Novgorod Spaceship

Like an abandoned alien spaceship, the building of Dostoevsky’s Drama Theater stands on the bank of the Volkhov River, only a kilometer away from the walls of famous Novgorod Kremlin. An architecture freak, unloved and uncared for, it sails high above the comforting provinciality of Novgorod the Great. Erected during the final years of Soviet rule, this remarkable example of modern architecture has, for many decades, continued to mock the ancient heritage of the city, as well as the mediocre tastes of its populace. The story of the theater’s uneasy survival, its persistent inability to fit into the Novgorod’s surroundings, and its slow but sure demise at the hands of greedy bureaucrats is a metaphor for Russian society today.