A never-occupied building referred to as the “buried robot” by locals in the Russian city of Kaliningrad will be demolished next year. The Brutalist edifice garnered its nickname after locals likened its protruding terraces to two eyes and a mouth.
The 21-story House of Soviets, a concrete structure, was left unbuilt when funding dried up in 1985 during economic hard times for the Soviet Union. Though structurally unsound, the building has become an icon of the city, notably when the fans of the 2018 World Cup took over in a vast square nearby. Luckily, though, those interested may possibly keep a piece of the robot forever. The regional governor, Anton Alikhanov, has said that he and other officials were discussing the possibility of making fragments available as souvenirs.
