House of the Unions

The House of the Unions on Bolshaya Dmitrovka in Moscow is a neoclassical palace remodelled from 1780 by Matvei Kazakov for Prince Vasily Dolgorukov as the Assembly of the Nobility. The core is the white Hall of Columns with 28 Corinthian columns and chandeliers, famous for concerts by Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. After 1917 the unions took over; Lenin lay in state here in 1924 and Stalin's show trials of 1936 to 1938 condemned Bukharin and Zinoviev in this room. Stalin himself lay in state here in 1953. Today the hall hosts New Year balls, congresses and occasional concerts; visitors usually only get in through events.