The Cosmos pavilion at VDNH

Cosmos is a pavilion on the modern territory of the VDNKh exhibition complex, built in 1939. The building was expanded and acquired its current form in 1954. Then a steel and glass dome was installed here, which became not only the main feature of the building, but also a brilliant architectural solution of its time.

In the USSR, it was in the Cosmos pavilion that exhibits of advanced agricultural technologies and the latest space technology were demonstrated. After the collapse of the Union, the exposition was forgotten, partially collapsed and left there, under a large dome. For many years, part of the pavilion functioned as an exhibition space, and part was still abandoned. On the middle tier of the dome, it was possible to find broken glass, pieces of plywood and industrial waste. In 2016, restoration work began, during which the glass dome, the panel made of gold smalt, the appearance of the building were restored, and the unique ruby ​​glass chandelier lost in the 1970s was recreated. Today, the pavilion houses the Cosmonautics and Aviation exhibition center, and one of its largest exhibits is the model of the Crystal module of the Mir orbital station.