GUM Department Store, Moscow (must see)

GUM Department Store is a historic shopping complex whose present building opened on December 2, 1893, as the Upper Trading Rows. Designed by architect Alexander Pomerantsev, with engineering by Vladimir Shukhov, it combined a Russian Revival exterior with advanced iron-and-glass construction.

The complex replaced earlier trading rows that had occupied the site and was conceived as a modern commercial passage containing numerous individual shops. Its combination of traditional architectural references and innovative engineering made it distinctive among late-19th-century commercial buildings. Inside, the building is organized around three long parallel shopping galleries arranged on several levels and connected by bridges and walkways. Shukhov designed the lightweight iron-and-glass roofs spanning the passages, allowing natural light to illuminate the galleries below. The exterior features arched windows, towers, stone facing, and decorative forms influenced by medieval Russian architecture. A fountain in the central area remains a familiar meeting point, while the galleries provide views across the different levels and reveal the scale of the original commercial design. After the Russian Revolution, the complex was nationalized, and in 1921 it became GUM, originally an abbreviation for State Department Store. It was later closed as a retail center and used largely for offices before reopening as a department store in 1953.

Today, GUM functions as a shopping center containing boutiques, cafés, restaurants, and specialty stores. Visitors can explore the historic galleries, stop at Gastronome No. 1, a modern successor to GUM’s Soviet-era grocery department, or try the ice cream that has become a long-standing tradition associated with the store. Seasonal decorations and displays regularly transform the interior galleries throughout the year.