Shopping is one of the favorite parts of any kind of holiday for tourists without considering the goal of that trip. Most of the tourists whether they want to shop or not, usually visit the shop centers at least once during their stay. However, most of the recognitions are towards the local markets and local shops, but, there are some differences about the Gum Market. The market whom its fate knitted with Russia history.
The Gum Mall located at the heart of Moscow, face to face with the Red Square. The facade which is 240 meters long is at the eastern side of the square. The upper and main market designed and built by Alexander Pomerantsev and Vladimir Shukhov, in 1893. This building with its 14-meter tall glass-roof has a unique architecture for a market. Roman Klein who got the second place in Gum Market's architecture competition, later, designed and built the lower floor.
The Idea of opening a center market in Moscow came to mind of the Russian merchant after Napoleon's invasion of Russia. At the beginning of the 19th century, they built a market at the same location as the today Gum market which was similar to Arabic Bazaars at the time. After that the Gum Market built at the heart of Moscow, in 1893, it quickly became the symbol of modern Russia and welcomed by each Russian at the time. Although after the October Revolution, the market occupied by the Soviet government and shifted into their offices. However, Lenin decided to use the market for international benefits and signified it as the symbol of Modern Russia Trade Market. In the change of power, Stalin once again closed the market and turned it into their offices in 1930.
Stalin had plans to demolish the market twice in 1935 and 1947, but his plans never got into actions. After his death, the market renovated and reopened for the public as the symbol of Communism and international trading coexistence. The Gum Store has a bizarre fate, it once opened as the symbol of modern Russia, nearly demolished, then change into the common people and the government union, and once again, retake its position as the Modern Russia Economic Symbol in Red Square.
After that the Soviet Union had fallen, there were lots of Gum Store in each part of Russia and other former Soviet countries, but the Gum Mall in the Red Square of Moscow is the original and only one in the world.
Today, the Gum Mall in Red Square is the favorite place for tourists and shoppers. Around sixty thousand people visit this place and its luxury stores daily. However, Gum Mall is not only a shopping center where you can buy anything you want. It's an enormous complex of cafes, restaurants, gyms, cinemas, resting places, art galleries, and local souvenir shops.
The Gastronome food department is remarkably popular among visitors. In this department, besides the cafes and restaurants, there are separate sections of dairy, meat, sausages, fish, vegetables, and drinks. Aside from the stores, there are places to cook and eat the product at the mall too. The Gastronome looks like a heaven for people with great appetite.
The Demonstration Hall in this complex was concert hall before the October Revolution, and after that changed into the club for Soviet officials and their ceremonies. Today, this place is used for fashion shows, concerts, and mall ceremonies.
The Gum Theater is the place for displaying the trending movies and soviet documentaries. It has three halls, the common one with 70 people capacity, the children hall which designed to entertain children most comfortably, and the VIP hall which has only 16 people limit, and instead of a normal single comfortable seat, offers three-person cozy sofas to guarantee its visitors' comfort. All of these halls are equipped with modern theater accessories and best display options.
Also, The Gum Mall which appended the symbol of modern Russia to its name in Red Square is the host of many state and religious ceremonies during the year. These are all the reason for the Gum Mall being the favorite place for both tourists and Muscovites.
We recommend all the tourists to at least visit this place once, even if they don't have plans to buy anything. There are several valid reasons for Russia tours to include this mall to their tour plans such as the astonishing architecture of the place, the foods, reliable cafes and restaurants, recreational events, and even observing the beautiful interior design of the famous brands of the world in this mall.
There are lots of other places like Gum mall that tourists can go and shop, to find them you can always ask our expert tour leaders at Star Travel Group, or check out our blog including the Visit Moscow and Travel to Russia pages.
