Lubyanka and TsDM

TsDM (Central Children's Store) opened in 1957. And today it is a place of special attraction not only for children, but also for adults. The store was built on Dzerzhinsky Square, which today is called Lubyanskaya Square. Very soon it became a real attraction of the capital. It was decided to build a department store as a special gift to all the children of the USSR. This gesture indicated that peace had come. The filled windows testified that the future had already come.

Previously, on the site of the future store there was a Lubyansky passage and shopping malls. It sold clothes, jewelry, hats and threads. But then the malls were demolished. It was decided to build a GUM for the children of the USSR.

The author of the concept of the store is the famous architect Alexei Dushkin of that era. It was he who in those days created the unique appearance of the capital. His projects: several Moscow metro stations, as well as skyscrapers that are located next to the Red Gates.

"Children's World" was built in a short time. At the same time, there was a clear deficit of the budget, specialists and materials. This is evidenced by the brick of different grades from which the walls were built, the reuse of materials, as well as the mistakes made when creating floors and load-bearing structures.

The building consisted of seven floors. Two underground levels were also provided. At that time it was the largest commercial building in all of Europe. The building area was 58,000 meters.

The Children's World had everything that children needed from birth to graduation. The total length of the stalls was 2 kilometers. They exhibited the best products of the Soviet era. So, for example, thanks to the "Children's World", tights appeared in the USSR, as well as boots for children with arch supports. Here you could buy sweaters and coats, overalls from Finland and shoes from Czechoslovakia. People came here specifically for the deficit and for the sake of it they stood in huge queues. This store was especially popular during the New Year holidays. On the ground floor, on December 31, a fair of gifts, jewelry and toys opened. TsDM was the official residence of Father Frost until the project in Veliky Ustyug appeared.

In the 1990s, the store lost its charm. Goods for children were replaced by a bank, an online store and a car dealership. The store survived as best it could. The premises were in a deplorable state. Cracks appeared. In 2005, the building acquired the status of a cultural heritage site. An urgent overhaul was needed. In 2011, the reconstruction of the store began according to the drawings of A. Dushkin. The building was inaugurated in 2015. The main attraction of the building is a giant clock, which is one of the famous five largest mechanical clocks in the world. This is not just a clock that shows the time, but a sculpture that allows you to watch how the mechanisms move. The clock assembly took a year and a half. There are simply no such analogues in the world.
TsDM on Lubyanka and today, with cultural and historical value, remains a store that is very popular with children and adults.