Pushkin gallery is quite rightly considered the main attraction of Zheleznovodsk. The beautiful blue building of glass and metal dating back to 1902 has long been the center of the resort life of the city.
The Lermontov gallery in Pyatigorsk and the Pushkin gallery in Zheleznovodsk are very alike. They were intended for conducting concerts and the other cultural events for the «society of water-drinkers».
The steelworks for the both galleries were designed by the Polish architect Stephan Schiller and produced at the plants of Warsaw and St. Petersburg in 1901. As is known, the steel structures became popular in Europe after the erection of the Eiffel Tower, and the similar pavilions have already appeared at the Nizhniy Novgorod Fair in Russia by that time.
Stained glass was used for glazing of the gallery, which made it very light and roomy. It took a year to install the steel construction on the slope of the mountain. At first the gallery was called by the name of the mountain – «Iron», and only in 1903, during the celebration of the 65th death anniversary of Pushkin, it was given the name of this great Russian poet.
In the first years there were held daily concerts attended by many well-known actors of that time, so the gallery became sort of a center of resort life. At present, concerts are rarely held in the gallery, and it is mainly used for art exhibitions.
