GES-2 House of Culture, Moscow

Is GES-2 free? Tickets and prices

The building is free; most exhibitions are not. Since 13 November 2025 shows on floors −1 and 2 are ticketed: 600 ₽ for one exhibition on floor −1, 400 ₽ for one on floor 2, and 1,000 ₽ for all of them. The all-in ticket is sold only when three or more exhibitions run at once, and it covers one return visit.

Under-18s go free, and on the first Wednesday of every month all exhibitions are free for everyone. The GES-2: Prospekt programme in the main hall and the Vaults art-production centre are always free. Half price applies to full-time students, pensioners and large families — check the documents list on the official site, as student discounts are usually for Russian student cards.

Buy tickets on the official website or at the info desk on floor 1 until 21:00. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards haven’t worked in Russia since March 2022, so you’ll need a Russian bank card or a friend to pay online — or ask at the desk. Registration itself costs nothing and needs no card.

What is GES-2, and is it worth visiting?

GES-2 stands for City Power Station No. 2 — a red-brick plant built in 1907 to run Moscow’s trams, right across the river from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Renzo Piano’s studio stripped out later additions, kept the brick shell and opened up a vast, light-filled hall under a glass roof.

It isn’t a museum with a permanent collection. It’s a house of culture: rotating contemporary art shows, concerts, film screenings, talks, a library, open workshops, cafés and a bookshop, all under one roof.

YesGo’s take: yes, it’s worth an hour even if contemporary art leaves you cold. The architecture, the birch grove and the river views of the Kremlin and the cathedral cost nothing. Pay for an exhibition only if the subject grabs you — and if you only have one day for art in Moscow, the Tretyakov Gallery comes first.

What to see inside GES-2

• Prospekt — the 1,200 m² main hall under the glass roof, straight ahead as you enter. Free shows, fairs and concerts.
• The Platforms — the Central Platform on floor 2 and the Upper Platform on floor 3. Go up for the best view of how the building works.
• Galleries on floors −1 and 2 — the paid exhibitions; the floor-2 rooms sit under the roof slopes.
• The birch grove — 624 birches on a slope on the west side, with a small belvedere.
• The Library — open 12:00–22:00, a calm place to sit with a book or a laptop.
• The Atelier — an open workshop for kids aged 3+ and adults.
• The Vaults — a free art-production centre in a separate building with studios and co-working.
• The Assembly Hall (290 seats) and the Steps, an outdoor amphitheatre by its glass wall.
• The riverside square — the view across to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the Patriarshy footbridge.

GES-2 with kids

It’s one of the easier culture stops in central Moscow with children. Under-18s get into every exhibition free, the Atelier runs open sessions for kids from age 3, and strollers can go everywhere except the Assembly Hall. The birch grove and the riverside square give them room to run.

The rules are strict, though: children under 14 must be with an adult, and teens 14 and over need a passport — without one they’ll be turned away at the door. Check the Calendar on the official site for specific workshops.

A short history

Building started in 1904–1905 (sources differ) and the plant went live in February 1907 as the Tram Power Station, designed by Vasily Bashkirov. Its original brick chimneys, over 60 m tall, came down in 1941. The building was listed as a regional heritage site in 2009.

After the station shut down, the building passed in 2014–2015 to Leonid Mikhelson’s V-A-C Foundation, which hired Renzo Piano’s studio in 2015. The new four blue chimneys, about 70 m high, pull in fresh air for the building. GES-2 opened to the public on 4 December 2021.

Looking for Urs Fischer’s *Big Clay #4* outside? It was moved to Leninsky Prospekt in 2025. Since October 2025 a 7-metre *Garden Trowel* by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen stands in its place — the artworks here rotate.

GES-2 vs Tretyakov Gallery vs Pushkin Museum

First time in Moscow with room for one art stop? The Tretyakov Gallery for Russian art. Put GES-2 in the evening — it’s open until 22:00 and sits between the Tretyakov and the Pushkin Museum, so you can do two in a day.

Moscow after dark, compared

Moscow places that work well in the evening, rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

72

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Moscow, Russia

40 min · Free · 8 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

49

Tretyakov Gallery

Moscow, Russia

2 h 30 min · 700 ₽ · 9 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Tretyakov Gallery

48

Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

Moscow, Russia

2 h · 700 ₽ per building · 11 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

44

Kremlin Armoury

Moscow, Russia

1 h 30 min · 1,400 ₽ · 13 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Kremlin Armoury

How to do it right

• One free hour: birch grove → Prospekt → Upper Platform → the riverside square facing the cathedral.
• Two to three hours: add one exhibition, or the 1,000 ₽ all-in ticket when three or more shows are on.
• Want free exhibitions? Come on the first Wednesday of the month — and register early, it gets busy.
• Coming from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour? The Patriarshy Bridge gets you here in 5–7 minutes.
• Food on site: Ostanovka café overlooking the grove, Bar-2 for breakfast, and the GES-2 restaurant.
• Want the story of the building? A guided tour explains what you’re looking at.
• Finish with an evening walk along the river to Gorky Park.

Questions