✨ A few interesting facts about the International Trade Center in Moscow, where the BRICS Business Summit is currently taking place.

🚩 The ITC was built in 1980 against the backdrop of the growing foreign economic activity of the USSR. It was planned to house representations of foreign companies, with the initiative for the project coming from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the USSR and American businessman Armand Hammer.

⛲️ A fountain was constructed at the entrance to the business center for its opening, and symbolically, a two-meter bronze statue of the ancient god Mercury, the patron of trade, profit, and good fortune in business, was placed on top.

🦅 The monumental decorations of the business complex do not end there. At the entrance to the Plaza Garden Moscow WTC hotel, visitors are greeted by the unique clock "Russian Souvenir." The composition consists of three dials, sculptures from folklore, and the upper part of the clock is adorned with a rooster that crows and flaps its wings, covered in gold leaf, exactly on the hour.

🛗🏧 Interestingly, many things that are now commonplace for modern residents of the capital first appeared at the ITC. In the 1980s, the first panoramic elevators in the USSR, which operated for 40 years, were installed, and in 1991, the first ATMs were introduced.

⚽️And a final fact for football fans. In 2008, during the UEFA Champions League final held at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, the famous team Manchester United stayed at the Plaza Garden Moscow WTC hotel, where Cristiano Ronaldo was playing at that time. For the convenience of the players, the Grand Hall of the ITC Congress Center was converted into a full-fledged football field, where the team trained before the final of the main European cup, which Manchester United, by the way, won.

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🚇 A unique metro car that is nearly 100 years old has been restored in Moscow.

This car was created in 1927 and brought from the Berlin metro, where it was submerged in a tunnel in 1945. After the war, it began operating in Moscow and was used until 1968.

It is the only surviving specimen in the world out of the 120 cars that were produced. It was restored using the remaining documentation and photographs from the archives.

👀 The exhibit can be seen in the permanent exhibition of the Transport Museum.

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@From Russia with love

🇷🇺 Top Russian Architecture Around the World:

🇧🇬 Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia

This is the hallmark of the Bulgarian capital and the largest religious building in Bulgaria, accommodating 5,000 people. It was built by Russian architect Alexander Pomerantsev between 1904 and 1912.

🇷🇸 Serbian Parliament Building in Belgrade

Russian architect Nikolai Krasnov constructed several government buildings in Serbian Belgrade. The most notable among them is the building of the National Assembly (parliament) of Serbia. Three architects worked on the parliament building before Nikolai Krasnov, but in 20 years, they had not progressed beyond the first floor. Krasnov completed the project in two years.

🇮🇹 Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

The Venice Biennale is one of the largest exhibitions of world art. Russia has participated since its inception in 1895. In the early 20th century, European interest in Russia grew, and in 1914, this success was solidified with the construction of the Russian Pavilion in Venice. It became the first exhibition space for the country abroad. It was built by Russian architect Alexei Shchusev in 1914.

🇵🇱 Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw

The Polish Palace of Culture and Science was designed by Soviet architect Lev Rudnev, who was also the author of the main building of Moscow State University. He did not want to create a simple copy of Moscow's skyscrapers and infused the building with Polish character. In the design of the tower, he made references to the town hall in Krakow, and the decorative elements echo the 13th-century Cloth Hall in Krakow. This building is the tallest in Poland, standing at 187.68 meters, and 237 meters including the spire.

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@From Russia with love