Renovation of Vereya town historical center | Olga Scherbakova

Vereya is one of the oldest and at the same time the smallest towns of Moscow region,
mentioned in annals in the end of XVI century. None of the towns of outer Moscow keeps such a
concentrated memory of times; it can still be sensed here – every step, every detail, every
architectural and landscape element breathes of history. All the town center is replete with
memorial places, monuments, sign plates that tell of the historical events of the past. The town
obtained its regular plan with a central square and shopping streets in the days of Catherine II
The Great, which speaks of its special status as a regional center.

First of all, the project had to commit to the spirit of the place which was guarded in the locals’
memories. When you come to Vereya, this spirit breathes through the verticals of cathedrals and
bell towers surrounded by untouched nature, the river, the rare still-standing patterns of wooden
architraves, the noble hilly relief of Ancient town, the Nativity Cathedral of XVI century, the
district college of XVIII century (today it’s a local history museum), the shopping streets of XIX
century, the monuments to the heroes of 1812, of the revolutions, of the Great Patriotic War…
And all that within the radius of 1 km of downtown.

In the XIX-th century the town was actively developing, it was a center of commerce and
craftsmanship, but the railroad layout left the town rather aside, and the headlong growth slowed
down, which turned the town in a mine of historical facts and spaces. Such a concentration of
history and functionality in the limits of one territory predefines the corresponding methods of an
architect’s work.

Effectively, the town center holds today all the institutions necessary to a citizen: shopping
galleries, museum, administration, cathedral, and also a well-built green garden square with big
linden trees which shadow a small playground. The territory’s major problem was the absence of
a clear delineation of social functional zones and points of attraction which would allow to
perceive the town center as a whole. Later some temporary utilitarian layerings had veiled the
previous town nobility. There was a stage of development when functional comfort was the
priority for the town territory. The most radical solution of the past was coating the historical
stone-block pavement of the central trade square with asphalt – today it turned in a huge parking
lot. The concept intends to reinstall the original pedestrian pavement of quarry rock. Today when
the town center values are being rethinked and the utilitarian attitude takes a back seat, the

quarry rock, so uncomfortable for driving, gains a new quality of a historical artifact. The
necessary dialog of the old and the new in a town permits to adapt the historically meaningful
elements to the contemporary utilitarian comfort requirements. This is how the square obtained
several sidewalks of contemporary slabs for the comfort of people with reduced mobility and
mothers with strollers, level with the natural stone, which gives the necessary comfort of moving
across the square and ensures the necessary intraurban links.

The project suggests preserving the historically meaningful objects in using the historical place
as a part of the contemporary city. The major project idea is restoring the space’s social function.
The renovation of ancient pavements, the recreation of sidewalks, of greenspace and
beautification features made the territory more comfortable for use by inhabitants. The actual
historical potential is a point of departure for project conception. Elevating the urban realm
quality will let us “use” this historical and architectural potential.

Apart from the square, a century-old garden square was put into shape, with its shadowy space
that gives a contrast to the open square. We renewed the playground under the linden – it gained
in size and in new playing scenarios, using eco-materials like wood, tail-rope and sand. This is
how the playground took a more neutral aspect compared to the historical buildings. The square
also obtained a toilet module and a wooden summer estrade pavilion integrated with the function
of a street library – one can hold there moderate public events, like children’s holidays or bard
concerts that the inhabitants of Vereya like so much. An eco-parking and a bicycle track lay
along the carriageways, linking all the functional zones. Unique benches in the form of historical
tethering posts where horses were tied during funfairs became a colorful element. They helped us
breathe new life into the historical aspect of the square captured on several urban photographs.
The importance and the success of this project reside on how delicately one manages to build the
“communication” between history and today inside the town context, for it shows in everything:
from the general downtown space organization to the details and association of separate
materials. And here we’re talking first of all of time values which it’s better to take into account
on every step of town development, integrating personal architectural solutions in an existing
context to trace time.