Sergei Sobyanin: The rebirth of VDNKh is one of the brightest events in the life of Moscow

On August 1, VDNKh celebrates its 86 th birthday. In a post on his blog, Sergei Sobyanin described how the county’s main exhibition center was revived, and wrote about its attractions and plans for its further development.

“A unique cluster of contemporary museums. Gorgeous green space with fountains and flower beds. A city of knowledge and culture. A center for sports, recreation and entertainment, which many generations of Moscow residents and visitors to our city have fond memories of. Every year VDNKh welcomes more than 30 million visitors, inspiring and surprising them with its hospitality and diversity. Come and visit, it’s waiting for you! August, a month of holiday and vacations, is the best time to relax at the country’s main exhibition center,” wrote the Mayor of Moscow.

The modern history of VDNKh began in 2013, when Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to transfer the ownership of the exhibition center to the Moscow City Government. Over more than 10 years an unprecedented renewal program has been under way in the country’s main exhibition center. 42 historical and cultural monuments have been restored, about 90 percent of the total number of cultural heritage objects on the territory of VDNKh.

Each restoration project involves painstaking scientific research and the careful work of hundreds and even thousands of people. Central to the project is a constant search for ideas to infuse life into historic pavilions and create new popular destinations for visitors.

The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation, the Roscosmos and Rosatom corporations, the Siberian-Ural Oil and Gas Chemical Company, the Soyuzmultfilm studio and many other organizations responded to the invitation of the Moscow City Government to take part in the revival of VDNKh. The governments of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan also contributed to the development of the exhibition.

What to visit at the country’s main exhibition center

Today at VDNKh the Cosmonautics and Aviation center operates in the Cosmos Pavilion (No. 34) and the Atom Museum (Pavilion No. 19).

VDNKh is also home to the Moskvarium, the largest oceanography and marine biology in Europe center, which is open to visitors.

A popular spot for lovers of music and drama is the Green Theater. And visitors with children have many options, including the City Farm family interactive farming and craft center, or a ride on the Sun of Moscow Ferris wheel, which offers panoramic views of the capital.

As before, the Friendship of Peoples, Golden Spike and Stone Flower fountains are working and can be admired by visitors to the exhibition center.

“In the last two or three years alone, more than two dozen new attractions have appeared at VDNKh. Among them is the Möbius strip landscape attraction, a 340-meter-long walking path that forms an infinity sign at a height of more than eight meters above the ground. A garden of the five senses has been planted outside and inside the figure-of-eight shaped path. More than 130 species of plants are selected so that in each zone one of the senses will be stimulated,” wrote Sergei Sobyanin.

The Air Tramway, a 769-meter rope walk, stretches above VDNKh. Opened after its restoration, the historic Central Pavilion (No. 1) has been transformed into a modern museum space.

The first cultural event in the restored pavilion was the exhibition #TretiakovkaNaVDNKh, dedicated to Russian art of the 20 th and 21 st centuries, which was visited by more than 118,000 people. In the new season visitors will enjoy an exhibition of art from the collection of the State Russian Museum. The exhibition will be devoted to the image of Moscow in the art of our country.

The Karelia Pavilion (No. 67) is one of the four pavilions at VDNKh to be decorated with wood carvings and the only one decorated with wooden sculptures. After a comprehensive scientific restoration, it opened an immersive multimedia exhibition In a Far-away Land. Living masterpieces of Russian painting. Among the exhibits are paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov, Isaac Levitan, Ivan Bilibin, Mikhail Vrubel, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Nikolai Roerich, Ivan Shishkin, Fyodor Vasilyev, Mikhail Nesterov and Ivan Aivazovsky.

In December 2024, the Museum of Heroism began operating in the restored Grain Pavilion (No. 59). The exposition emphasizes the historical connection between the exploits of Russian soldiers and officers in the special military operation zone and Soviet soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Through excursions, lectures, discussions, round tables and meetings with contemporary heroes the museum has created a unique atmosphere of continuous dialog with visitors.

Sergei Sobyanin opens Museum of Heroism at VDNKh

New VDNKh projects

More new facilities will be added to VDNKh in the coming years. The Center of National Equestrian Traditions will receive a new equestrian arena with an area of 7,800 square meters. It will be a year-round venue for international level sports and exhibitions.

A traditional Chinese tea culture club will open in the Glavtabak Pavilion (No. 35) after a full restoration. It will be a place that brings together the tea drinking traditions of the two countries. Visitors will be able to discover more than 200 rare varieties of tea, as well as a unique collection Yixing clay and Jingdezhen and Chaozhou porcelain teapots.

The Chocolate Discovery Factory will open in the Young Naturalists Pavilion (No. 8). The new exhibition will present the history and traditions of the confectionery industry in Russia. Children and adults will be able to learn about the growth of the cocoa plant and how its beans are used to make chocolate. Visitors will learn about the essence of the chocolatier’s craft and how they could realize their potential in this profession.

The exhibition and trade center of the Republic of Abkhazia will open its doors in the Chemistry Pavilion (No. 6). Various events and festivities will be held on the transformed site. The center will present the national cuisine, dances and traditions of this ancient land.

Very soon visitors to VDNKh guests will once again be able to sit at the tables of the historical Golden Spike restaurant and Summer cafe.

“And of course, the most important event for the exhibition will be the opening of the modern VDNKh Expo complex. This will be Moscow’s new flagship congress and exhibition venue, capable of hosting over 200 large-scale events each year. The complex will include the famous Montreal Pavilion and Pavilion 75, which all last year was the center of the Russia International Exhibition-Forum, visited by 18 million people,” wrote Sergei Sobyanin.

Last November the exhibition moved to the Russia National Center on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, and now on the territory of the future site of the VDNKh Expo complex large-scale construction and restoration work is under way.

The rebirth of VDNKh is one of the brightest events in the modern history of Moscow, emphasized Sergei Sobyanin.