Stroytransgaz wins €1.7 billion culture contract

Russia-based Stroytransgaz, an engineering company owned by Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko, has won a RUB120 billion (€1.7 billion) contract to build four museum complexes in Russia by 2023, according to recent statements made by the company and some senior officials of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The project was said to be part of President Vladimir Putin’s plans to improve access to the arts, education and enrichment opportunities for local communities in each region of the country.

The project will involve the construction of new branches of some of Russia’s major cultural institutions, such as the Russian Higher School of Musical Theater Arts, the Bolshoi Theater and the Tretyakov Gallery.

The first stage of the project will see cultural complexes built in several Russian border regions, including Kaliningrad, Vladivostok, Sevastopol and Kemerovo.

According to Zelfira Tregulova, head of the Tretyakov Gallery - one of Moscow’s most important fine art galleries - the building of these centres will contribute to the growth of tourism and improve the region’s image in the eyes of the international community.

Most of the funds for the project will be provided by Rosneftegaz, a state company that manages the assets of the oil and gas industry and which holds a controlling stake in the Russian major oil producer Rosneft.