have been negotiating with the Moscow government, trying to negotiate preferences for themselves: in particular, they demanded that the city be cut off from Red Square and given them a free strip of land to expand the aisles between the shops, to which Moscow categorically disagreed. Success was achieved only in 1886, when the new Moscow head Nikolai Alekseev and the city government closed the Upper Trading Rows due to their accident rate, and the shops were moved to temporary pavilions. Trade fell into decline, and the shopkeepers, who lost their profits, were forced to agree to the conditions of the city. The first step in improving the situation was the creation of " joint stock company Upper Trading Rows on Red Square in Moscow": shop owners contributed their buildings and the land under them as share capital, and in return received shares distributed in proportion to income from them.

In the autumn of 1888, the old Upper Trading Rows began to be dismantled, at the same time a closed architectural competition was announced for the design of new ones. According to the terms of the competition, the appearance of the new building had to match the style of those already built, so as not to stand out from the ensemble of Red Square. A total of 23 projects were considered, the work of Alexander Pomerantsev was recognized as the best. The second place was taken by Roman Klein, the third - by August Weber.

In 1889, construction began on the foundations of the new building, and on May 21, 1890, the official groundbreaking ceremony took place. Construction was carried out intensively: in 1891, about 3,000 people were involved in it! The complex was opened in stages: some of its parts were opened to visitors at the end of 1891, and the official opening ceremony took place on December 2, 1893. However, Finishing work in some rooms continued until 1896. The store built its own power plant and dug an artesian well to provide local water supply. On 3 floors of the new building, it was possible to purchase any food or industrial goods, and the basement was set aside for wholesale trade.

The Soviet years for the Upper Trading Rows were marked by an almost chaotic leapfrog of events. After the Revolution, the building was nationalized, and instead of a shopping complex, the People's Commissariat for Food of the RSFSR was placed in it under the direction of Alexander Tsyurupa. In fact, the Upper Trading Rows in those years became the headquarters of the "food dictatorship": the shops were converted into offices of officials and offices, and warehouses were also equipped for seized "surplus" food. Communal apartments were arranged on the upper floors. In 1921, by decree of Vladimir Lenin, GUM - the State Department Store was opened in the historic building of the Upper Trading Rows, but already in 1930 it was closed by Stalin's decree: officials and offices again entered here, and the office of Lavrenty Beria was also located here. The building almost fell victim to a large-scale construction project: the General Plan for the Development of Moscow in 1935 provided for its demolition and the construction of a Narkomtyazhprom skyscraper, but the plans did not materialize.

Stability was achieved only in the 1950s: the building was restored, and on December 24, 1953, GUM reopened in it. Communal apartments were settled, and other buildings were found for offices.

After the collapse of the USSR, GUM continued to exist and was first corporatized, then privatized. The complex retained its Soviet name, but still ceased to be state-owned, so today the abbreviation GUM most often means "Main Department Store" or "Main Department Store of Moscow".

Interesting facts about GUM and the Upper Trading Rows

They say that in 1886 the old building of the Upper Trading Rows was closed after an accident: the floors were so rotten that a woman trying on a dress fell to the ground floor and broke her leg. They also say that she eventually got the new thing for free, because the seller did not dare to remind her about the payment after the incident.

The new building of the Upper Trading Rows, opened in 1893, became the prototype of modern shopping centers. A number of trade innovations that were revolutionary at that time were tested in the new store: for the first time in Russia, a book of complaints and suggestions appeared here, and the price of goods began to be indicated on price tags (without the possibility of bargaining). Visitors could also use the cloakroom, luggage storage and porter service.

To create glazed arched vaults over the passages of the store, engineer Vladimir Shukhov needed 60,000 glasses.

In the Soviet years, the threat of demolition hung over the building of the Upper Trading Rows three times: in the 1930s, a high-rise of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry could be built in its place, in 1947 they were going to erect a Victory Monument, and in 1972 it was simply considered that there was no place for a shopping center opposite the Mausoleum. Fortunately, for various reasons, the building has been preserved.

After the Revolution, communal apartments were arranged on the upper floors of the building. The living conditions were spartan: the rooms had no running water, no gas, no amenities, most of them did not look out onto the street, but into the arcade, under a glass roof. During the reconstruction of the store in the 1950s, the communal apartments were settled.

After the suicide of Stalin's second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva, on the night of November 8-9, 1932, the coffin with her body was put up for farewell in one of the GUM halls. This was perhaps the only case when Stalin allowed himself to show emotions in public: experiencing the bitterness of loss, he wept in front of those who came.

GUM was incredibly popular with Soviet citizens: the lines in it were so long that special police squads were attracted to regulate them.

In GUM there was a special "200th section", where the party elite was served. It was possible to buy scarce goods, clothes and equipment, including foreign ones. The existence of the section was a state secret; officials highest rank and their families could visit it without restrictions, "close ones" were allowed to go lower with one-time passes. They could also be allowed to visit the 200th section as a reward: in particular, Yuri Gagarin was awarded a one-time pass after flying into space.

Today in the building of GUM there is " historic toilet", recreated from pre-revolutionary photographs.

Modern GUM continues to carry trading functions: today it is a modern shopping and entertainment center with a large number of shops, restaurants and cafes. The cultural component is also present: various exhibitions are often held on its lines, installations and art objects appear, and in winter, the GUM Skating Rink is flooded in front of the store.

But for most citizens and tourists, it is interesting as an outstanding architectural monument, and it is thanks to its architectural merits that the building has become one of the symbols of Moscow, replicated on postcards and in souvenirs.

GUM is located at Red Square, 3. You can get to it on foot from metro stations "Okhotny Ryad" Sokolnicheskaya line, "Revolution square" Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya and "Theatrical" Zamoskvoretskaya.