The construction of the main building of Moscow State University on Lenin (Sparrow) Hills in 1949-1953. was one of the largest construction projects of the postwar Soviet Union.
MSU was the highest administrative and residential building in Moscow until the "Triumph Palace", and the highest in Europe, before the building in 1990, Basler Messerturm in Frankfurt.
Height - 182 m, with a spire - 240 m, the number of floors of the central building - 36. Pupils of the school for working youth under construction on the background of the main building of Moscow State University (1951) In 1948, employees of the Department of the Central Committee, responsible science, got out of the Kremlin mission: to study the issue of building a new building for MSU. They prepared a memorandum with the Rector of the University - the academician AN Nesmeyanov, proposing to build a "temple of Soviet science" high-rise. Of the Central Committee of the paper moved to the Moscow authorities. Soon Nesmeyanov and representative of the "scientific" department of the Central Committee was invited to the Party Party: "Your idea is not feasible. For high-rise buildings have too much lift. Therefore, the building should not be higher than 4 floors. " A few days later, Stalin held a special meeting on "college issue", and he announced his decision to build the Moscow State University building height not less than 20 floors atop Lenin Hills - that could be seen from afar. The project of the new building of the University prepared the famous Soviet architect Boris Iofan who invented the skyscraper of the Palace of Soviets. However, a few days before the statement "at the top" of all the drawings of the architect of this work was suspended. Creation of the largest of the Stalinist skyscrapers was charged group of architects led by LV Rudnev. The reason for such a sudden change Iofan consider intransigence. He was going to build the main building right over the cliff Lenin Hills. But by the fall of 1948, experts have managed to convince Stalin that such an arrangement is fraught with huge structure catastrophe: the area is dangerous in terms of landslides, and the new University of simply slip into the river! Stalin agreed that the transfer of the main building of Moscow State University away from the edge of the Lenin Hills, but Iofan that option is not happy, and it was removed. Rudnev moved to building 800 meters inland, and the place chosen Iofanom created a viewing platform. In the original sketch variant supposed to crown skyscraper sculpture of impressive dimensions. Character on chart paper was depicted abstract - a human figure with a stiff head to the sky and spread wide apart with his hands. Apparently, such a posture should symbolize the desire for knowledge. Although architects drawings showing Stalin hinted that sculpture can get a portrait likeness to the leader. However, Stalin ordered to erect the statue instead of the spire, the top of the MSU was similar to the other six high-rise buildings under construction in the capital. Laying the foundation stone tower building of Moscow State University on April 12, 1949, exactly 12 years before Gagarin's flight. Reports from the shock settings on the Lenin Hills reported that skyscraper erected 3000 Komsomol Stakhanovite. However, in reality there is a lot more people to work. Specifically "a university" at the end of 1948, the Ministry of Interior prepared an order for conditional release from the camps of several thousand prisoners who had construction professions. These cons were to spend the rest of the period on the construction of MSU. In the system there Gulag "Construction-560", converted in 1952 to the Office of the Special Region ITL (called "Stroylag"), who is engaged in the construction of a university whose skyscrapers. Oversaw the construction General Komorowski, Head of Industrial construction camps. The number of prisoners in the "Stroylage" reached 14,290 people. Almost all of them were sitting on the "everyday" items "political" were afraid to drive to Moscow. Zone with watchtowers and barbed wire was built a few kilometers from the "object", near the village Ramenki around present Michurinsky Avenue. When the construction of high-rise buildings coming to an end, it was decided to "bring your place of residence and work of prisoners." A new item was equipped camp right on the 24th and 25th floors of the tower under construction. This solution allows to save on protection: there is no need to guard towers, no barbed wire - still nowhere to go. As it turned out, the guards had underestimated his mentoring contingent. Found among the prisoners craftsman in the summer of 1952 he built out of plywood and wire some sort of glider and ... Further developments fame are treated differently. According to one version, he was able to fly to the other side of the Moscow River and safely escaped. On the other - it is in the air, shot the guards. There is a version with a happy ending to this story: the alleged "flyer" is already on the ground captured security officers, but when his act became known to Stalin, he personally ordered the brave inventor let go ... It's even possible that the cruise had two escapees. At least, so say the civilian high-rise construction, which itself saw two people planning a tower on homemade wings. According to him, one of them got shot, and the other left in the direction Luzhniki. With a unique "high-altitude camp area" associated another unusual story. This incident even believed then the assassination attempt on the leader of nations. One day security alert, checking area "near cottages" of Stalin in Kuntsevo, suddenly found the track rifle bullet. Who fired?When? Commotion was serious. Conducted a ballistic examination and found that the unfortunate bullet flew under construction ... of the University. Upon further investigation became clear picture of what happened. At the next change of the guard, watchman prisoners, some of the guards, handing the post, pulled the trigger rifle in the trunk of which was live ammunition. Shot rang out. By law, meanness weapon was directed toward government facility located far away, and the bullet is still "fell short" to Stalin's dacha. Main building of Moscow immediately broke many records. Height 36-story skyscraper reaches 236 meters. For steel frame took 40 tons of steel.And for the erection of walls and parapets spent nearly 175 million bricks. The spire has a height of about 50 meters, and its crowning star weighs 12 tons. On one side is a clock tower-champions - the largest in Moscow. The dials are made of stainless steel and have a diameter of 9 meters.The clock is also very impressive. Minute, for example, twice as long as the minute hand Kremlin chimes and has a length of 4.1 meters and weighs 39 kilograms. Private sector in the construction area. View from MSU, 1952: Up to the grand opening of the "Temple of Science" September 1, 1953, Stalin did not live a few months. Had he lived a little longer, and the Moscow State University became a place of "the MV University "-" named after IV Stalin. " Plans like renaming took place. Change Vasilyevich Vissarionovich going to coincide in time for the start of the new building in the Lenin Hills. In winter, the 53rd letter has been prepared for the new name of the university, which is to put on the eaves of the main entrance of the high-rise building. But Stalin is dead, and the project remained unfulfilled.
 Local residents were subject to resettlement.

There are many myths about the main building of Moscow State University. So there is a version that the front of the hall of the Academic Council (the rector's office) on the 9th floor are four columns of solid jasper, supposedly survived the demolition of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, that is a myth, because the destruction of the Temple was jasper columns. Sometimes referred to the rumor that for interiors of the building materials used in the ruined Reichstag, particularly rare pink marble. In fact, in GBs occurs either white or red marble. However, the well-known fact that the body of Chemistry Department has captured German hoods, which indirectly confirms the use of materials in the construction of German origin. Outwardly, it seems that the spire, and the crowning of his star and ears are covered with gold, but it is not. Spire, the star, and the ears are not covered with gold - the wind and precipitation, gilding quickly will become worthless. Spire, the star, and ears are covered with plates of yellow glass, interior glass plates coated with aluminum. Currently, many glass parts collapsed and crumbled, if you look through binoculars, can be seen in various places that gaping hole.