The Russian city of Kaliningrad has decided to demolish an unfinished 21-storey building, popularly known as "the buried robot" owing to its resemblance to a mechanical head.
Work on the brutalist monument, formally known as the House of Soviets, was abandoned in 1985 when its funding ran out. The decision to demolish was taken after engineers warned that it had become structurally unsafe.
Image courtesy of Amoklv/Dreamstime
The building acquired an iconic status after the fan zone for the 2018 World Cup matches in Kaliningrad was set up in the square next to it.
Associated Press reports that demolition of the structure is due to take place in early 2021, but there is the possibility of parts of the building being sold as souvenirs.
Top image courtesy of Nelieta/Dreamstime
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