Space Scientists' Heritage: Historical block in the Center of Korolyov (Korolev) Frunze

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Brief

In 1946, construction of a complex (block) began for the first specialists in the rocket and space industry, located between Frunze, Karl Marx, Tsiolkovsky, and Lesnaya streets. The block was home to the first employees of NII-88, deputies and associates of S. P. Korolev, V. P. Mishin, V. P. Glushko, creators of the rocket and space industry, chief designers, academicians, and scientists.

From 2016 to 2022, the fate of the block was under threat from the General Plan, which envisaged the demolition of houses and high-rise construction in the very heart of the historical center of Russia’s space capital.

In August 2023, the block was included in the list of identified objects of cultural heritage of the Moscow region.

The historical block on Frunze is a valuable monument of history and culture that needs to be preserved as an object of cultural heritage. The alternative is the demolition and construction of the block in the city center with high-rise residential buildings.

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What is the value of the historical buildings in the block?

Universal Historical Value

The block was built in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated May 13, 1946, "Issues of Reactive Armament," with the aim of providing housing for "our specialists" - rocket scientists at the newly formed NII-88 (now TsNIImash). Thus, the block became the world’s first residential block built in the world’s first space capital. The buildings of the block are witnesses to historical events that have influenced the development of all humanity.

Memorial Value

The designers and scientists living in the block took direct part in the preparation, organization, and implementation of Soviet defense and space programs, essentially creating a new, highly complex, cutting-edge, high-tech industry from scratch. This opened the way for humanity to space. The residents of the block played a significant role in creating domestic cosmonautics. The historical and memorial significance of the ensemble is associated with the names of many outstanding figures in the rocket and space industry. Ten leaders of their own enterprises lived in the block.

Architectural and Urban Planning Value

The ensemble of residential buildings represents an authentic, integral element of the urban spatial and architectural-artistic environment of the mid-20th century, forming a unique character even in the historical part of the city. The preserved buildings are concentrated within the boundaries of one block, providing an ensemble perception of the development fragment. Preserving these buildings maintains a connection to significant historical events and figures, and it also preserves the architectural heritage and urban character of the mid-20th century.

The history of the block is narrated by a resident of house № 14 on Frunze Street, Lieutenant Colonel of the Soviet Union’s military space forces in retirement, representative of the USSR Ministry of Defense at the NPO "Energiya" enterprise, Valeriy Ogolyar.

Historical Value

In June-July 1944, the correspondence between Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin mentioned the launch of a secret weapon by the Germans — flying rockets from a range near the Polish village of Blizna. They were discussing test launches of the V-2 (A4) rocket developed by German engineer Wernher von Braun.

In August-September 1944, a special commission worked in Poland, which transported a number of V-2 rocket parts to the Soviet Union. Their study was entrusted, among others, to specialists from NII-1, including V.P. Mishin, A.M. Isaev, and L.A. Voskresensky — future residents of the block on Frunze Street.

From May 1945, specialists from all the People’s Commissariats of the USSR were sent to Germany to study German technology, including rocket technology.

Among the specialists sent to Germany were future residents of the block on Frunze Street: A.M. Isaev, V.P. Mishin, L.A. Voskresensky, V.P. Kharchev, V.S. Budnik, S.S. Kryukov, S.S. Lavrov, M.F. Reshetnev, I.N. Sadovsky, V.G. Dyukov, G.S. Vetrov, D.I. Kozlov, N.A. Maltsev, L.L. Podgorskaya, and other specialists, many of whom later became employees of NII-88 and then headed their own enterprises in the rocket and space industry.

In late 1945, relations between the USA and the USSR worsened due to issues of post-war political settlement in Iran and the USSR’s territorial claims to Turkey. A few months later, Winston Churchill delivered a speech at Westminster College in Fulton, which went down in history as the trigger for the beginning of the "Cold War."

On March 14, 1946, at a meeting of the Kaliningrad Executive Committee of the Council of Deputies of Working People, the issue of "Allocating a land plot for the construction of five two-story houses for Trust No. 54 within the boundaries of K. Marx, Stalin, and Frunze streets" was discussed. The decision was made: "In order to preserve green plantings in the city center, find another site for the construction of houses for Trust No. 54, preserving the green massif in the block of Frunze, K. Marx, and Stalin streets for cultural events in the spring-summer period."

At a meeting of the Kaliningrad Executive Committee on March 25, 1946, the issue of "Allocating a land plot for the construction of five two-story houses for Trust No. 54" was revisited. The decision stated: "Change the decision of the executive committee from March 14, 1946, on allocating a land plot to Trust No. 54 for the construction of five houses, taking into account the layout, proximity of sewer and electrical networks, and allocate a land plot in the block of Frunze, Stalin, and Karl Marx streets, measuring 200×225 m, for the construction of houses for Trust No. 54, with subsequent approval of the construction plan at the Executive Committee."

By the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 1017−491ss dated May 13, 1946, item 9, a Research Institute and Design Bureau were established based on Plant No. 88 in the city of Kaliningrad (now Korolev).

Item 31 provided for the allocation of 150 Finnish houses and 40 log eight-apartment houses for the accommodation of foreign specialists.

At the Executive Committee meeting on May 24, 1946, the issue of "Approving the project for the construction of 16 slag-concrete houses for Trust No. 54 of the Ministry of Armaments" was considered.

"Decided: 1. Approve the project for the construction of 16 two-story slag-concrete houses for Trust No. 54, according to the attached general plan of the site, developed by GSPI-7."

From March to October 1947, the No. 3 department was engaged in intense work on preparing technical documentation in Russian for the V-2 rocket. S. P. Korolev divided the department into two parts: V. P. Mishin headed the calculation-theoretical part, and V. S. Budnik headed the design part.

During the same period, S. P. Korolev and L. R. Gonar were engaged in personnel selection for NII-88. Thus, department No. 3, which had 60 engineers and 78 auxiliary personnel in March 1947, grew to 310 people by the end of the year. Departments preparing rocket profile specialists were organized at leading machine-building and defense universities (MAI, MSTU, LVMU, MEI, etc.). Refresher courses for engineers were organized at MSTU named after Bauman, where S. P. Korolev gave a course of lectures on the design of long-range ballistic missiles.

The first stage of rocket development included the preparation and launch of V-2 rockets assembled in Germany and at Plant No. 88 from parts of German rockets found by our specialists. Tests of rockets assembled in Germany and at the plant were conducted at the Kapustin Yar range from mid-October to the end of November.

Factory Testing of the R-1 Rocket First Series

Kaliningrad, 1942

In an effort to alleviate the tense housing situation, the Komsomol organization of the <…> factory, in honor of the 70th anniversary of Comrade Stalin’s birthday, constructed a two-story 16-apartment building with the efforts of the Komsomol members and the factory’s youth.

The construction of the block was predominantly carried out from May-June 1948 to December 1949. Architect N. G. Ryabtsev selected projects from leading architects of the Soviet Union during those years. Thus, the corner houses were designed by the architectural workshop of Vostoknefti S. A. Maslikh and N. N. Slotintseva; the houses consisting of two sections were designed by architects D. S. Meerson and S. P. Selivanovsky — Gorstroyproekt. The houses in the center of the block were designed by M. P. Parusnikov — State Design Workshops. The kindergarten was built according to the design of architect APM of the Ministry of Education N. A. Yakobson.

The construction of the first stage was initially carried out with the participation of German prisoners of war, and later — with the participation of Soviet prisoners. During the construction of houses on the south side of Tsiolkovsky Street, the construction was carried out by hired workers. For the construction of NII-88 and sites in the city of Kaliningrad, a camp for 4,000 people was organized for the special contingent involved in the construction.

In the book "Among the Ural Mountains" by author Y. Bobryshev in 2015, the memories of V. P. Makeev are cited:

Yuri Bobryshev
Author of the book "Among the Ural Mountains"
You have experience in building a youth residential house in Podlipki.
Viktor Makeev
Chief Designer of KBM (now Makeev State Rocket Centre), Founder of the Soviet School of Naval Strategic Missile Engineering
But I had to, to put it mildly, deal with builders and suppliers a lot. Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel helped a lot, he was always available for a meeting and the builders listened to him unconditionally. I even developed a friendly relationship with him. <…> Interestingly, several couples formed during the construction, who soon got married, having apartments built with their own hands.

Testing of the R-5M Rocket with a Nuclear Charge

Qualifying tests of the long-range R-5M rocket with a nuclear charge

Thus, the construction of the block was carried out not only with the involvement of the "special contingent," but also with the involvement of Komsomol members from NII-88.

From 1950 to 1953, the design, manufacture, and testing of the R-5 rocket with a range of 1200 km were carried out. On April 10, 1954, by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the first domestic strategic missile R-5M, based on the R-5 rocket, was being developed, which was intended to deliver a nuclear charge to a distance of 1200 km.

The first successful launch was made on January 21, 1955, and on February 2, 1954, the R-5M rocket was launched with a real nuclear charge. This marked the beginning of the creation of the country’s missile-nuclear shield.

NII-88 Rockets Developed Before 1957

The first launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the USA took place on March 17, 1958 — after the USSR had launched both the first satellite and the first living creature into space — the dog Laika.

At the OKB-1 enterprise under the management of S. P. Korolev in the mid-40s — early 50s of the 20th century, the first domestic ballistic missiles of various types were created — from mobile ground-based tactical complexes to ballistic missiles of submarines and strategic intercontinental carriers of thermonuclear weapons.

14 strategic missile complexes were developed here, 11 of which were put into service and transferred to serial production at other factories, including complexes of the first liquid and solid-fuel rockets, including rockets on high- and low-boiling components of liquid fuel.

The first space rocket R-7 was created, which remains one of the most reliable space rockets in the world to this day. These projects laid the foundations for the further development of the country's missile armament and created the prerequisites for the exploration of outer space.

Laika

R-7

A two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a detachable warhead. Many thanks to Nick Stevens for visualizing the R-7.

The world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile to successfully undergo tests and deliver a warhead to intercontinental range (August 21, 1957).

The R-7 is a liquid-fueled, two-stage monoblock ICBM. It is designed with a "package" scheme — four side blocks of the first stage are arranged around the central block of the second stage.

The flight range is 8,000 km, which is more than the distance from Baikonur to Alaska.

The World's First ICBM

A Unique Missile

Range: 8,000 km

Nuclear Shield

Warhead: One 3-megaton thermonuclear charge

From Sputnik to the ISS

Based on the R-7, a whole family of medium-class launch vehicles was created, making a significant contribution to space exploration. Many spacecraft, starting with the very first ones, as well as all Soviet and Russian cosmonauts, starting with the first cosmonaut of Earth, Yuri Gagarin, were launched into space on launch vehicles of the R-7 family.

Payload: Up to 5.4 tons

The missile can carry a payload of up to 5.37 tons.

A closer look at the historical value

Memorial value

In the first block, specially built for "our specialists," people settled whom L.R. Gonchar and S.P. Korolev gathered from all over the country to work at NII-88. The creators of the rocket and space industry, the authors of the first practical ideas for the development of astronautics — the R-7 ballistic missile.

Anatoly Abramov
Karl Marx Street 15
Deputy Chief Designer of OKB-1 S.P. Korolev (TsKBEM — V.P. Mishin, NPO "Energia" - V.P. Glushko), head of complex № 6 for ground equipment (cosmodromes) and experimental development.
Vasily Mishin
Karl Marx Street 7/12
Tsiolkovsky Street 17/21
One of the founders of Soviet practical cosmonautics, Chief Designer of OKB-1 — TsKBEM, deputy and successor of S.P. Korolev.
Alexey Isaev
Lesnaya Street 14
Chief Designer of OKB-2 Design Bureau of Chemical Machine-Building (now KB Khimmash named after A.M. Isaev)
Leonid Voskresensky
Karl Marx Street 15
Deputy Chief Designer of OKB-1 S.P. Korolev for testing, Head of Department № 308 at MAI (Moscow Aviation Institute), one of the closest friends of S.P. Korolev.

Viktor Klyucharyov
Frunze Street 10
Deputy Chief Designer of OKB-1 S.P. Korolev (TsKBEM — V.P. Mishin, NPO "Energia" - V.P. Glushko), Director of the Experimental Machine-Building Plant (ZEM).
Konstantin Busheev
Tsiolkovsky Street 17/21
Deputy Chief Designer of OKB-1 S.P. Korolev (TsKBEM — V.P. Mishin, NPO "Energia" - V.P. Glushko), head of the design complex № 2, one of the creators of a series of spacecraft for the exploration of the Moon, Venus, Mars, and the "Vostok", "Voskhod", "Soyuz" spacecrafts, technical director of the Soyuz-Apollo project from the Soviet side.
Igor Sadovsky
Karl Marx Street 9
Deputy Chief Designer of OKB-1 S.P. Korolev (TsKBEM — V.P. Mishin, NPO "Energia" - V.P. Glushko), designer of solid-fuel rockets and the "Energia" launch vehicle.
Alexandra Pustovoitenko
Karl Marx Street 11
Chair of the Executive Committee of the City Council of Workers from 1964 to 1975, Honorary Citizen of Kaliningrad (Korolev), from 1958 to 1963 — Head of the Editorial Publishing Group of the Department of Scientific and Technical Information at NII-88.

Vasily Budnik
Tsiolkovsky Street 17/21
One of the founders of rocket and space technology, First Deputy Chief Designer of the Design Bureau "Yuzhnoye", Hero of Socialist Labor, Lenin Prize Laureate.
Sergey Kryukov
Tsiolkovsky Street 21/20
Deputy Chief Designer of OKB-1 S.P. Korolev, Chief Designer of NPO "Energiya" V.P. Glushko, designer of the first intercontinental ballistic missile R-7, Chief Designer of NPO Lavochkin.
Svyatoslav Lavrov
Tsiolkovsky Street 21/20
Pioneer of domestic programming, Head of the Ballistics Group at OKB-1.
Vasily Kharchev
Tsiolkovsky Street 17/21
Head of counterintelligence at the Soviet-German missile institute "Rabe"; Head of the sector at OKB-2 at NII № 88

Vasily Boldyrev
Tsiolkovsky Street 21/20
First Chair of the Executive Committee of the City Council of Workers (1938−1943)
Mikhail Reshetnev
Frunze Street 18
Chief Designer of the Design Bureau of Applied Mechanics in Krasnoyarsk-26, developer of the "Kosmos" launch vehicle, Deputy Chief Designer of OKB-1 S.P. Korolev, one of the founders of Soviet cosmonautics. Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
Viktor Makeev
Frunze Street 18
Founder of the scientific and design school of maritime strategic missile engineering of the Soviet Union and Russia. General Designer of the Design Bureau of Machine-Building (now JSC "State Rocket Center named after Academician V.P. Makeev" in Miass).
Boris Rodionov
Frunze Street 18
Director of the Central Research Institute of Materials Science (JSC "Composite"), First Secretary of the City Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1968 — 1947), Deputy General Director of NPO "Energiya"

Vladimir Kondakov
Karl Marx Street 17
Specialist in the field of vibrational strength of rocket technology products. Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR, head of the laboratory and department of TsNIIMash. Author and co-author of four industry standards, more than 10 industry regulatory and technical documents.
Elena Kondakova
Karl Marx Street 17
The third female cosmonaut of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of the Russian Federation, political figure
Sadovy Viktor
Tsiolkovsky Street 21/20
Head of the secret group working on the first nuclear warhead of Soviet ballistic missiles (R-5m), head of the department at OKB-1. Worked on Sputnik-1, spacecraft, R-7, N-1, MKTS "Energiya-Buran".
Pavel Troshin
Karl Marx Street 17
Deputy Director of NII-88, Chief Engineer of NII-88, head of special train №2

Dmitry Kozlov
Tsiolkovsky Street 21/20
General Designer of TsSKB-Progress in Samara. Leading designer of the R-5 missile, later leading designer of the R-7 missile. Organized missile production in Samara.
Konstantin Karacharov
Frunze Street 14
Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, head of the department of ballistic calculations of one of the Leningrad Research Institutes, employee of OKB-1, responsible executor of scientific reports of the Department of FEST of MLTI.
Konstantin Gorbatenko
Lesnaya Street 18
Deputy Head of the spacecraft assembly shop of TsKBEM, NPO ZEM "Energiya", Hero of Socialist Labor, 47 times wished cosmonauts a successful flight and return to Earth, met them after landing.
Anatoly Voltcifer
Tsiolkovsky Street 21/20
Head of complex № 14 for pneumatic hydraulic system units in terms of creating fittings, deputy of complex № 1 (design), deputy of complex № 5 (fittings), engines and pipelines of rocket and space technology products.

Vadim Dyukov
Karl Marx Street 15
Deputy Chief Designer of NIIIT for the development of sensor equipment for rocket and space technology products. Head of the department at TsNIIMash.
Lev Malysh
Tsiolkovsky Street 19
Deputy Chief Designer for General Issues
Andrey Larin
Lesnaya Street 18
Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the Order of Lenin, the Gold Star, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, medals "For Courage", "For the Capture of Berlin", "For the Liberation of Prague".
Raisa Pozamantir
Lesnaya Street 14
Historian, local lore specialist, journalist, Honorary Citizen of Korolev city.

Arkady Ostashev
Tsiolkovsky Street 17/21
Leading tester of rockets and rocket-space complexes at OKB-1, deputy head of complex № 10 for preparation and conduct of flight tests at TsKBEM.
Mikhail Medkov
Tsiolkovsky Street 17/21
Deputy Chief Designer for production at OKB-3 of NII-88, secretary of the party committee of the M.I. Kalinin plant.
Nikolay Podgorsky
Karl Marx Street 17
Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR, Deputy General Designer for the development of launch vehicles and space complexes at TsKBEM, one of the founders of Soviet practical cosmonautics, worked on the Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz spacecraft, and the N-1 launch vehicle.
Georgy Nedoshyvin
Frunze Street 14
Director of branch № 1 of OKB-1 on Gorodomlya Island, director of the floating gyroscope plant.

Mitrofan Shashin
Karl Marx Street 15
Head of the Capital Construction Department at NII-88, worked in plants and enterprises of the defense industry from 1936 to 1970, specialist in the field of construction of special facilities.
Valentina Shashina
Karl Marx Street 15
Chief Physician of the City Hospital (1950−1980)
Nikolay Shiganov
Karl Marx Street 7/12
Head of the Welding Department at NII-88
Vladimir Karpov
Karl Marx Street 15
Chief Accountant of NII-88

Konstantin Lemarinier
Karl Marx Street 11
Lead Specialist at NPO "Composite"
Maria Cheripko
Frunze Street 10
Founder of the Kaliningrad City Library
Ivan Panichkin
Karl Marx Street 17
Honored Worker of Science and Technology, specialist in applied gas dynamics
Alexander Kolikov
Karl Marx Street 9
Director of the Kalinin Plant Club, first director of the Kalinin Palace of Culture, senior engineer at ONTI OKB-1

Nikolay Maltsev
Karl Marx Street 15
Senior Engineer at the Military-Industrial Commission of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers of the USSR
Alexey Potapov
Tsiolkovsky Street 19
Head of the Aerodynamics Department at NII-88, Doctor of Technical Sciences
Alexander Karmish
Karl Marx Street 7/12
Soviet scientist in rocket engineering
Valery Sorokoletov
Lesnaya Street 14
Specialist in telemetry, one of the founders of the Mission Control Center, first deputy chief of the center

Dmitry Sorokoletov
Lesnaya Street 14
Head of the Administrative and Economic Department at NII-88
Anatoly Tolstov
Lesnaya Street 14
Deputy Chief Designer A.M. Isaev, designer of liquid rocket engines and propulsion systems at the A.M. Isaev Design Bureau of Chemical Machine-Building, Co-author of the project of a liquid rocket engine submerged in fuel component ("submerged") at the A.M. Isaev Design Bureau of Chemical Machine-Building
Konstantin Zaytsev
Karl Marx Street 13
Head of the Metallurgy Laboratory at NII-88. From 1958 to 1960, he was on a business trip in China.
Vasily Akimov
Karl Marx Street 11
Head of the Laboratory of Physical Methods of Material Research at NII-88. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for the execution of a special assignment (21.12.1957). Author of ten published works, twenty-six scientific reports, and an invention.

Pavel Ershov
Frunze 6/20
Head of the Department at OKB-1, leading specialist in the field of design, experimental development, and implementation of propulsion systems for the rocket and space systems and complexes being developed. Participated in a business trip to Germany from June to December 1946. Awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and the "Honor Sign" medal.
Nikolay Kisel
Frunze 16
Director of the Small Arms Plant № 614, Head of the Tool Production at Plant № 88
Stepan Zaitsev
Frunze Street 6/20
Specialist in the development of ground equipment, manufacturing, factory testing, and installation of equipment at test sites and special facilities. Deputy Head of the Department at NII-88. During the war, he worked at military plant № 385 in Zlatoust as Deputy Chief Designer. He carried out technical improvements of the SG machine gun — Model 1946. Awarded two Orders of "Honor Sign".
Valery Ogolyar
Frunze Street 14
Lieutenant Colonel of the Aerospace Forces, military representative at RSC "Energiya", public figure, member of the Public Chamber, Coordination Council, co-author of this website. (1945 — 2019)

Georgy Vetrov
Tsiolkovsky Street 21/20
Doctor of Technical Sciences; Design Engineer, Head of Sector, Scientific Secretary of TsKBEM, historian of cosmonautics
Ivan Prudnikov
Tsiolkovsky Street 21/20
From 1956 to 1966, Ivan Prudnikov headed the design and engineering department of the reentry vehicles of long-range ballistic missiles R-5, R-7, R-9, and R-9A, and from 1964 he was the head of the department for designing spacecraft, including the Lunar spacecraft. His scientific supervisor was S.P. Korolev.
Mikhail Kovalev
Frunze Street 16
Head of the Technical Control Department at Plant № 88 (now ZEM RSC "Energiya")
Nikolay Ragozin
Karl Marx Street 7/12
Head of the group at OKB-1, one of those sent to Germany to study rocket technology, transferred to OKB-586 (headed by M.K. Yangel)

Nikolay Savelev
Frunze Street 14
Deputy Director of NII-88 for Safety, Veteran of labor.
Lyubov Miloradova
Frunze Street 14
Head of the Metallurgy Laboratory at NII-88, metallurgical engineer, inventor
Ivan Bryntsev
Lesnaya Street 14
Head of the Personnel Department at NII-88
Evgeny Shabarov
Tsiolkovsky Street 17/21
Deputy Chief Designer S.P. Korolev for ground and flight tests of rockets, Deputy General Designer of NPO "Energiya"

Oleg Shtin
Lesnaya Street 14
Tester of special products, Head of the Group in Department 16 of KB Khimmash

Nikolay Ryabtsev

Architect, Author of the urban development project for construction

Nikolay Ryabtsev was born on March 22, 1904, in Seredina-Buda, Sumy Region.

In 1930, he graduated from the Moscow Architectural and Construction Institute with a degree in civil construction architecture. He began his career in 1927 as a construction technician at "Mosstroy."

At the beginning of the war, he was sent to Sverdlovsk, where he worked until he was appointed as the chief architect at the State Union Design Institute No. 7 in 1943.

From 1943 to 1975, he served as the chief architect, group leader, project manager, and chief specialist of the architectural and construction department No. 13 at the State Union Design Institute No. 7. From 1967 to 1975, he was the chief specialist of the architectural and construction department No.13.

Awards: Medals "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941−1945." The work of Nikolay Ryabtsev was repeatedly recognized with acknowledgments and Honorary Diplomas from the institute, and he was listed in the Institute’s Book of Honor in 1972.

Lyrical Architecture

In August 1943, at a plenum of the Board of the Union of Architects, A.G. Mordvinov, who would soon head the Committee on Architecture Affairs at the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, made a report, revealing (or setting) the mood of post-war architecture:

"There is a contrast between mass construction and the design of monuments. Mass construction, you see, is not art, but monuments are pure art. There is no doubt that work is needed on the monuments, but such a contrast is incorrect and harmful. The construction of low-rise residential buildings is such a noble and at the same time grateful task, to create for a person a cozy, warm, beautiful dwelling that gives him the joy of life. Here too is poetry, but not the pathos of Victory, as with monuments, but lyricism. This lyrical poetry is born out of love for the person, for the people."

At the same time, the engineers and architects of the State Union Design Institute No. 7 under the Ministry of Armaments of the USSR faced a difficult task: to prepare a project and a complete set of documentation for the restoration of the workshops of Plant No. 88, the project for the construction of new workshops with specific requirements for operation, as well as the project for the construction of residential block No. 23 in the city— a civil structure.

The first schematic project for the construction of the block was worked on by the architectural and construction department No. 6 of GSPI-7: Chief Engineer of the project Fishmer, Head of the department Sebekin, Head of the bureau—Popov. The architect of the project was appointed Nikolay Grigoryevich Ryabtsev—Senior Architect of GSPI-7.

For the construction of the block, Nikolay Grigoryevich Ryabtsev used the projects of outstanding architects of the 20th century, including the project of Mikhail Pavlovich Parusnikov—a student of architects S.V. Noakovsky and I.V. Zholtovsky. In the mid-40s, Mikhail Pavlovich developed several exemplary projects of residential buildings for the construction of cities after the war, including the project that Nikolay Grigoryevich Ryabtsev used to fix the central square in the block.

S.A. Maslikh

Frunze 6/20, 10, 18; Karl Marx 7/12, 11, 19; Lesnaya 14, 18.

M.N. Slotintseva

Frunze 6/20, 10, 18; Karl Marx 7/12, 11, 19; Lesnaya 14, 18.

D.S. Meerson

Frunze 8, 12, 16; Karl Marx 17, 13, 9.

S.P. Selivanovsky

Frunze 8, 12, 16; Karl Marx 17, 13, 9

M.P. Parusnikov

Frunze 14, Karl Marx 15

L.P. Guletskaya

Tsiolkovsky 17/21, 19, 12/20

N.G. Ryabtsev

Author of the project of block № 23, revised the projects of D.S. Meerson and S.P. Selivanovsky: Frunze 12, Karl Marx 13

The use of this project in the construction of the block was intended from the very first sketch and "urgent" project and has survived to the present day — Karl Marx 15 and Frunze 14 are the only houses in Korolev built according to the project of the architect M.P. Parusnikov.
Along the front of Karl Marx and Frunze streets, buildings were constructed, the architects of which are Dmitry Solomonovich Meerson and S.P. Selivanovsky. Dmitry Solomonovich worked at "Gorstroyproekt" in the 1930s-1960s (in the 1930s, the Chief Architect of Gorstroyproekt was I.V. Zholtovsky), and then at the Central Research and Design Institute of Housing. He is the author of a number of residential buildings in Moscow, numerous projects of residential buildings, reconstruction projects of Bukhara, Grozny, and other cities. In Korolev, three houses were built according to the projects of Meerson and Selivanovsky — Frunze 8, 16, and Karl Marx 9, and significant changes were made to the projects of two houses — Karl Marx 13 and Frunze 12. These buildings have features similar to the 202 series project, only instead of one bay window, the building has two, there is no attic window on the roof, and the decor is reworked.

The corner houses were designed according to the projects of the architects of the Architectural Workshop of Vostokneft, S.A. Maslikh and M.N. Slotintseva. They have separate exits from the apartments on the first floor, and the balconies form a risalit, providing a beautiful corner perspective in combination with the mirror-reflected neighboring building.

The projects of major architects of the 20th century, combined with academic urban planning solutions, with unique memorial and historical value, allow block No. 23 to fully claim the status of a cultural heritage object, not only as a historical monument, but also as an architectural monument — a beautiful lyrical architecture of the second half of the 1940s.

In 1948, the already experienced architect Lyubov Petrovna Guletskaya began working in the city, and she was entrusted with developing the master plan for the construction of the rocket scientists' city. The first project in Kaliningrad, implemented by Lyubov Petrovna, was the design of the southern, ceremonial, side of block No. 23.

From the description of the block, prepared by Anna Vasilyeva: "Both in the building projects used by Ryabtsev in the block construction, and in the buildings constructed according to the projects of L.P. Guletskaya, classical architectural details are used.

Profiled cornices, window elements and sandriks, rustication of corners, volutes and pediments, round dormer windows, powerful square supports of terraces and balconies with capitals were characteristic elements of post-war architecture.

All these details help stylistically unite the block into a single composition, emphasize its classical character, and at the same time, add coziness to the living environment, which was an important requirement of that time."

Urban Planning Value

The layout solution of the block allowed for the creation of a cozy ensemble of residential buildings, in which everyone feels safe.

The planning system of the block is based on the principles of planning scientific towns, where the block was planned as a self-sufficient planning structure, including green spaces, infrastructure, and the use of the scale of buildings and their ratio to open spaces, comparable to the human scale. Thus, the created harmonious urban environment contributed to the development of space science, as it formed optimal conditions for the work of scientists and designers—creators of rocket and space technology.

Two main principles of space formation are used in the planning structure of the block. The first principle—"open perspective"—organizes through functional connections (driveways and passages) that unite the main planning "nodes" of the block. The latitudinal intra-block driveway, which also serves as a through pedestrian passage, conditionally divides the block into two parts—north and south.

The second principle—"closed perspectives"—creates a system of relationships of chamber spaces, more corresponding to the human scale. It can be said that the block is a model of a certain "city"—with its avenues, squares, streets, and alleys.

At the same time, the feeling of intimacy is achieved not only by the restrained height of the buildings, their volumetric-spatial structure, and the use of decorative techniques. The buildings of the block themselves have planning diversity: external corner (G-shaped); external intermediate G-shaped; external intermediate rectangular; internal rectangular; internal G-shaped.

Different projects are brought to a single module in height, length, volume, etc. They are placed within the boundaries of the block in such a way as to maximize the use of the building area—naturally, while observing regulatory distances between them. Thanks to this, the possibility of creating those very spaces, scalable to a person and interflowing, which were mentioned above, arose.

The developed volumetric-spatial composition of the buildings, the variety of structuring techniques for their facades, and the options for using decor positively influence the perception of the block from different viewpoints. External frontal compositions are formed not only by the facades of the buildings but also by the openings between them, creating necessary compositional pauses. Through them, deep perspectives open up, enclosed by the volumes of buildings located in the depth of the block. The system of articulations of the volumes of these buildings as a whole and their fragments ensures their most optimal perception when viewed from the peripheral latitudinal and meridional streets.

The ensemble of residential buildings represents an authentic, integral element of the urban spatial and architectural-artistic environment of Korolev in the mid-20th century, contributing to the uniqueness even in the historical part of the city. The buildings of the ensemble participate in shaping the historical development of the central part of the city, ensuring the preservation of the historical environment, including in the process of visual perception of the surrounding objects. The preserved buildings are concentrated within the boundaries of one block, providing an ensemble perception of the development fragment.