State Kremlin Palace

The State Kremlin Palace is a large public building on the western territory of the Moscow Kremlin, known until 1992 as the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. The structure became one of the few examples of large-scale modernist architecture within the ancient Kremlin ensemble and remains an operating theatre and concert venue of federal significance. Management of the building is entrusted to a presidential body — the Directorate of Affairs of the Head of State — and it is listed as an identified object of cultural heritage.

The idea of a large building for government bodies within the Kremlin had been discussed since the 1920s, and in 1935–1938 construction began, though was never completed, on the Palace of the Soviets. In 1959, Nikita Khrushchev decided to build a new hall for party congresses, selecting from twelve proposals the project of a team led by Mikhail Posokhin, then chief architect of the capital. Construction took about sixteen months: on 17 October 1961 the palace opened with a session of the 22nd Party Congress.

Erecting the building required demolishing classicist structures from the first half of the 19th century, including part of the Armoury Chamber built by Ivan Yegotov and the northern wing of the Patriarch's Court. The original design called for a hall seating 4,000, but after Khrushchev's visit to Beijing the capacity was increased to 6,000 seats, with a banquet hall added above the auditorium. The increased volume was concealed 16 meters underground, where additional floors with cloakrooms were placed. The exterior walls are faced with slabs of pale Ural marble alternating with golden aluminum panels, while the interior features granite from the Karbakhtinskoye deposit, marble from Koyelga, and patterned tuff from near Baku.

Archaeological excavations were carried out before construction; due to tight deadlines they covered only about 200 square meters but yielded material on the early history of the Moscow citadel. The main entrance was crowned with a gilded emblem of the USSR by sculptor Alexei Zelensky, later replaced by the emblem of Russia. In 1962 the team of authors led by Posokhin was awarded the Lenin Prize. The building was later handed over to the Bolshoi Theatre as a second stage for opera and ballet premieres, and the dance company led by Igor Moiseyev also performed here.

The 6,000-seat hall is finished with vertical wooden slats that improve acoustics; the stage, balcony, and stalls form a single unified space. In 1992 the building was renamed the State Kremlin Palace, retaining its status as one of the country's main concert venues. In 2013 the hall underwent a technical modernization. Until January 2020 the country's main New Year tree celebration was held here annually, and over the decades of its operation more than ten thousand political and cultural events have taken place at the palace.

Despite its status as an identified object of cultural heritage, the building's modernist appearance prevented its inclusion, together with the Kremlin's historic monuments, on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Nevertheless, the palace remains an active concert venue, combining the functions of a state and cultural center of the country.