Information about the building

The construction of the Polytechnic Museum took place from 1871 to 1903, and its various parts were designed by architects Ippolit Monighetti, Nikolai Shokhin, Georgy Makaev, and others. The large auditorium of the museum opened in 1907 and quickly became a significant center of cultural life. In 1913 and 1916, Mayakovsky, Burlyuk, Bunin performed here, discussing the paths of modern culture.

In 1918, fierce discussions took place in the museum between symbolists, imagists, and futurists, involving White, Kruchenykh, Khlebnikov, Yesenin, Mariengof, and Bryusov. In the 1910s and 1920s, Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, Blok, Pasternak, and Chukovsky read their poems here. However, by the mid-1920s, literary battles and poetry evenings ceased as the repertoire began to conform to the demands of official propaganda and censorship. After the establishment of Soviet power, the large auditorium was repeatedly used for show trials.

In August 1920, the trial of the anti-Bolshevik 'Tactical Center' took place here. According to Melgunova's recollections, the audience was admitted by tickets, and each was issued 6-12 tickets, with a record kept of all to whom they were distributed. Of the accused, 28 appeared before the court, 19 of whom were sentenced to execution, but the punishment was replaced with prison terms.

On April 26 and May 8, 1922, sessions of the Revolutionary Tribunal on the Moscow Church trial were held here. Resistance to the seizure of church valuables became the reason for the trials of clergy and laypeople. On May 4, the Politburo decided to bring Patriarch Tikhon to trial and instructed Trotsky to ensure that newspaper editors paid more attention to this process. On May 5, Patriarch Tikhon was summoned to the tribunal as a witness. According to recollections, upon his appearance, three-quarters of the audience stood up. The Patriarch took responsibility for the appeal of February 28, 1922, protesting the seizure of valuables. The tribunal demanded to recognize the appeal as illegal, but the Patriarch objected: 'From the point of view of Soviet law, it is illegal; from the point of view of the church, it is legal.' Ultimately, the tribunal decided to bring the Patriarch to criminal responsibility and arrest him. 11 people were sentenced to execution, 5 of whom were shot, while the others had their punishment replaced with 5 years of imprisonment, and another 23 received various terms.

In the 1960s, the large auditorium once again became a center of culture, a symbol of the 'Khrushchev thaw.' Here, Bulat Okudzhava, Vladimir Vysotsky, Andrei Voznesensky, Bella Akhmadulina, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and others performed. Voznesensky dedicated a poem 'Farewell to the Polytechnic' to the auditorium.

A large-scale modernization of the building on Lubyanka Square began in 2013. Now all facades have been restored, an amphitheater has been opened in front of the northern facade, and access to the metro has been provided.

Restoration

Since 2013, a large-scale modernization of the Polytechnic Museum building on Lubyanka Square has been underway. The facades have been restored, an amphitheater has been opened, and access to the metro has been provided. The restoration of furniture from the 'Historical Chemical Laboratory of the Polytechnic Museum' has been completed.