Melnikov House

In the labyrinth of Arbat side streets hides one of the most astonishing buildings in the capital, which foreigners call an architectural wonder, and Muscovites call a symbol of an era. The Melnikov House is not just a museum; it is a manifesto of creative freedom frozen in stone and glass. The mansion, built in 1929 by the brilliant architect Konstantin Melnikov for his family, has preserved its unique atmosphere and original appearance despite the turbulent history of the 20th century. Today it is a federal cultural heritage site and a mecca for constructivism enthusiasts from all over the world. The building is a unique experiment: two cylinders inserted into each other, forming a complex “figure-eight,” pierced with light through hexagonal honeycomb windows.

Practical information for visitors

Visiting the Melnikov House is an exclusive experience. Due to the fragility of the floors and the special status of the building, entry is possible only as part of small guided tours.

Basic information

• Address: Moscow, Krivoarbatsky Lane, 10.
• How to get there: nearest metro stations — “Smolenskaya” (Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line) and “Arbatskaya”. From Arbat street, turn at the Viktor Tsoi Wall.
• Opening hours: tours are held daily except Sunday and Monday. Standard tours usually start at 13:00.

Ticket prices

• Full ticket: 1000 rubles.
• Concession ticket: 500 rubles (for Russian citizens: pensioners, students, children under 18).

Important: Tickets are highly recommended to be purchased in advance online, as the group size is strictly limited (usually up to 5 people) to avoid putting stress on the historic structures.

Architectural features: a house without corners

Konstantin Melnikov managed to prove the impossible: living in a round house can be more comfortable than in a square one. The design is based on an innovative principle developed together with engineer Vladimir Shukhov.

• Shape: The building consists of two cylinders of different heights inserted into each other by one-third of the radius. This saved building materials and created a rigid frame without additional load-bearing columns inside.
• Honeycomb walls: The brickwork is made in the form of a lattice framework. The house has 200 hexagonal openings, of which 57 are glazed and serve as windows, creating a unique façade ornament and providing natural lighting that changes throughout the day.
• Economy: Melnikov built the house with his own money and fees, so he used, for example, construction debris and broken bricks to fill voids in the walls, which provided excellent thermal insulation.

Journey through the floors: interiors and layout

The interior space of the house is organized on the principle of ascent: from everyday needs to high creativity. There are no familiar corridors or blind corners here.

1. First floor — Daily life: Here are the entrance hall, dining room and kitchen. An interesting detail is the “air telephone” (intercom pipe) for communicating with family members on other floors. A unique waste chute was connected directly to the furnace in the basement, where waste was burned. There were also two symmetrical children’s rooms and a dressing room.
2. Second floor — Rest: Here is the living room and the famous bedroom. This is a common space for the whole family without unnecessary partitions. The bed-podiums were literally built into the floor, creating a feeling of purity and emptiness of space. Twelve hexagonal windows fill the room with soft light and offer a view of the garden.
3. Third floor — Creativity: The top of the house is the famous architect’s Studio with access to an open terrace-solarium. It was here that the boldest projects of the Soviet avant-garde were born. The space is flooded with light and seems boundless.

History of creation: a dream that became reality

The story of how this mansion appeared in the center of Moscow in the late 1920s borders on fantasy. In an era when the NEP was being curtailed and collectivization was beginning, when private construction was practically prohibited, Melnikov received a plot of land from the state. The authorities viewed this project as “experimental demonstration construction” for future communal houses. The architect himself saw it as a chance to create a manifesto of his own personality. He rejected ready-made templates, creating a space where architecture dictates the way of life, and not vice versa. The house survived a lot: the war, a blast wave that damaged the glazing, and long years of oblivion when Melnikov was excommunicated from the profession. The architect’s family lived here until the 2000s, preserving the interiors, personal belongings and the spirit of the creator.

Why is this place worth visiting?

The Melnikov House is a rare chance to see the “inside” of a genius’s life. It is not a dead museum with exhibits under glass, but a living organism. Here you can see how the avant-garde ideas of the 1920s were embodied in real everyday life: from an ingenious ventilation system to the unique play of light in the studio. It is a monument to the time when Russian architecture was ahead of the entire planet.