Third Building of the Ministry of Defense

The Third Building of the Ministry of Defense is an administrative building in Moscow located on Frunzenskaya Embankment of Moscow river. Now it is the main building of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The complex of the Ministry of Defense, made in laconic monumental forms, convenient in terms of the internal organization of numerous premises, is an example of a rational solution for a large administrative building that fits into the silhouette of the Moskva River embankment, where green areas of the Gorky Park stretch on the opposite bank. Work on this building, begun in 1938 and completed after the war in 1951, was conducted by L. V. Rudnev in collaboration with V. O. Munts and with the participation of some architects.

The old building, built by Rudnev and Munts, faces Frunzenskaya Embankment in three symmetrical buildings. The facade is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting orders and medals (“For the Defense of Leningrad,” “For the Defense of Sevastopol,” and others). The coat of arms of the USSR is placed on the upper tier, surrounded by banners and bas-reliefs with Soviet soldiers.

The side buildings are combined with the central passages with giant (~6 floors high) arches, which, during the reconstruction in 2014, were covered with stained-glass windows with images of Russian soldiers: an ancient one holding a sword in his hand and a modern one with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a child in his arms.

Nearest metro: Oktyabrskaya, Park Kultury, Frunzenskaya.

See also Architecture of MoscowPalaces and most historic buildings of Moscow.

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