Old Gostiny Dvor is the oldest Gostiny Dvor in Moscow. It occupies the Kitay-gorod quarter between Varvarka and Ilyinka streets and Khrustalny and Rybny lanes. In the 1990s, it was rebuilt as a trade and exhibition complex.
The stone Gostiny Dvor was built in 1641 by the decree of Mikhail Fedorovich. It was divided into four yards: Old, New, Salt and Fish.
During the Moscow fire of 1812, which was started by Gostiny Dvor, shops were looted, and most of the complex was damaged.
After the city’s liberation from the French army, the restoration of the building began under the guidance of the architect Osip Bove and was completed in 1830. In 1838, the building was named Old Gostiny Dvor, as a shopping complex was built nearby – New Gostiny Dvor.
In 1903, according to the project of the architect Karl Gippius, the middle part of the complex in Khrustalny Lane was rebuilt in the pseudo-classical style. According to other sources, Semyon Barkov supervised the construction.
The Old Gostiny Dvor was a prototype for similar buildings in some cities.
During the Great Patriotic War, Gostiny Dvor squares were used as bomb shelters.
In 1960, the building of Gostiny Dvor was redesigned by the architect L. Nenaglyadkin with the prospect of using it as an exhibition space.
As of 2022, Gostiny Dvor belongs to the city and is managed by the Manezh Museum and Exhibition Association.
Nearest metro: Kitay-Gorod, Lubyanka, Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya and Revolution Square.
See also Architecture of Moscow, Palaces and most historic buildings of Moscow.
Nearest attractions: Bolshoi Theatre, Maly Theatre, Manezhnaya Square, Ploschad Revolyutsii (square), State Duma building, House of the Unions, Teatralnaya Ploschad, TSUM, Monument to Alexander Ostrovsky, Tretyakovskiy proezd, Central Children’s Store, Lubyanka Building, Metropol Hotel, Moskva hotel, Red Square, Tverskaya street, Zaryadie park, Kremlin, Moskva river.
