Ministry of Foreign Affairs Main Building, Moscow

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Main Building, Moscow

The main building of Russia's Foreign Affairs Ministry is one of the seven skyscrapers in Moscow designed in Stalinist style. At the time of construction, between 1947 and 1953, the so-called Seven Sisters were the tallest buildings in Europe, and have long dominated the skyline of Moscow ever since.

The MFA edifice stands on the site previously intended for the House of Foreign Tourism, whose construction began in 1931, which was then remodeled as a wing of the People's Commissariat of the Meat and Dairy Industry also unfinished because of the war.

The Foreign Ministry project kicked off in 1948 and was completed in 1953, led by architects Vladimir Gelfreykh and Adolf Minkus, based on the dimensions and outline of the previous construction and some other pre-war buildings nearby incorporated into the ensemble. Apparent is the visual similarity with Woolworth Building in Manhattan whose architectural appearance reflects English Gothic style characterized by rigid ribs, height and upward tendency.

The skyscraper stands 172 meters (564 ft) tall and has 27 floors served by 28 elevators, including 18 high-speed ones. On the main facade, 114 meters high, is the coat of arms of the former USSR. Similarly to all its sister towers, the MFA's top is crowned by a metal spire accentuating the silhouette. The spire was hastily added to the design at the insistence of Joseph Stalin in 1952, a year after the project was completed. The objecting Vladimir Gelfreykh was politely advised that if he refused to comply, another architect would take his place...

Adding a spire represented a bit of a problem as the lightened top of the building couldn't hold a heavy stone installation, so they decided to put a decorative one instead, made of painted ocher-steel sheets, thus reducing the total weight of the 56-meter spire to 350 tons. Its fragility became the reason that the Foreign Ministry building is the only Stalinist skyscraper not crowned with a five-pointed star. Legend has it that after Stalin's death, the architect Minkus wrote to Nikita Khrushchev asking to dismantle the spire, to which he replied: "Let the spire remain a monument to Stalin's stupidity." In 2017, because of the corrosion, the old spire was dismantled and cut into souvenirs, while a new exact copy was installed later the same year.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Moscow. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Main Building on Map

Sight Name: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Main Building
Sight Location: Moscow, Russia (See walking tours in Moscow)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Moscow, Russia

Create Your Own Walk in Moscow

Create Your Own Walk in Moscow

Creating your own self-guided walk in Moscow is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Communist Moscow Tour

Communist Moscow Tour

The arrival of communist ideology left an indelible imprint in the history of the 20th century, largely affecting the lives of people, arts, and architecture. Having been at the heart of the Soviet empire for almost 70 years, Moscow is a great destination for everyone interested in the Soviet heritage, the traces of which are found throughout the city.

By far, the most iconic site associated...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Red Square Walking Tour

Red Square Walking Tour

There's hardly any place in Russia more popular than Moscow's Red Square. Marking the center of the city, Red Square indeed represents in many ways the very heart of the Russian capital and the whole country. Built in the late 15th century, it has been a focal point in Russia's social and political life ever since, witnessing many historic and sometimes dramatic events including...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Moscow Introduction Walking Tour

Moscow Introduction Walking Tour

Moscow (Russian: Moskva) is the capital and the largest city in Russia. Cosmopolitan as such, it is the nation’s political, economic, cultural, scientific and religious center. The city's name is thought to have derived from that of the Moskva River upon which it stands.

The first known reference to Moscow dates from 1147 and is associated with Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, the city's...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Arbat Street Walking Tour

Arbat Street Walking Tour

The historic center of Moscow is mainly associated with Arbat, one of the oldest streets in the city, emerged as far back as the early 15th century. The origin of the name “Arbat” is subject to numerous theories suggesting the Russian, Tatar, Persian, or even Arab roots, meaning the "bumpy road", the "cart road", the "suburb", or the "outskirts".

The...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.3 Km or 0.8 Miles

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip


16 Best Russian Things to Buy as Souvenirs in Moscow

16 Best Russian Things to Buy as Souvenirs in Moscow

While it's easier to list the riches Russia does not have, if there are such, the variety of authentic Russian stuff available in Moscow is truly mind-blowing. Some items are obscenely expensive, others - affordable, but both can make a memorable gift from the largest country in the world. To...