Editing Lubyanka Building

{{Short description|Headquarters of the FSB in Moscow, Russia}}
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{{Infobox building
| name             = Lubyanka
| image            = Lubyanka Building.jpg
| native_name      = Лубянка
| location_town    = [[Moscow]]
| location_country = Russia
| completion_date  = 1898
| current_tenants  = [[Federal Security Service|FSB]]
| architectural_style = [[Baroque Revival architecture|Neo-Baroque]]
| architect        = Alexander V. Ivanov
|embedded = {{Infobox mapframe|wikidata=yes|zoom=16|marker=prison|coord={{WikidataCoord|display=it}}}}
}}

'''Lubyanka''' ({{langx|ru|Лубянка}}, {{IPA|ru|lʊˈbʲankə|ipa}}) is the popular name for the building which contains the headquarters of the [[Federal Security Service|FSB]] on [[Lubyanka Square]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Подробная информация :: Федеральная Служба Безопасности |url=http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/webreception/more.htm |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=www.fsb.ru}}</ref> in the [[Meshchansky District]] of Moscow, Russia. It is a large [[Baroque Revival architecture|Neo-Baroque]] building with a facade of yellow brick designed by Alexander V. Ivanov in 1897 and augmented by [[Aleksey Shchusev]] from 1940 to 1947. It was previously the national headquarters of the [[KGB]]. Soviet [[hammer and sickle]]s can still be seen on the building's facade.

== Description ==
The Lubyanka building is home to the Lubyanka prison, the headquarters of the Border Guard Service, a KGB museum, and a subsection of the [[Federal Security Service|FSB]].<ref name=":1" /> Part of the prison was turned into a prison museum, but a special authorization is required for visits.<ref name=":0" />

The lower floors are made of granite with emblazoned Soviet crests.<ref name=":3" />

== History ==
=== Origins ===
[[File:RossijaLubjanka.jpg|thumb|The Lubyanka as originally built, as the headquarters of the All-Russia Insurance Company, before 1917]]

The Lubyanka was originally built in 1898 as a [[revenue house]] by the [[:ru:%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F (%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5 %D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%89%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE)|All-Russia Insurance Company (''Rossiya Insurance Company'')]], on the spot where [[Catherine the Great]] had once headquartered her secret police.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Richardson|first=Dan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X9euSbo6q3MC|title=The Rough Guide to Moscow|date=2001|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-85828-700-3|language=en}}</ref>  The building was designed by the architect Alexander V. Ivanov. It is noted for its parquet floors and pale green walls. Belying its massiveness, the edifice avoids an impression of heroic scale: isolated [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]] and [[Baroque]] details, such as the minute [[pediment]]s over the corner bays and the central [[loggia]], are lost in an endlessly repeating palace facade where three bands of cornices emphasize the horizontal lines. A clock is centered in the uppermost band of the facade.

A fountain used to stand in front of the building, at the center of Lubyanka Square.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last1=RIR|last2=Romendik|first2=Dmitriy|date=2014-02-11|title=The dark history of Lubyanka|url=https://www.rbth.com/arts/2014/02/11/the_dark_history_of_lubyanka_32985|access-date=2020-08-09|website=www.rbth.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

Following the [[Bolshevik Revolution]], in 1918 the structure was taken over by the government, for use as the headquarters of the secret police, then called the [[Cheka]].<ref name=":3" /> The prison became operational in 1920. Its prisoners included [[Boris Savinkov]], [[Osip Mandelstam]], Gen. [[Władysław Anders]], and [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]].<ref name=":0" /> In [[Russian political jokes|Soviet Russian jokes]], it was referred to as "the tallest building in Moscow", since Siberia (a euphemism for the [[Gulag]] labour camp system) could be seen from its basement.<ref>{{cite book
|title=Советский политический анекдот [Soviet political anecdotes]|publisher=Асс. Спектрум. "О"}}</ref><ref>
{{citation|title=Alef|volume=495–505|publisher=Chamah|year=1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://modernlib.ru/books/neustanovlenniy_avtor/1001_izbranniy_sovetskiy_politicheskiy_anekdot/read_5/ |title=1001 избранный советский политический анекдот (1001 selected Soviet political anecdotes) |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=ModernLib.ru |access-date=August 22, 2016 }}</ref> The prison is on the top floor, but since there are no windows on that floor, most prisoners, and therefore popular conception, thought they were being detained in its basement.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Lubyanka – Smoke of the Fatherland|url=http://blogs.carleton.edu/smokeofthefatherland/lubyanka/|access-date=2020-08-09|website=blogs.carleton.edu|archive-date=2020-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806135116/http://blogs.carleton.edu/smokeofthefatherland/lubyanka/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== KGB ===
During the [[Great Purge]], the offices became increasingly cramped due to staff numbers. In 1940, [[Alexey Shchusev|Aleksey Shchusev]] was commissioned to enlarge the building. By 1947, his new design had doubled Lubyanka's size<ref name=":3" /> horizontally, with the original structure taking up the left half of the facade (as viewed from the street). He added another storey and extended the structure by incorporating backstreet buildings. Shchusev's design accentuated [[Neo-Renaissance]] detailing, but only the right part of the facade was constructed under his direction in the 1940s, due to the war and other hindrances.

[[Raoul Wallenberg]] was detained in the Lubyanka prison, where he reportedly died in 1947.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Wallenberg was 'shot in Lubyanka' prison|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/wallenberg-was-shot-in-lubyanka-prison-1.1118157|access-date=2020-08-09|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref> According to the KGB, prisoners' interrogations stopped at Lubyanka in 1953 after the death of [[Stalin]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Imse|first=Ann|date=1991-09-07|title=Past Echoes in Ex-Soviet Prison : Lubyanka: Old KGB cellblock recalls interrogation and torture of dissidents.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-07-mn-1571-story.html|access-date=2020-08-09|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Teatralnij út a Lubjanka (Dzerzsinszkij) tér felé nézve, középen a Központi Gyermek Áruház. Fortepan 100678 (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|The Lubyanka in 1961.]]
In 1957, Russia's [[Detsky Mir|largest toy shop]] opened on the opposite side of Lubyanka Square, where a medieval cannon foundry was previously located.<ref name=":3" /> In 1958, the fountain at the center of Lubyanka Square was replaced by an 11-ton (or 14-ton,<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Seward|first=Deborah|date=22 August 1991|title=Statue of Soviet Intelligence Chief Pulled Down|url=https://apnews.com/863f51d5087d19bee14a280626730385|access-date=2020-08-09|website=AP NEWS}}</ref> or 15-ton<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-12-11|title=The KGB's Old Headquarters Lives On|url=https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/kgbs-old-headquarters-lives|access-date=2020-08-09|website=Cato Institute|language=en}}</ref>) [[Monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky, Moscow|statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky]] ("Iron Felix"), founder of the [[Cheka]].<ref name=":0" />

In 1972, [[Vasili Mitrokhin]] moved 300,000 KGB files from the Lubyanka building that he gave to the [[MI6|British intelligence]] in 1992.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Persico|first=Joseph E.|date=1999-10-31|title=Secrets From the Lubyanka|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/31/books/secrets-from-the-lubyanka.html|access-date=2020-08-09|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[File:KGB-Lubyanka-1983.jpg|right|thumb|The Lubyanka during renovations in 1983, with the left half still lower.]]
The building's asymmetric facade survived intact until 1983, when the original structure was reconstructed to match the new build, at the urging of [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]] General Secretary and former [[KGB]] Director [[Yuri Andropov]] in accordance with Shchusev's plans.

Although the Soviet secret police changed its name many times, their headquarters remained in this building. Secret police chiefs from [[Lavrenty Beria]] to Andropov used the same office on the third floor, which looked down on the statue of Cheka founder [[Felix Dzerzhinsky]]. A prison on the ground floor{{contradictory inline|date=April 2025|reason=The prison has previously been stated as being on the top floor.}} of the building figures prominently in a book written by the author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, ''[[The Gulag Archipelago]]''. Famous inmates held, tortured and interrogated there include [[Sidney Reilly]], [[Greville Wynne]], [[Raoul Wallenberg]], [[Ion Antonescu]], [[Osip Mandelstam]], [[Genrikh Yagoda]], [[János Esterházy]], [[Alexander Dolgun]], [[Rochus Misch]], and [[Walter Ciszek]].

During the 1980s, the prison was turned into a cafeteria for KGB staff.<ref name=":2" />

=== Post-KGB ===
After the dissolution of the KGB in 1991, the Lubyanka became the headquarters of the [[Border Guard Service of Russia]], as well as the Lubyanka prison, and is one directorate of the [[Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation]] (FSB). A museum of the KGB (now called Историко-демонстрационный зал ФСБ России, Historical Demonstration hall of the Russian FSB) was opened to the public.

In 1990, an employee of the Lubyanka, Katya Mayorova, became Miss KGB, the first official "security services beauty title".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Remnick|first=David|date=1990-10-31|title=Miss KGB Images of the Past|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/10/31/miss-kgb-images-of-the-past/6641d39d-ad5a-43d3-a781-15ac8413a4d2/|access-date=2020-08-09}}</ref> In 1990, the [[Solovetsky Stone]] was erected across from the Lubyanka, to commemorate the victims of political repression. In August 1991, the statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky was dismantled and removed from the center of the Lubyanka Square.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> That same year, Western visitors were allowed to tour the building's prison for the first time.<ref name=":2" />
[[File:RR5111-0477R.png|thumb|The Lubyanka on a Russian commemorative coin, 2022.]]
Remains of [[Adolf Hitler]], as well as those of [[Joseph Goebbels|Joseph]] and [[Magda Goebbels]], were presented at the Lubyanka in a 2004 documentary.<ref>{{Cite AV media|title=Death in the Bunker: The True Story of Hitler's Downfall|date=2004|last=Kloft|first=Michael|type=television production|publisher=[[Spiegel TV]]|time=1:16}}</ref>

Hitler's personal [[Golden Party Badge]], which was discovered by the Red Army after the [[Battle of Berlin|capture of Berlin]], was stored in the Lubyanka. The badge was stolen in 2005, when guards thought a cat had set off the alarms, allowing the burglar to escape.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Page |first1=Jeremy |last2=Vinogradova |first2=Luba |title=Trophy hunter steals Hitler badge |date=19 November 2005 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/london-travel/trophy-hunter-steals-hitler-badge-50v6qc0pz0k |access-date=14 July 2022 |work=[[The Times]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In 2015, the Lubyanka's front door was set on fire by [[Pyotr Pavlensky]], a performance artist.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34764044|title=Russian activist sets FSB door on fire|date=2015-11-09|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-01-04|language=en-GB}}</ref> He was released from jail six months later.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mills|first=Laura|date=2016-06-08|title=Provocative Russian 'Political Artist' Freed by Moscow Court|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/provocative-russian-political-artist-freed-by-moscow-court-1465389865|access-date=2020-08-09|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In 2017, a huge church was consecrated next to the Lubyanka building on the grounds of the [[Sretensky Monastery]]. The church is dedicated to the [[New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church]], including those who were executed at Lubyanka. In December 2019, a shooting took place around the Lubyanka.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-12-19|title=Deadly shooting at Moscow security HQ|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50858949|access-date=2020-08-09}}</ref>

== Modernity ==
<!-- This section is translated from Russian -->

In 2008, the wing of the house from Myasnitskaya Street received the status of a cultural heritage site. In 2011, it underwent reconstruction. During this period, information appeared about the installation of a [[helipad]] on the roof of the building. According to the head of [[Rosokhrankultura]] Viktor Petrakov, it has existed for a long time. Although the roof of the building was not protected, representatives of the Moscow Department of Cultural Heritage stated that the project was not approved and the reconstruction was carried out without proper documentation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Новости |first=Недвижимость РИА |date=2011-08-12 |title=Стройка на крыше здания ФСБ в Москве ведется без разрешения - власти |url=https://realty.ria.ru/20110812/396525978.html |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=Недвижимость РИА Новости |language=ru}}</ref> Details of the restoration of the facades, which took place in 2013-2014, were not disclosed due to the secret status of the object.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Архитекторы в штатском |url=http://www.ng.ru/politics/2011-08-10/1_lubynka.html |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=www.ng.ru |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:KGB entrance.jpg|thumb|The front entrance of the building of state security bodies, 2008]]
Thanks to the activities of government agencies that worked in the building, the toponym "Lubyanka" has become a household name. Phraseological units associated with the house appeared at different times.

Rallies and pickets are regularly held near the walls of the FSB building and the nearby [[Solovetsky Stone]] monument. In October 2018, endless single-person rallies were held near the house in support of prisoners in the cases of the {{Interlanguage link|New Greatness|ru|Дело_«Нового_величия»}} and {{Interlanguage link|Network Case|ru|Дело_«Сети»}} organizations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2018 |title="Пробить стену молчания" |url=https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2018/10/28/78381-probit-stenu-molchaniya |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=Новая газета - Novayagazeta.ru |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tame |title=35 день бессрочного протеста в Москве: прошла акция у здания ФСБ {{!}} Омский-Вестник.Ru |url=http://lucaslacerda.com.br/wp/2018/10/15/35-%d0%b4%d0%b5%d0%bd%d1%8c-%d0%b1%d0%b5%d1%81%d1%81%d1%80%d0%be%d1%87%d0%bd%d0%be%d0%b3%d0%be-%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%be%d1%82%d0%b5%d1%81%d1%82%d0%b0-%d0%b2-%d0%bc%d0%be%d1%81%d0%ba%d0%b2%d0%b5-%d0%bf/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010122329/http://lucaslacerda.com.br/wp/2018/10/15/35-%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%81%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B2-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B5-%D0%BF/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |access-date=2022-04-14 |language=ru-RU }}</ref> In November 2016, the artist [[Petr Pavlensky]] held an action - setting fire to the main entrance of the building as a protest "against continuous terror." He was fined for damaging a cultural heritage site, although it later emerged that the original door had been removed long ago.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-06-04 |title=Дело Павленского: полмиллиона за дверь 2008 года |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/russia/2016/06/160603_pavlensky_trial_day_3 |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=BBC News Русская служба |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Горящая дверь Лубянки Художник Петр Павленский поджег вход в здание ФСБ |url=https://meduza.io/feature/2015/11/09/goryaschaya-dver-lubyanki |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=Meduza |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title="Биологическая неприязнь к ФСБ" |url=https://www.gazeta.ru/social/2016/06/08/8292173.shtml |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=Газета.Ru |language=ru}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Lefortovo Prison]]
*[[Prisons in Russia]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Lubyanka Building}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures built in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Moscow]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1898]]
[[Category:Intelligence agency headquarters]]
[[Category:KGB]]
[[Category:Prisons in Russia]]
[[Category:Prisons in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:1898 establishments in the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Federal Security Service]]
[[Category:Baroque Revival architecture]]
[[Category:Execution sites in Russia]]