Textile Capital, City of Brides and Constructivism

12 points8 km3.5 hours

Ivanovo is a city of many nicknames: the City of Brides, the city of the avant-garde, the Russian Manchester, the Calico Capital and more. Come see its Constructivist masterpieces up close and travel back in time in this avant-garde city, the youngest and most unusual city of the Golden Ring.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

🔍🖼️ Spot interesting details
🍲🎶 Local culture

Route points (12)

Horseshoe House in Ivanovo

Point on route “Textile Capital, City of Brides and Constructivism”

Point 3

Horseshoe House

🏟️ Architectural landmark • 🕵️ Urban legend

Historical Background

This unusual 104-apartment building, known as “the Horseshoe,” was built in 1933–1934 for employees of the OGPU (the Soviet secret police) and their families. From above, the building really does look like a horseshoe, forming a semicircle. Its unusual shape came from the client's demand to make the building as compact as possible. The Horseshoe House is a protected architectural landmark.

Myths and Legends

At one time a popular legend in the city claimed that a secret tunnel ran from under this building to another famous landmark, the Bullet House. There were also tales of whole mazes of basements, a bomb shelter bunker and an execution room. In reality, when the building was renovated in the late 20th century, all that turned up in the basements were a shop's storerooms.