Described as 'the most most beautiful building in Moscow’ by the novelist Mikhail Bulgakov, Pashkov House has been off-limits to all but the homeless for twenty years. Its foundations cracked during the building of a city-centre metro station in the 80s.
It's regarded as among Moscow's finest architectural monuments. And after 20 years of closure, Muscovites can again enjoy its neoclassical facades and spacious interiors. Belonging to the Russian State Library, the building will accommodate part of its book stocks. And the latest high-tech shelving has been installed to make retrieval as easy as possible. Pashkov House also boasts several conference halls, which will be used for meetings and exhibitions. In various periods the nineteenth-century building was a school, a private store, a museum and a library. Twenty years ago its basement cracked during the building of the Borovitskaya metro station. Repairs were not started until 2004, allowing homeless people to claim one of the best addresses in the city. Pashkov House has strong links to many important historical events in Moscow. The writer Mikhail Bulgakov memorably called it the most beautiful building in the city in his Moscow masterpiece: The Master and Margarita.