'Worker and Kolkhoz Woman' – Moscow, Russia - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

AO Edited

'Worker and Kolkhoz Woman'

Moscow, Russia

An iconic Soviet statue of working-class people. 

View all photos
129
65
Top Places in Moscow
Broken section of the bell.
Tsar Bell
Moscow, Russia
Arctic Siberian Campion Plant Revived
Moscow, Russia
Novodevichy Cemetery
Moscow, Russia
 See All

This sculpture was made by Vera Mukhina in 1937 for the World Fair in Paris. It was meant to overshadow the Nazi German pavilion that was located opposite to Russian pavilion in the fair. In the end, both pavilions won a prize, to keep the political balance.

After this event, the pavilion was moved to Moscow and was finally placed in front of the vast VDNKh complex. After the latest renovations, the whole sculpture complex is 58 meters (190 feet) tall with the two steel figures 24.5 meters (80 feet) high. This makes it to be the fifth-tallest statue in Russia.

The duo was to represent the eternal union of the working class and peasantry in the Soviet Union. This was a perfect combination to be used later as a propaganda token. The sculpture was chosen to be an official emblem of the Mosfilm cinema studio in 1947. It featured in the opening titles of every movie produced by the studio so everybody who has watched Soviet movies immediately recognizes this couple holding hammer and sickle.

Know Before You Go

Pavillion under the sculpture works as an art museum.

communist monuments world's fair soviet history sculptures statues
Nearby
Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy
0.38 miles
Monument to the Conquerors of Space
0.49 miles
Museum of Soviet Arcade Games
0.90 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
Lenin greets visitors in front of the Central Pavilion
Moscow, Russia

Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy

This newly renovated Soviet-era outdoor exhibition center is bigger than the principality of Monaco.
Monument to the Conquerors of Space.
Moscow, Russia

Monument to the Conquerors of Space

Moscow's imposing monument to the Space Age.
Moscow, Russia

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum.
Soviet Moon Suit
Moscow, Russia

Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics

Museum celebrating the achievements of the Soviet space program.
Related Places
Hanoi, Vietnam

Statue of Lenin

A gift from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, this is the only statue of the Soviet dictator in Southeast Asia.
Chemnitz, Germany

Karl-Marx-Monument

One of the largest busts in the world celebrates the German city's erstwhile namesake.
The statue of Panfilov's 28 Guardsmen.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Statue of Panfilov's 28 Guardsmen

This Soviet statue is based on a piece of propaganda that's been elevated to national myth.
Berlin Bear.
San Antonio, Texas

The Berlin Bear

The quirky gift from West Berlin for the 1968 World's Fair still stands in Hemisfair Park.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web