History of Moscow: The exhibition "Moscow's Jubilees. The Twentieth Century”

The Moscow Pushkin Library-reading room presents the exhibition "Moscow's Jubilees. The Twentieth Century", prepared by the Main Archival Administration of Moscow together with the Department of Culture of Moscow. The exposition presents photos from the funds of the Central State Archive of Moscow, telling about the festive events of the 800th and 850th anniversary of the capital.

Preparations for the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow fell on difficult postwar years and demanded great efforts, but the decision to hold solemn events in the capital caused a huge patriotic upsurge among the citizens of the entire Soviet Union. The decision of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of July 8, 1947 established the day of celebration - Sunday, September 7. 

The program of the anniversary celebrations on September 7, 1947 included numerous events, including a rally on Sovetskaya Square (now Tverskaya), a solemn laying of the monument to Yury Dolgoruky, and the laying of high-rise buildings, marking the beginning of a new stage in the large-scale reconstruction of the city. At the stadium "Dynamo" a great sporting performance took place, on the Moskva River - a water festival. Throughout the city there were held festivities, as well as concerts on stage grounds, in the evening a festive salute thundered over the capital. 

The exhibition includes photographs of famous Soviet photojournalists B. Vdovenko, E. Evzerikhin, Boris Ignatovich, N. Granovsky, G. Korabelnikov, M. Chernov, B. Yaroslavtsev and others, managed to convey in his works a sense of grand celebration, unity of people and pride for their accomplished feat in the Great Patriotic War and selfless work for the restoration of the city.

November 9, 1994, the President of the Russian Federation issued a decree on the celebration of the 850th anniversary of Moscow. In accordance with the Decision of the State Commission for the preparation for the celebration of the anniversary, the official days of the celebrations were the first Saturday and Sunday of September 1997. And again Moscow was preparing for its anniversary as a national holiday, the triumph of Muscovites and all the inhabitants of the country - Russia.

One of the main events in preparation for the public holiday was the laying of the foundation and the beginning of the erection of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (1994-1997). It was the Temple that became the center of the jubilee festivities held in the capital in 1997.

By the holiday date it have been confined works on the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan on Red Square and the resumption of the ancient monastery of the capital - St. Daniel Monastery, as well as work to restore the lost chapel of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Stoleshnikov, restoration of Church of All Saints, Moscow and many others Moscow churches.  

The celebration of the 850th anniversary of Moscow began on September 5, 1997 with a theatrical prologue on the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin. Then, bright marches passed along Red Square, Tverskaya Street, Novy Arbat Street. Mass events and festive concerts took place in the parks and squares of the capital.