GUM Department Store, Moscow

GUM Department Store, Moscow

GUM is the largest and most iconic department store in Russia, situated on Red Square.  A symbol of Russian capitalism throughout the ages, it is not just a shop but a landmark that has been intertwined with the upheavals of Russian history. In GUM, you can experience the grandeur of Imperial Russia, enjoy the entertainment of Soviet Russia, and browse the luxury shops lining its grand arcades.

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History of GUM

Medieval and Imperial Russia

The territory of the future Red Square was a trading center from the 11^th century onwards, and by the 15^th century a marketplace was established here, beside the Kremlin. As Red Square evolved into the center of Moscow’s political, civic and economic life over the next two centuries, a huge bazaar took shape in the center of the square. By the mid-17^th century, almost all of Moscow’s trade took place on Red Square, and seven hundred shops were operating here.

The transfer of Russia’s capital to St Petersburg and the devastation caused by the Napoleonic invasion of Moscow had left Red Square worse for wear in the 1800s. What’s more, the wooden shops of the bazaar were continually ravaged by fires. In an effort to create a symbol of ‘New Moscow’, the Upper Trading Rows was founded on Red Square in 1815. This grand Classical building designed by architect Osip Bove would replace the old market, but maintain the atmosphere of a lively eastern bazaar. However, ownership of the Upper Rows was divided amongst the different shop proprietors, making it impossible to organise any repairs – leaving the shopping complex seriously dilapidated.

Tsar Alexander II’s modernising reforms in the mid-1800s had created a rich and proud class of merchants in Moscow, who were keen to show off Russia’s technological progress and prosperity. Clearly, the crumbling Upper Trading Rows in the very heart of Moscow was not the image they wanted to project to the world. Eventually, the shop owners were persuaded to form a joint-stock company with the approval of the tsar, and they subsequently organised a country-wide competition to design the brand-new Upper Trading Rows – which was won by Alexander Pomerantsev.

The Upper Trading Rows was opened on 2^nd December 1893, and was the largest arcade-style department store in Europe. It merged eastern and western influence, with a European-quality department store whose Russian-style façade was in keeping with the State Historical Museum and Kremlin, which lay adjacent on Red Square.

Pomerantsev’s prize-winning design had envisioned a city within a city, sixteen buildings connected by glass-ceilinged streets. In this shining example of Russian capitalism, shoppers could browse 322 shops, including world-class products from famous brands: silks of the Sapozhnikov brothers, who won 6 Grand Prix at the World Exhibitions; watches from Mikhail Kalashnikov, who counted Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky among his customers; and the official perfumiers and confectioners of the Russian Imperial Court. As well as shops, the Upper Rows was home to a bank, restaurant, beauty salon, dentist’s practice and atelier – and the building was even supplied by its own power plant. Wholesale trade was conducted in the basement, the most luxurious shops held pride of place on the ground floor, and cheaper goods could be found on the upper floors. Concerts and exhibitions were also organised in the Upper Trading Rows, and foreign-language translators welcomed and assisted international guests.

Photo by Unbekannte Autoren und Grafiker; Scan vom EDHAC e.V. on Wikimedia

Soviet Russia

With the arrival of the October Revolution, trading initially ceased in the Upper Trading Rows. Goods were requisitioned and the People’s Commissariat for Food occupied the building. However, Lenin was afraid that the harsh and unpopular policy of War Communism (which had utilised nationalisation and requisition to deal with the economic problems of Civil War) would be the downfall of the Bolsheviks. He introduced the New Economic Policy, once again permitting private business to operate.

He decided to trial his new policy in the Upper Trading Rows, and famed artists of the time, including Alexander Rodchenko and Vladimir Mayakovsky, were responsible for creating posters advertising the reopening of the store – which became one of the symbols of the NEP era. Lenin was also responsible for the modern-day name of the department store: he signed a statute in December 1921 setting out regulations for the State Department Store – Gosudarstvenny universalny magazin, otherwise known as ‘GUM’. In the 1930s, Stalin once again closed GUM, relocating various ministries and departments into its luxurious halls, and even planned to demolish it in 1935 and later in 1947. Thankfully, this never came to fruition.

GUM was reopened in 1953 to great fanfare, just a few months after Stalin’s death. The queues to enter GUM were so huge, that special police squads had to be present to control the crowds. The reopening of GUM truly marked the dawn of a new era: in fact, the event was announced on the same day as was the execution of Lavrenty Beria (the sadistic leader of Stalin’s secret police). After years of terror and deprivation, people could now revisit this historic place, a symbol of prosperity and entertainment, and browse tens of thousands of goods – from clothes and shoes, to children’s toys and books. Just as GUM had been a symbol of NEP, it became a symbol of Khrushchev’s Thaw.

Photo by Diego Delso on Wikimedia

What can you see and do at GUM?

Shopping

GUM is home to 135 shops, arranged along three 200-metre long arcades and set over three floors. Staying true to its roots, the ground floor arcade closest to Red Square is lined with luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Prada, Cartier, Gucci, Chanel and Burberry. These designer stores are famed for their elaborate window displays which are updated seasonally. Among the other shops in GUM, there are a large number of accessories, shoes and jewellery shops, as well as thirty different souvenir stores.

Photo on Moscowjob.net

Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels

Food and drink

• Gastronom No.1: GUM’s famous deli operated from 1953 to 1990, with abundantly-stocked display cases overlooking Red Square (seemingly to show off the plentiful food available under Khrushchev). Gastronom No.1 was modelled on this famous deli and is a real throwback to the past, with interior design, staff uniforms, and even food products reminiscent of the USSR in the 1950s and ‘60s. Here you can find confectionary, fish and seafood, meat and dairy products – and one of the best wine shops in Moscow.
• Ice cream: GUM’s ice cream has become almost synonymous with the department store itself. This excellent-quality ice cream, handmade according to a secret recipe, is served in waffle cones and sold from several stalls on the ground floor.
• Stolovaya No.57: For another Soviet experience, visit the Stolovaya (self-service canteen). Here you can sample a range of simple dishes which have been the favourites of Russians throughout the decades – soups, salads, pies, cakes, meat and fish dishes – and dine in a traditional Soviet interior. A three-course meal here costs less than 500 roubles.

Entertainment

• GUM skating rink: arguably the most famous symbol of the festive season in Moscow, the GUM skating rink sits pride of place in Red Square. This is one of the most unique experiences for visitors to Moscow in the winter, who can zip around the rink while surrounded by the Kremlin, St Basil’s Cathedral, and GUM, which is dressed in golden lights during the winter. It usually operates, from December to March.
• Cinema: an independent three-hall cinema, screening new releases, cinema classics, film exhibitions and opera and ballet performances. In the Special Hall films are usually shown in their original language. The cinema is luxuriously decorated with red curtains, velvet armchairs and crystal chandeliers, and doesn’t serve the standard cinema fare – instead, cinemagoers can enjoy sandwiches, cakes, champagne and lemonade.

Photo by Enrique Hoyos on Pexels

What’s nearby?

• Red Square: Russia’s most famous square, situated between the Kremlin and historic Kitai-Gorod district and surrounded by Moscow’s most famous landmarks.
• Moscow Kremlin: a unique monument of Russian culture and a symbol of Russian statehood for centuries, home to cathedrals and churches, 20 towers, and opulent palaces.
• St Basil’s Cathedral: known all over the world for its colourful onion domes, and comprising ten different churches under one roof.
• State History Museum: the largest national history museum in Russia, with exhibitions spanning from the Stone Age to the end of the 19th century
• Park Zaryadye: a large park located on the banks of the Moskva River, with sections recreating Russia’s varied landscape and a viewing platform with a magnificent view of the Kremlin.
• Lenin’s Mausoleum: the resting place of the father of the October Revolution. Even today it is possible to see Lenin’s embalmed body.