Russian Capital's Architectural Gems Bulldozed

Its buildings include florid art nouveau houses, brutalist Stalin-era skyscrapers and a magnificent Willy Wonka-like chocolate factory. But Moscow's unique and diverse architectural heritage is under "full-scale attack" and in serious danger of disappearing altogether, a group of British and Russian experts warned yesterday.

Russia's sprawling capital is being transformed into a series of "super-gentrified ghettos," an "ersatz city" fit only for "Gucci-bagged oligarchs' wives".

In a report entitled Moscow Heritage at Crisis Point, two architectural charities - the Moscow Architecture Preservation Society and Save Europe's Heritage - say the scale of destruction under Moscow's mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, has been breathtaking. During the past five years about 1,000 historic buildings have disappeared. Some 200 of them were listed monuments.

Although Russia has strict preservation laws, corrupt officials failed to enforce the rules. Other historic buildings mysteriously "burned down", the report says.

In their place, new pastiches are being constructed that "ape" the originals. Moscow has failed to learn the key role played by historic areas in the rejuvenation of other European capitals - like Covent Garden and Smithfield market in London, or the quaysides of Copenhagen or Stockholm, the report says.

"Architectural monuments of all eras are under threat. Nothing is sacrosanct," Marcus Binney, the president of Save Europe wrote in the report's introduction. "Moscow is in danger of becoming an ersatz city, which makes a mockery of Moscow's great past. "The prevailing view is that a modern version of an old building is just as good as, or better than, the original, and the concept of authenticity has been lost. This attitude is informing the approach of the city authorities to historic buildings of first importance."

The report cites numerous examples of poor development, such as recent work on the Tsaritsyno, an 18th century palace built under Catherine the Great. The building was never finished and until recently was a "romantic ruin" in a popular park in southern Moscow. Despite opposition, Mr Luzhkov decided to "finish" the palace last year, using a lot of concrete and "slapdash" restoration methods.

Other controversial projects include the demolition, and subsequent rebuilding, of the Moskva hotel - a famous city landmark next door to the Kremlin - and the 1960s Rossiya hotel.

Several 17th century town houses, meanwhile, have vanished. They include a "palaty", or palace, at 3 Prospekt Mira, whose inhabitants once inspired Doystoyevsky's novel The Possessed. The building was razed in 2002 and replaced by a "sham replica", the report says.

Earlier this year a series of merchants' houses next to the Kremlin were also surreptitiously removed. "Rows of traditional painted wooden buildings along ancient streets and river quaysides are being destroyed, robbing the city of its most picturesque beauty," the report notes.

Although critics have previously pointed out the rapidly changing nature of Moscow's skyline, this is the first time a team of international experts has sounded the alarm. The report is being sent to President Vladimir Putin.

Asked whether it had much chance of success, Clementine Cecil, co-founder of the Moscow Architecture Preservation Society, admitted: "It's a long process. Things happen slowly in a country like this, where the bureaucracy is enormous."

The report does identify a few positive trends. They include the restoration of Moscow's Russian orthodox churches, many of which were flattened during the 1930s. Gilded and painted domes can now be seen throughout the capital.

Moscow is home to an extraordinary range of architectural styles, including industrial architecture comparable with Berlin, and Stalin high-rises similar to the Empire State Building. There are also Constructivist houses, built during the Modernist era, and summer palaces. Much of outer Moscow, however, is an endless sea of flat-topped apartment blocks.

"Moscow still presents one of the world's most amazing architectural assemblages and urban silhouettes," the report adds. "It is a dynamic world capital that cannot be frozen."