Nikolai Nikitin
Encyclopedia
Nikolay Nikitkin was a structural designer and construction engineer of the Soviet Union
, best known for his monumental structures.
, Siberia
to the family of a typographical engineer who later worked as a judicial clerk. When Nikolay was 17 a snake bite left him with a permanent foot injury. In 1930, Nikolay graduated from the Tomsk Technological Institute
with training in construction.
In 1932, he designed the train station of Novosibirsk
. By 1937, he was living and working in Moscow
. He turned his attention to calculations for the foundation of the monumental Palace of Soviets
which was to be constructed at the site of the dynamited Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
.
In 1957 he was appointed chief designer of Mosproekt-2 - Institute for the Planning of Housing and Civil Engineering Construction in the City of Moscow. Nikolay died on 3 March 1973 and is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery
.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, best known for his monumental structures.
Biography
Nikolay was born in TobolskTobolsk
Tobolsk is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh Rivers. It is a historic capital of Siberia. Population: -History:...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
to the family of a typographical engineer who later worked as a judicial clerk. When Nikolay was 17 a snake bite left him with a permanent foot injury. In 1930, Nikolay graduated from the Tomsk Technological Institute
Tomsk Polytechnic University
Tomsk Polytechnic University in Tomsk, Russia, is the oldest technical university in Russia east of the Urals. The university was founded in 1896 and opened in 1900 as the Tomsk Technological Institute. In 1923, the school was renamed the Siberian Technological Institute and in 1930, the institute...
with training in construction.
In 1932, he designed the train station of Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
. By 1937, he was living and working in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. He turned his attention to calculations for the foundation of the monumental Palace of Soviets
Palace of Soviets
The Palace of the Soviets was a project to construct an administrative center and a congress hall in Moscow, Russia, near the Kremlin, on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour...
which was to be constructed at the site of the dynamited Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Moscow)
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is a Church in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskva River, a few blocks south-west of the Kremlin...
.
In 1957 he was appointed chief designer of Mosproekt-2 - Institute for the Planning of Housing and Civil Engineering Construction in the City of Moscow. Nikolay died on 3 March 1973 and is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
.
Selected works
- Moscow State UniversityMoscow State UniversityLomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
's 240 m (787 ft) high main building. At the time of its construction it was the tallest building in Europe. Built from 1949 to 1953. - Warsaw Palace of Culture and ScienceWarsaw Palace of Culture and ScienceThe Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw is the tallest building in Poland, the eighth tallest building in the European Union. The building was originally known as the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science , but in the wake of destalinization the dedication to Stalin was revoked; Stalin's...
, constructed from 1952 to 1955 also in partnership with Lev RudnevLev RudnevLev Vladimirovich Rudnev was a Soviet architect, and a leading practitioner of Stalinist architecture.-Biography:Rudnev was born to the family of a school teacher in the town of Opochka . He graduated from the Riga Realschule and entered the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg...
as main architect. - Luzhniki StadiumLuzhniki StadiumThe Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium , is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium...
- Colossal 85 meter statue on the Mamayev KurganMamayev KurganMamayev Kurgan is a dominant height overlooking the city of Volgograd in Southern Russia. The name in Russian means "tumulus of Mamai"....
heights overlooking Volgograd, "The Motherland CallsThe Motherland CallsThe Motherland Calls, , also called Mother Motherland, Mother Motherland Is Calling, simply The Motherland, or The Mamayev Monument, is a statue in Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad. It was designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and structural engineer...
" used 7900 tons of concrete and steel in a dramatic sculpture design by Yevgeny VuchetichYevgeny VuchetichYevgeny Viktorovich Vuchetich was a prominent Soviet sculptor and artist. He is known for his heroic monuments, often of allegoric style.He was born in Yekaterinoslav, Russian Empire...
. - Ostankino TowerOstankino TowerOstankino Tower is a free-standing television and radio tower in Moscow, Russia. Standing tall, Ostankino was designed by Nikolai Nikitin. It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers, currently the tallest in Europe and 4th tallest in the world. The tower was the first free-standing...
- Completed in 1967, at 540 metres (1772 ft), the highest freestanding structure in EurasiaEurasiaEurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
.