The President's Residence of the Republic of Kazakhstan () was a monument of architecture, history and culture, located in the former capital of
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
,
Almaty
Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...
, on
Nursultan Nazarbayev Avenue.
History
The building was designed as a complex for the
Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...
Museum. Due to
political unrest in 1986, the construction of the facility was suspended. At that point, the building was 90% completed.
In 1993, construction resumed but the purpose of the building changed: it was instead to be built as a residence for the
President of Kazakhstan
The president of Kazakhstan, officially the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the executive head of state of the Kazakhstan and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. As the highest-ranking official ...
. The construction was completed in 1995. After the capital of the country was moved to
Astana
Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...
, the building retained the status of a residence. It additionally housed municipal offices.
The area adjacent to the building has been a traditional venue for picketing and protests.
In January 2022, the residence was stormed and set on fire by people
protesting
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
against the nation's rising fuel prices, resulting in most of the building largely destroyed. Though plans were initially made to fully restore it, it was found that the structure was not up to current codes and eliminating the smell of burning was not possible. Ultimately, President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev (born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakhstani politician and diplomat who has served as the second president of Kazakhstan since 2019. He previously served as Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 ...
made the decision to demolish the building and replace it with a public park.
Demolition took place later in the year.
Architecture
The building was designed as a monumental structure, the large-span roof of which rested on four angular volume-structural supports. The spatial solution of the new residence gave maximum freedom to work with the architecture of the facades and flexibility of the internal multi-level planning structure.
The facade of the Residence was finished with white carrara marble, which was contrastingly combined with dark blue stained-glass windows.
The interiors of the building were decorated with Kazakh classical ornament, the motives of which were repeated in the organization of the internal space. The round dome of the Reception Hall was framed with a relief drawing based on the Kargalin diadem.
On the west side of the Residence, a park was laid out, in which there was a place for works of modern art.
Monumental status
On 16 October 2000, the Residence complex was included in the register of historical and cultural monuments of Kazakhstan of republican significance.
See also
*
Ak Orda Presidential Palace
References
{{Reflist
Buildings and structures in Almaty
Presidential residences
Residential buildings completed in 1995