Khokhlovskaya Square as a “Moscow Agora” has become a new urban center that attracts both
the local community as well as tourists, and has also given a boost to local businesses.
The idea was to create a new type of public space for Moscow which would radically change the
approach to cultural heritage. In place of a construction pit that had already been around for 20
years, a small archaeological park appeared: the new amphitheater frames the old, preserved
part of a White City wall section. Trees were planted in the square and information stands,
benches and street lamps were installed. The transformation of an archaeological find into the
central element of a public space has become an excellent example of a careful and thoughtful
approach to the preservation of cultural heritage.
Khokhlovskaya Square was also a victory for the city against a long-term construction site. In
the early 2000s, an underground car park was planned for this spot, but the works were stopped
in 2007 after the discovery of a section of a 16th-century White City fortress wall that marked
the border of medieval Moscow. The abandoned construction quarry had long been an obstacle
for pedestrians walking along the Boulevard Ring. This new urban space was implemented
within Moscow City Government 3 years urban renewal program “Moscow Street”.
Khokhlovskaya Square is the project which was developed by Strelka KB in collaboration with
famous French landscape architect Irene Djao-Rakitine. The idea was to create a new type of
public space for Moscow which would radically change the approach to cultural heritage.