Moscow

Lena sent me this pretty card with two views of Moscow, The one above is that of The White House, also known as the Russian White House. It is a government building in Moscow. It stands on Krasnopresnenskaya embankment. Construction started in 1965 and ended in 1981. Originally called The House of Soviets, it was designed by the architects Dmitry Chechulin and P. Shteller. Upon completion in 1981, the White House was used by the Supreme Soviet of Russia, which had until then held its sessions in the Grand Kremlin Palace. The Supreme Soviet of Russia remained in the building until the end of the Soviet Union, as well as during the first years of the Russian Federation. The White House was pictured on a 50 kopeck stamp in 1991, honoring the resistance to the failed coup attempt of 1991. After the end of the Soviet Union, the White House continued to serve as the seat of the Russian parliament. The White House stood damaged for some time after the 1993 crisis, and the black burns became famous, so much so that it became tradition for newlyweds to be photographed in front of its damaged facade. The reformed parliament, known thereafter by its Tsarist era title of Duma, was elected in 1994 and moved to another building on Moscow's Okhotny Ryad. The renovated White House now houses the Russian government. An inscription at the base of the tower reads, "House of the Government of the Russian Federation."

The picture below is of The Grand Triumphal Arch, which is decorated with the coats of arms from the 48 Russian provinces. To celebrate the victory over France in the war of 1812, it also includes bas-reliefs of the "Expulsion of the French". The arch was originally built in 1834, but has only been on this site since 1968. One can also see the Poklonny Hill in the background. It is a little ironic that this arch resembles the Paris Arc de Triomphe, which Napoleon built between 1806 and 1836 to celebrate his French victories.