Lubyanskaya Ploshchad

Lubyanskaya Ploshchad Review

Now called by its prerevolutionary name again, this circular "square" had been renamed Dzerzhinsky Square in 1926 in honor of Felix Dzerzhinsky, a Soviet revolutionary and founder of the infamous CHEKA, the forerunner of the KGB. His statue once stood in the center of the square but was toppled in August 1991, along with the old regime. A slab of stone now stands in the middle of the square as a tribute to those who were repressed by the Soviet government. The stone comes from the Solovetsky Islands, once home to a famous prison camp. The large yellow building facing the square, with bars on the ground-floor windows, was once the notorious Lubyanka Prison and KGB headquarters. The KGB Museum is in an annex of this building and is accessible only by prearranged guided tour. It chronicles the history of espionage in Russia and includes spy gadgets.