Gorky Park Stage Demolished After Court Ruling

In Perm«s Gorky Park, the main stage is being dismantled — several days ago, 59.RU journalists saw machinery working there. By the time our photographer arrived, some elements of the structure were already missing. We found out who is demolishing the structure and why.

For two decades, artists performed on this stage during city and local events — including Anastasia Stotskaya, Marina Khlebnikova, Pyotr Dranga, Dina Garipova, and Vladimir Selivanov. At the end of January, we saw a truck-mounted aerial work platform with its boom pointed toward the roof. The remaining parts were already partially dismantled.

The stage«s fate began to be decided back in February 2024 — the Perm City Hall»s Department of Land Relations filed a lawsuit against Gorky Central Amusement Park LLC. The authorities sought to recognize that the park did not own the stage (officially called the «Variety Theater») and the guard booth at the entrance from Sibirskaya Street. Simply put, the city administration asked the court to strip the park of its rights to the structures and transfer them to the municipality.

In spring 2025, the lawsuit added demands to recognize the stage as an unauthorized structure and to demolish it within 90 days of the court decision taking effect. If this does not happen, Gorky Park will have to pay 2,000 rubles ($22) for each day of delay.

«An expert examination established that the variety theater is a capital construction project,» the city administration earlier told 59.RU. «After the tenant obtains approvals and brings it up to safety requirements, a non-permanent stage can be installed.»

On June 18, 2025, the Arbitration Court granted the department«s lawsuit; Gorky Park attempted to appeal the decision. It did not succeed, so the park is now demolishing the structure.

«We went through three court instances, and in December last year the court ordered the stage to be demolished. We could not transfer it to the city because the structure was under arrest. We could have filed an appeal, but the deadlines no longer allow it. Court decisions must be obeyed, so we are demolishing. Maybe it»s for the best,« park owner Rashid Gabdullin told 59.RU.

Earlier, the park administration said that throughout its existence, the structures were maintained at the park«s expense — without support from the city budget. And that authorities had not sent any official complaints about the stage»s condition until 2024.

Explanation from authorities

The Perm city administration confirmed to 59.RU that until 2024 there were indeed no complaints from officials.

«The park registered ownership of the disputed structures only in August 2023. In connection with this, a lawsuit was filed,» the Department of Land Relations explained. The land plot at 43 Sibirskaya Street was leased for a park, not for constructing structures. Under the terms of the lease agreement, the erection of buildings, structures, and other real estate objects is only possible with the lessor«s permission.

The department went to court to have the stage declared an unauthorized structure because its construction violated the terms of the land lease.

But the stage in the park will still exist. The city administration told us that, in coordination with the authorities, a mobile stage can be installed. Its dimensions will be determined during approval.

Other structures will also be demolished

Parallel to the stage litigation, the Arbitration Court was considering a case about the fate of other structures. The Administration of Sverdlovsky District demanded that a number of structures in Gorky Park be recognized as unauthorized and that the owner be obliged to demolish them, as well as to recover a penalty.

At the end of October 2025, the judge approved a settlement agreement between the Perm administration and Gorky Central Amusement Park LLC and terminated the case. Instead of demolishing the disputed buildings, the park will transfer the «Dracula House,» restrooms, a garage, a rotunda, and the park«s facade to the city free of charge. The park must also deregister the structures, after which the city administration will accept them into municipal ownership.

If the conditions are not met, a penalty of 5,000 rubles ($56) for each day of delay is stipulated.

Last fall, the Dutch Street was demolished in the main city park — those colorful stalls where cotton candy and toys were sold. But the reason was not authorities« complaints, but that this area encroached upon the protection zone of a heating main.