Video review of the construction of Museum and Theatre-Educational Complex in Kaliningrad (July 2020)

We present to your attention a video review of the construction of Museum and Theatre-Educational Complexes in Kaliningrad.

Construction of complex facilities in Kaliningrad is underway on two sites – Eastern and Western – located on both sides of the Kaliningrad stadium, which was erected for the FIFA World Cup 2018.

On the Western site the casting of concrete foundation of future Tretyakov Gallery branch has started. To date, more than 6200 cubic meters of concrete mix has been poured, the works are ongoing. In early July, during the work, a new record was set for continuous pouring of concrete at the facility - in 26 hours, specialists poured 2710 cubic meter of concrete.  The concrete mix for the foundation slab contains the highest quality materials. In particular, German equipment has been installed at the pit where sand is mined. The equipment provides the 4 stages of sand washing and adjusting its grain size composition. Once the poured concrete gains strength, the erection of the vertical structures of the museum complex will begin.

Monolithic works have been completed in educational buildings and dormitories located on the Eastern site. The works on construction of inner and outer walls, partitions, finishing works and roofing installation are in progress. Construction of site and off-site utility networks is underway. Residential buildings for artists and teachers are being built.

A student group of 30 students from universities of the Kaliningrad Region is taking part in the construction. For two months until the end of August, students will work in two areas: young men will master jobs at the construction site, while girls are to work with design documentation in engineering department. Each member of the student team is officially employed in accordance with the Labour Code to work 8 hours a day 5 days a week with two days off.

Project Background:

The task to create a new cultural centre was set by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in his Address to the Federal Assembly in 2018 and spelled out in detail in the Executive Order “On National Goals and Strategic Objectives of the Russian Federation for the Period until 2024”. Starting from September 2019 Stroytransgaz JSC became a new General Contractor for the construction of the facilities. The project owner is the Social and Cultural Projects Fund "National Cultural Heritage".

Creation of cultural, educational and museum complexes is one of the priority areas of the national “Culture” project implemented by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The project will allow the Region to unlock its cultural and educational potential, arrange modern cultural space, change life quality of the residents through art introduction and, at the same time, make the city particularly attractive for visitors and tourists. Construction of the complexes will become one of the largest cultural projects of the recent years.

Construction is carried out on the Western and Eastern sites of Oktyabrsky Island in Kaliningrad. An Opera and Ballet Theatre for 950 seats, the Higher School of Music and Theatre Arts, and a Museum Complex will be built on the Western Site. The foundation stone of the branches of the State Bolshoi Academic Theatre of Russia and the State Tretyakov Gallery was laid in February, 2020. A secondary school for 550 schoolchildren, including a swimming-pool, academic buildings of a music school and an academy of choreography with student boarding schools, a dormitory for the students of the higher school of music and theatrical arts, and residential buildings for artists and teachers will be located on the Eastern Site.

The floor area of the buildings on the Western and Eastern Sites totals 118,039 sq. m.