HOW OLD IS THIS HOUSE
Big Cities Russia
Big Cities Russia
A project of Kontiki Publishers about the age of buildings in the 80 largest cities of the country.
Arthur Kislitsyn
curator of how-old-is-this.house
Для проекта мы решили поставить чёткую цель: составили список из городов с населением выше 250 тысяч человек по данным переписи 2010 года с трендом роста в последующие года.
We collected available open data of buildings in the majority of large Russian cities as of 2022 – when they were built, their area, levels and other features.
For the project, we have decided to set a clear goal: we compiled a list of cities with a population exceeding 250,000 according to the 2010 census data and with a growth trend in the following years.
We collected available open data of buildings in the majority of large Russian cities as of 2022 – when they were built, their area, levels and other features.
For the project, we have decided to set a clear goal: we compiled a list of cities with a population exceeding 250,000 according to the 2010 census data and with a growth trend in the following years.
About 70 million people live here it total which makes up almost half of Russia's population.
We divided all data on the age of buildings into the 10 most important historical periods: pre-revolutionary, 1920s, 1930s, 1940-1956, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s.
Late Soviet architecture shapes the appearance of most modern Russian cities, although a few exceptions can be found.
Share of periods (%)
in the total floor area
in the total floor area
Share of periods (%)
in the total floor area
in the total floor area
The pre-revolutionary and interwar periods account for only a few percent in some standout cities. The same can be said about the buildings from the Stalin era.
На диаграммах можно выделять периоды.
На диаграммах можно выделять периоды.
Доля застройки
в общей поэтажной площади
в общей поэтажной площади
Доля застройки
в общей поэтажной площади
в общей поэтажной площади
Pre-revolutionary (Imperial) Russia
before 1917
Majority of pre-revolutionary buildings stays present in the largest cities of Russian empire.
Total floor area of preserved buildings
Saint-Petersburg (46 mln m²)
Moscow (21 mln m²)
Nizhny Novgorod (2,5 mln m²)
Samara (2,3 mln m²)
Rostov-on-Don (2 mln m²)
Astrakhan (1,9 mln m²)
Saratov (1,7 mln m²)
Kazan (1,7 mln m²)
Total floor area of preserved buildings
Saint-Petersburg (46 mln m²)
Moscow (21 mln m²)
Nizhny Novgorod (2,5 mln m²)
Samara (2,3 mln m²)
Rostov-on-Don (2 mln m²)
Astrakhan (1,9 mln m²)
Saratov (1,7 mln m²)
Kazan (1,7 mln m²)
In St. Petersburg, every 6th square meter of real estate was constructed before 1917.
In Astrakhan and Vladikavkaz, it's almost every tenth square meter.
Share of pre-revolutionary buildings
Saint-Petersburg (17%)
Astrakhan (8%)
Vladikavkaz (8%)
Kaliningrad (6%) **
Tomsk (5%)
Taganrog (5%)
Kostroma (5%)
Rostov-on-Don (4%)
Saratov (4%)
** The pre-revolutionary development in Kaliningrad refers to everything constructed before the end of the First World War and the revolution in Germany.
In Astrakhan and Vladikavkaz, it's almost every tenth square meter.
Share of pre-revolutionary buildings
Saint-Petersburg (17%)
Astrakhan (8%)
Vladikavkaz (8%)
Kaliningrad (6%) **
Tomsk (5%)
Taganrog (5%)
Kostroma (5%)
Rostov-on-Don (4%)
Saratov (4%)
** The pre-revolutionary development in Kaliningrad refers to everything constructed before the end of the First World War and the revolution in Germany.
You can still feel the spirit of pre-revolutionary Russia most strongly in places where the urban environment has been preserved the most, rather than individual buildings.
The number of buildings within a radius of 100 meters from which 75% of the constructions were built before 1917.
Saint-Peterburg (11 000)
Moscow (4500)
Nizhny Novgorod (900)
Samara (600)
Astrakhan (500)
Kaliningrad (400)
Kazan (400)
Yaroslavl (350)
Tula (300)
Russia of Avant-garde
from 1918 to 1929
A few years after the 1917 revolution, the era of the Soviet city began in Russia. In the 1920s, mass housing construction had not yet started due to economic reasons, but architecture in the style of constructivism was taking place in the capitals and growing industrial centers. Constructivism was gaining popularity in Europe after World War I, especially in the USSR and Germany.
Ivanovo and Yekaterinburg took the third and fifth places in the ranking - cities whose avant-garde heritage is attracting increasing tourist interest nowadays. Kaliningrad remains in fourth place, where active housing construction took place during the Weimar Republic years. Nizhny Novgorod, ranked seventh, is known for its large worker settlements that emerged during this period.
Total floor area of preserved buildings
Moscow (7,6 mln m²)
Saint-Petersburg (1,8 mln m²)
Ivanovo (900 K m²)
Kaliningrad (810 K m²)
Yekaterinburg (800 K m²)
Rostov-on-Don (670 K m²)
Nizhny Novgorod (660 K m²)
Ivanovo and Yekaterinburg took the third and fifth places in the ranking - cities whose avant-garde heritage is attracting increasing tourist interest nowadays. Kaliningrad remains in fourth place, where active housing construction took place during the Weimar Republic years. Nizhny Novgorod, ranked seventh, is known for its large worker settlements that emerged during this period.
Total floor area of preserved buildings
Moscow (7,6 mln m²)
Saint-Petersburg (1,8 mln m²)
Ivanovo (900 K m²)
Kaliningrad (810 K m²)
Yekaterinburg (800 K m²)
Rostov-on-Don (670 K m²)
Nizhny Novgorod (660 K m²)
It is important to remember that the values provided do not reflect the actual volume of construction in these years, as the data show the number of preserved buildings. At the same time, the number of subsequently demolished buildings is unknown.
Post-revolutionary development still accounts for a significant share only in two cities: Ivanovo and Kaliningrad. Next is Taganrog, where in the 1920s, numerous individual estate houses appeared, followed by Moscow and Rostov-on-Don.
Share of floor area of 1920s buildings
Kaliningrad (4%)
Ivanovo (4%)
Taganrog (2%)
Moscow (1,5%)
Rostov-on-Don (1,5%)
Post-revolutionary development still accounts for a significant share only in two cities: Ivanovo and Kaliningrad. Next is Taganrog, where in the 1920s, numerous individual estate houses appeared, followed by Moscow and Rostov-on-Don.
Share of floor area of 1920s buildings
Kaliningrad (4%)
Ivanovo (4%)
Taganrog (2%)
Moscow (1,5%)
Rostov-on-Don (1,5%)
Russia of 1930s
from 1930 to 1939
During this decade, architecture in cities saw a return to classical motifs, marking the transformation of the avant-garde into a post-constructivist style and the Empire style during Stalin's rule. During these years, the most buildings were erected in Moscow, where the reconstruction of the city center began, as well as in St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod – a major industrial center of the USSR in the 1930s. Novosibirsk appears on the diagrams for the first time, as its active growth began precisely during this period of history.
A considerable portion of these buildings in non-capital cities is comprised not only of beautiful buildings but also of wooden one- and two-story residential barracks.
Total floor area
Moscow (18 mln m²)
Saint-Petersburg (7,8 mln m²)
Nizhny Novgorod (4,6 mln m²)
Novosibirsk (1,8 mln m²)
Yekaterinburg (1,3 mln m²)
Samara (1,3 mln m²)
A considerable portion of these buildings in non-capital cities is comprised not only of beautiful buildings but also of wooden one- and two-story residential barracks.
Total floor area
Moscow (18 mln m²)
Saint-Petersburg (7,8 mln m²)
Nizhny Novgorod (4,6 mln m²)
Novosibirsk (1,8 mln m²)
Yekaterinburg (1,3 mln m²)
Samara (1,3 mln m²)
Early Stalinist architecture still largely defines the appearance of the city centers of Nizhny Novgorod (more than 5%), Arkhangelsk, Ivanovo, Ulan-Ude, Moscow, and Murmansk. In Taganrog, in the 1930s, estate-style houses were still being actively constructed.
Share of 1930s buildings
Nizhny Novgorod (6%)
Arkhangelsk (5%)
Ulan-Ude(4%)
Taganrog (4%)
Ivanovo (4%)
Murmansk (3%)
Moscow (3%)
Saint-Petersburg (3%)
Share of 1930s buildings
Nizhny Novgorod (6%)
Arkhangelsk (5%)
Ulan-Ude(4%)
Taganrog (4%)
Ivanovo (4%)
Murmansk (3%)
Moscow (3%)
Saint-Petersburg (3%)
War and after-war Russia
from 1940 to 1956
Late Stalinist architecture constitutes more than 10% of the buildings in Magnitogorsk and Nizhny Tagil – major industrial centers in the Urals. Also in the top ten are Volgograd, Novokuznetsk, Samara, Chelyabinsk, Ivanovo, Petrozavodsk, Bryansk, and Kemerovo.
Share of buildings from 1940 to 1956
Magnitogorsk (11%)
Nizhny Tagil (10,5%)
Volgograd (10%)
Novokuznetsk (8%)
Samara (7%)
Chelyabinsk (6%)
Ivanovo (6%)
Petrozavodsk (6%)
Bryansk (6%)
Kemerovo (6%)
Taganrog (6%)
Voronezh (6%)
Over the 26-year period (1930-1956), the largest amount of Stalinist architecture in Russia can be found in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Perm, Chelyabinsk, and Omsk. This era came to an end with the adoption of the decree "On the Elimination of Excesses in Design and Construction" in 1955.
Khrushchev Russia
from 1957 to 1964
The next era, the Khrushchev era, gave Russian cities a type of building whose name is known to every inhabitant of the country from childhood - Khrushchevkas. As expected, there are the most of such buildings in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Among the top five leaders are also Nizhny Novgorod (where the Gorky method – people's construction – originated in 1957), Perm, and Yekaterinburg. Today, Khrushchyovka construction occupies the largest share in cities whose industrial power grew in the 1960s - in Novokuznetsk, Volgograd, Tula, and Nizhny Tagil.
Share of buildings from 1957 to 1964
Novokuznetsk (17%)
Volgograd (15%)
Tula (14%)
Nizhny Tagil (14%)
Murmansk (12%)
Magnitogorsk (12%)
Sterlitamak (12%)
Kemerovo (12%)
Share of buildings from 1957 to 1964
Novokuznetsk (17%)
Volgograd (15%)
Tula (14%)
Nizhny Tagil (14%)
Murmansk (12%)
Magnitogorsk (12%)
Sterlitamak (12%)
Kemerovo (12%)
Brezhnev Russia and the era of stagnation
from 1965 to 1985
By the 1970s, the construction of multi-story buildings began. More than half of all construction in Murmansk consists of buildings from 1965 to 1985. A very high proportion is also found in Kurgan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Togliatti (both major late Soviet centers of automobile manufacturing, where a new modernist city-megadistrict emerged), Volzhsky, Arkhangelsk, Nizhny Tagil, and Vladimir.
Share of buildings from 1965 to 1985
Murmansk (54%)
Kurgan (46%)
Naberezhnye Chelny (45%)
Volzhsky (44%)
Arkhangelsk (42%)
Nizhny Tagil (41%)
Vladimir (40%)
Cherepovets (39%)
Share of buildings from 1965 to 1985
Murmansk (54%)
Kurgan (46%)
Naberezhnye Chelny (45%)
Volzhsky (44%)
Arkhangelsk (42%)
Nizhny Tagil (41%)
Vladimir (40%)
Cherepovets (39%)
Post-Perestroika Russia
from 1991 to 1999
In the 1990s, Russian urban development returned to market conditions; however, due to economic reasons, construction varied across different cities and regions.
The post-perestroika era significantly influenced the appearance of cities in Cheboksary (where active population growth was observed), Belgorod, Lipetsk, Yakutsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Surgut, Togliatti, and Vologda. Every tenth square meter of real estate was constructed in the 90s in Voronezh, Tver, Bryansk, Tyumen, Stavropol, Oryol, Chita, and Kazan.
This decade marked the emergence of kaprom (capitalist romanticism) in Russian architecture.
Share of buildings from 1991 to 1999
Cheboksary (13%)
Belgorod (13%)
Lipetsk (12%)
Yakutsk (12%)
Yoshkar-Ola (12%)
Surgut (12%)
Tolyatti (12%)
Vologda (11%)
The post-perestroika era significantly influenced the appearance of cities in Cheboksary (where active population growth was observed), Belgorod, Lipetsk, Yakutsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Surgut, Togliatti, and Vologda. Every tenth square meter of real estate was constructed in the 90s in Voronezh, Tver, Bryansk, Tyumen, Stavropol, Oryol, Chita, and Kazan.
This decade marked the emergence of kaprom (capitalist romanticism) in Russian architecture.
Share of buildings from 1991 to 1999
Cheboksary (13%)
Belgorod (13%)
Lipetsk (12%)
Yakutsk (12%)
Yoshkar-Ola (12%)
Surgut (12%)
Tolyatti (12%)
Vologda (11%)
Russia of 2000s
from 2000 to 2009
The 2000s were a time of post-crisis economic growth and simultaneously active construction in Russian cities.
This era left the most noticeable impact on Kazan, the Moscow suburbs of Khimki, Balashikha, and Podolsk, Stavropol, Belgorod, St. Petersburg, Yakutsk, Tyumen, Grozny, Kaliningrad, and Tomsk. In these cities, approximately every fifth to sixth square meter was built 15-20 years ago, and every fourth square meter in the center of Tatarstan region!
Share of buildings from 2000 to 2009
Kazan (28%)
Khimki (25%)
Balashikha (22%)
Stavropol (20%)
Belgorod (20%)
Saint-Petersburg (19%)
Yakutsk (19%)
Tyumen (19%)
Kaliningrad (18%)
Podolsk (18%)
Tomsk (18%)
Grozny (18%)
This era left the most noticeable impact on Kazan, the Moscow suburbs of Khimki, Balashikha, and Podolsk, Stavropol, Belgorod, St. Petersburg, Yakutsk, Tyumen, Grozny, Kaliningrad, and Tomsk. In these cities, approximately every fifth to sixth square meter was built 15-20 years ago, and every fourth square meter in the center of Tatarstan region!
Share of buildings from 2000 to 2009
Kazan (28%)
Khimki (25%)
Balashikha (22%)
Stavropol (20%)
Belgorod (20%)
Saint-Petersburg (19%)
Yakutsk (19%)
Tyumen (19%)
Kaliningrad (18%)
Podolsk (18%)
Tomsk (18%)
Grozny (18%)
Russia of 2010s
from 2010 to 2020
During this period, new typologies of construction emerged, and old ones were extended vertically. Additionally, there was a continued boom in individual housing construction. More than half of the buildings in Krasnodar were constructed in the last decade. In Sochi, Makhachkala, Balashikha, and Novorossiysk, the share of the total area of new buildings exceeds 40%.
Share of buildings from 2010 to 2020
Krasnodar (55%)
Sochi (47%)
Makhachkala (44%)
Balashikha (43%)
Novorossiysk (41%)
Khimki (40%)
Tyumen (37%)
Stavropol (36%)
Surgut (35%)
Share of buildings from 2010 to 2020
Krasnodar (55%)
Sochi (47%)
Makhachkala (44%)
Balashikha (43%)
Novorossiysk (41%)
Khimki (40%)
Tyumen (37%)
Stavropol (36%)
Surgut (35%)
Post-Soviet construction, as expected, makes up gigantic shares in the mentioned cities. Particularly noteworthy are the cities where two out of three or every second square meter of real estate was built after 1991.
Share of buildings from 1991 to 2020
Krasnodar (75%)
Khimki (70%)
Balashikha (69%)
Sochi (68%)
Tyumen (66%)
Makhachkala (66%)
Stavropol (66%)
Yakutsk (64%)
Surgut (63%)
Novorossiysk (59%)
Kaliningrad (55%)
Podolsk (54%)
Kazan (54%)
Belgorod (52%)
Novosibirsk (51%)
Share of buildings from 1991 to 2020
Krasnodar (75%)
Khimki (70%)
Balashikha (69%)
Sochi (68%)
Tyumen (66%)
Makhachkala (66%)
Stavropol (66%)
Yakutsk (64%)
Surgut (63%)
Novorossiysk (59%)
Kaliningrad (55%)
Podolsk (54%)
Kazan (54%)
Belgorod (52%)
Novosibirsk (51%)
Where do Russians live?
Throughout this time, we've been looking at figures on urban development without distinguishing between types of buildings. This raises the question: in what types of buildings do most Russians live?
The majority of Russians live in multi-apartment buildings, the distribution of which by periods differs little from the overall figures for all buildings.
The majority of Russians live in multi-apartment buildings, the distribution of which by periods differs little from the overall figures for all buildings.
In the largest cities every third city resident lives in a five- or nine-storey building of the khrushchev or brezhnev era.
The five-story apartment buildings from the 1960s still remain the most common type of housing.
The five-story apartment buildings from the 1960s still remain the most common type of housing.
At the same time, there is an interesting exception of pre-revolutionary buildings. Almost every fifth square meter in the multi-apartment buildings of St. Petersburg was constructed before 1917. Such indicators are not even close in any other city in Russia (in Moscow, it's just slightly over one percent). In Astrakhan, Rostov-on-Don, and Vladikavkaz, almost 5% of housing is from the pre-revolutionary period. In Kaliningrad, the pre-war German residential stock (before 1945) collectively makes up more than 10%.
Share of living pre-revolutionary stock in total living floor area
Saint-Petersburg (17%)
Astrakhan (4%)
Rostov-on-Don (4%)
Vladikavkaz (4%)
Kaliningrad (3%)
Kostroma (3%)
Tomsk (3%)
Tambov (3%)
Makhachkala (2,5%)
Saratov (2,5%)
Chita (2,5%)
Samara (2,5%)
Share of living pre-revolutionary stock in total living floor area
Saint-Petersburg (17%)
Astrakhan (4%)
Rostov-on-Don (4%)
Vladikavkaz (4%)
Kaliningrad (3%)
Kostroma (3%)
Tomsk (3%)
Tambov (3%)
Makhachkala (2,5%)
Saratov (2,5%)
Chita (2,5%)
Samara (2,5%)
What is not done and what may be done
Our data is open and available for viewing on a map or for download. We hope that it will be useful to a wide audience and that many interesting insights can be catched from it, despite the presence of some inaccuracies.
The analysis in this article represents a preliminary examination, just an attempt to explore the dataset. It has its limitations and issues, which I have described in more detail in the article about the entire process of collection and processing.
I would be happy to receive comments and feedback!
The analysis in this article represents a preliminary examination, just an attempt to explore the dataset. It has its limitations and issues, which I have described in more detail in the article about the entire process of collection and processing.
I would be happy to receive comments and feedback!
I want to say thank you to...
- Sasha Kachkaev – for the idea of the all-Russian wonder-script, its development and implementation, for supporting the code and me throughout the entire data collection process;
- the team of Geosematica — for their invaluable technical assistance in collecting data and their amazing data web visualization skills;
- all the authors of the 14 age maps of buildings, whose experience laid the foundation for the all-Russian project;
- Nikita Slavin – for founding the project and supporting it every step of the way.