New Era of Economic Achievement

In these strange days of transition, ironic juxtapositions of the old and new pop up everywhere, from fashion shows in the Lenin Museum to capitalist businessmen renting Politburo retreats.


But perhaps no marriage of pre- and post-perestroika Russia is stranger than the one at the old Exhibition of the People's Economic Achievements - or VDNKh, as it is known to all Muscovites. The enormous park, once the biggest monument to Soviet power, is now a chaotic and booming flea market. In a sense, the park's old name is more appropriate than ever.


Back in the Soviet days, VDNKh used to be an obligatory stop on every tourist group's Moscow itinerary. The towering pavilions, ultimate examples of grandiose Soviet architecture, were each dedicated to a different area of the Soviet people's economic expertise and bore labels like "Atomic Energy", "Grain", and "Space". Eleven million to 13 million people flocked to visit every year.


VDNKh, at the northern end of Prospekt Mira, embodied the hypocrisy and the stagnation of the Brezhnev era, painting a picture of a country where nothing ever went wrong. Inside the food pavilions, even during the days of rationing, piles of fresh produce were shipped in daily to illustrate the success of Soviet agriculture, and the industrial pavilions boasted of the over-fulfillment of successive Five Year Plans.


Today, the pavilions still stand where they were, surreal symbols of a not-so-distant past. The 15 gaudy golden statues, one from each of the republics, adorn the central fountain, and loudspeakers still blare music at the families strolling through the park.


But today, the loudspeakers also play tapes of women crooning seductively, "Please, come visit our store. We want to serve you and hope you will become our regular customer".


The names on the pavilions bear little connection to what is actually on display outside. On the steps of the Agriculture pavilion, a woman in a blue smock sits behind a small table. It displays two packets of Italian fertilizer, an old hoe, and some plant food. "It's all that's left of the agriculture pavilion", she sighs.


Inside the building, the visitor wanders along a dark corridor lined with kiosks displaying everything from Japanese televisions to cheap, tacky clothing of uncertain origins. In the old Publishing pavilion, Galina Bitsukova, trained as an expert on books, has had to adapt to a new career selling Italian furniture.


The pavilion once contained exhibitions by different publishers and celebrated Soviet authors. Now, Bitsukova and her colleagues are surrounded by garish lamps, fake-leather chairs, and wall units.


"Books are a lot more interesting than bathroom units", says Bitsukova, who has worked at VDNKh for 26 years. "I guess at least we are still dealing with people".


Almost the entire staff of the Publishing pavilion stayed on when it was converted into a showroom in May. The director is called a "consultant" now. A babushka who used to watch children on class trips inspect the exhibitions of the works of Soviet writers now sits forlornly in front of a cabinet display.


"It's been a difficult psychological change for all of us, of course", says Bitsukova, who says she never dreamed she would work in commerce.


Some of the other pavilions have retained some resemblance of their original theme. The health pavilion is one of the most bizarre, with Soviet surgical equipment sitting in glass cases opposite kiosks brimming with Barbie dolls and telephones.


Although the signs on the diagnostic tools read "For Sale", there are more customers for the lacy black dress dangling above it.