What is "mossovet"

Mossovet (Моссовет), an abbreviation of Moscow Soviet of People's Deputies, was the informal name of a

• parallel, shadow city administration of Moscow, Russia run by left-wing parties in 1917
• city administration of Moscow in Soviet period (1918–1991). It was used in the same sense as City Hall is used in English vernacular.

Between 1918 and 1941, these two administrations were perceived as two distinct, although related, bodies. The Mossovet (Imeni Mossoveta) title was appended to the names of different institutions as an honorary title ("in the name of Mossovet") referring to 1917 events, i.e.

• Mossovet Theater (established 1924, and still operates under this name)

or as a sign of administrative control ("established by Mossovet") by the current administration, i.e.

• Mossovet Architectural Workshops (established 1932)
• Mossovet Kindergarten could mean a corporate kindergarten for City Hall staff, or any public kindergarten managed by the City

Designed in 1780s by Matvey Kazakov, it was shorn off its wings in 1939 and moved fourteen meters backward on rollers. By 1945 it was jacked up a story, joined to a smaller house built in 1930s, sandwiched between new ground and attic floors, and fitted with a high-arched portico.