Back to USSR places in Moscow where you can go to the past

Back to USSR places in Moscow where you can go to the past

Red Square, Lenin Mausoleum, museums and restaurants are the most known places with Soviet theme. They became the most popular entertainment in Moscow. You can back to the USSR era on the time machine in the places which that are described below.

• Lenin Mausoleum

This is a sacred place for all fans of the Soviet Union. Lenin’s mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square offers up one of Moscow’s most macabre attractions and perhaps the most famous “modern mummy” in the world. Frozen in time, Vladimir Ilych Lenin’s embalmed body lays within a red granite and black labratorite step-pyramid. Here visitors may gaze on it in the dark, cool of the tomb.

Address: Red Square

• Canteen No. 57 at GUM⠀

Canteens were a widespread form of catering in Soviet times. The format, which offers cheap home-style food, is still popular in modern Russia, but there are few places that seek to preserve the Soviet-era menu and 'spirit'. One of the places that does this is the canteen at the GUM department store by the Red Square. It has everything: Soviet posters, aluminum forks, Vitamin & Olivier salads, soda fountains, and of course, ‘Moskovsky’ borscht!

Address: GUM, Red Square

• Izmailovo flea market

It is possible to buy some real artifacts, like porcelain figurines and sugar bowls that could be found in every Soviet apartment, vintage cameras, gramophones – and even disgusting, but legendary, Belomor cigarettes!  Izmailovo became an art market where paintings, crafts, souvenirs were sold on the Serebryanka river bank in the XVII century. Besides, there was so called grannies' stuff: pharmacy vessels, empty perfume bottles, nacre buttons and many other used things. So original, peculiar, old fashioned articles have had a long story at Izmailovo market which is now located not far from Partizanskaya metro station.

Address: Izmailovskoe sh., 73/2

• Museum of Soviet arcade machines

The museum has 40 types of authentic arcade machines from the Soviet Union, most of which are still in working order. There are moments when you want to come back in the childhood for a short while, because there were so many interesting things that we remember cordially till now.

From our Soviet childhood they are Soyuzmultfilm’s cartoons, Olympic Bear, planetarium, Sportloto lottery, football at the yard. They are pioneer camps at the Black Sea, horn sounds, walking-tours and songs near the campfire. They are walks with parents and friends at the Parks of Culture with ice-cream, fizzy drink and candy floss, and more—Arcade Games.

Address: pr-kt Mira, 119, st.57

• Varenichnaya No. 1

This restaurant chain is named after a classic Soviet dish – vareniki (dumplings) – but it didn’t exist during Soviet times. If you want a genuine feel of Soviet Russia, Varenichnaya №1 is the place to visit. The menu is a prime example of authentic Soviet cuisine at its best: generous helpings of delicious pelmeni, vareniki both sweet and savory and traditional Soviet desserts. Hailed as some of the best dumplings in Moscow, you can get them in 15 locations around the city. The interior has a jolly atmosphere, with bright colors and nostalgic items from the Soviet era decorating the inside, and book shelves full of tattered but loved copies of Russian and Soviet literature. A popular and affordable eatery for locals and tourists alike.

Address: Tverskaya ul., 14

• Mosfilm film studio

For nearly 100 years, the Mosfilm film studio has been considered the Soviet Hollywood. More than 2,500 films have been shot here, including masterpieces by Sergei Eisenstein and Andrei Tarkovsky. Today, it is a collection of 15 huge locations, which include thousands of sets, a film archive and numerous screening rooms. You can explore the Mosfilm studios by buying a ticketfor a group tour.

Address: Mosfilmovskaya ul., 1

• Cheburek house Druzhba on Sukharevskaya Street⠀

This is Moscow's best-known place for chebureks (a deep-fried turnover with a filling). It has remained unchanged since the 1960s: it’s still a cramped hall with hardly ever any seats available and a menu which consists exclusively of chebureks with all kinds of fillings, as well as beer and drinks at low prices.

Address: Pankratyevskiy per., 2

• Hotel Sovietsky

The hotel's history dates back to the late 1940s: it was built on order from Joseph Stalin. Later, his youngest son, Vasily Stalin, lived there on a permanent basis, while Nikita Khrushchev, who replaced Stalin as the Soviet leader, would receive foreign delegations there. In 1980, the concert hall of the Sovetskaya hotel was considered one of the largest concert halls in Moscow. After the reconstruction, the hotel rooms have retained their authentic interior and welcome guests from all over the world.

Address: Leningradskiy pr-kt, 32/2