All those who want to see a small part of the history and atmosphere of the Soviet Union should visit the All-Russian Exhibition Center. In 1939 on the area of 230 hectares there was created the giant «Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy». In Russian language it calls VDNH. Originally, all expositions were related with agri-culture, but then they began to organize most different expositions for all branches of Soviet industry.
On the vast territory there were built over 70 pavilions, and it would be impossible to see them around for a day, and you shouldn’t. It will be enough to have a walk along the main alley of the exhibition center, from the main entrance to the Space pavilion, where the spaceship ‘East’ is installed, the replica of that in which the first human, Y. Gagarin, flew to the space.
From the main entrance a road leads to the largest pavilion – The House of the Peoples of the Soviet Union (now the House of the Peoples of Russia). The statue of Lenin is in front of the pavilion, and the largest fountain in the exhibition – «People`s Friendship Fountain» is behind the pavilion.
Nearby one can see the other fountain – «Stone Flower», and pavilions of the Ukrainian and Belorussian republics of the Soviet Union. They are surrounded by the pavilions devoted to various branches of industry, or the other republics of the USSR.
If you go farther, you can see the Space pavilion, in front of which the spacecraft ‘East’ is standing, as well as planes of Russian making. Not far from them there located quite curious pavilions of swine-breeding, horse-breeding, sheep-breeding, rabbit-breeding, etc.
The territory of VDNH is so huge that many go around it by cycles or roller-skates, which you can rent there. The territory of VDNH borders with Ostankino Park and the Botanical Garden, which is the largest botanical garden in Europe (its area is 360 hectares).
