White House, Moscow

Do you know that there is also a White House in the capital of Russia?

The White House, also known as the Russian White House, is a government building in Moscow. It was designed by the architects Dmitry Chechulin and P. Shteller. Construction started in 1965 and ended in 1981. Overall design follows Chechulin's 1934 draft of the Aeroflot building. The White House was pictured on a 50 kopeck stamp in 1991, honoring the resistance to the failed coup attempt of 1991. The building stood damaged for some time after the 1993 crisis, and the black burns became famous, so much so that it became tradition for newlyweds to be photographed in front of its damaged facade. It was shown in the seventh Police Academy movie, "Mission to Moscow". The reformed parliament, known thereafter by its Tsarist era title of Duma, was elected in 1994 and moved to another building on Moscow's Okhotny Ryad. The renovated White House now houses the Russian government. An inscription at the base of the tower reads, "House of the Government of the Russian Federation."