Moskva Pool

The construction did not resume after the war's end, and the empty foundation of the Palace of the Soviets in 1958 was made into an open-air swimming pool which existed from 1958 until 1994.

For safety reasons, use of the pool at temperatures below -20° was not allowed, as the dense, thick steam over the surface of the water made it difficult to observe swimmers and the work of lifeguards.

The sports swimming pool was divided into eight lanes and in the centre, there were a 10 m high diving platform with the option of jumping from different heights.

In particular, employees of the Pushkin Museum complained that the location of the outdoor pool negatively affects the safety of the exhibits.

[8] The construction of the pool on a site of the destroyed cultural heritage caused a negative reaction of the Moscow public.

The expression "First there was a church [the Cathedral], then rubbish [the unbuilt Palace of Soviets], and now shame [the pool]" (Russian: Сперва был храм, потом — хлам, а теперь — срам., romanized: Sperva byl khram, potom – khlam, a teper' – sram.)

In 1991, the Moskva swimming pool ceased operations and was abandoned for three years, though in fact swimmers were being admitted in the summer of 1993; on January 7, 1995, the foundation of the cathedral was laid.