Published on: 2026-06-03
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
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On the portal “Discover Moscow» publishedroute, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birthNikolay BurdenkoA — of the outstanding surgeon, military doctor, founder and first president of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. The tour goes through landmark places of the capital associated with the life and work of the scientist who laid the foundations of domestic neurosurgery.
Participants of the excursion dedicated to the anniversary of Nikolay Nilovich Burdenko learn the story of the development of the brilliant medic who went through four wars, personally operated on the front lines, and created a unique system of military field surgery that saved millions of lives. The route includes key capital addresses of neurosurgery — from the Faculty Clinic at Pirogov Hospital, where Burdenko operated for over 20 years, to the Lefortovo Hospital, which became his main rear base during the Great Patriotic War.For user convenience, all points of the route are marked on the interactive map, and if desired, you can learn more about each object by going to its page via the embedded link,” the capital’s press service said.
The excursion begins atFaculty Clinic of Moscow University(now — the N. N. Burdenko Clinic). The scientist began his work here in 1923, and a year later headed the clinic, which he led until the end of his life. It was precisely within these walls under Nikolay Burdenko’s leadership that the first specialized neurosurgical beds in the country were allocated — from this moment began the history of Russian neurosurgery. The professor radically reorganized the educational process: he equipped the clinic with X-ray equipment and restored the experimental department, where students could master surgical techniques on laboratory models.
The next point on the route is Burdenko Street in Khamovniki (formerly Dolgy Lane). A memorial plaque on house 8/1 (at the corner with 3rd Neopalimovsky Lane) reminds that the street is named after a neurosurgeon. The first president of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences lived for many years in this quiet Moscow corner not far from Devichy Field. Here, he worked around the clock, accepting colleagues and patients at any time of day or night. Legends attested to the capability of this brilliant doctor: he could set off in the middle of the night to the city for a seriously ill patient and be at the Moscow clinic by nine in the morning.
The walk continues by the wallsAlexandrinsky (Neskuchny) Palace. Being a brilliantly educated person, the great surgeon asserted that a doctor who sincerely loves his profession simply does not have the right to limit himself to just one field of medicine. The scientist had a special passion for surgery and literature. In 1937, Nikolai Burdenko delivered a report at the Academy of Sciences dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of Alexander Pushkin. Having studied the circumstances of the poet’s duel wound, the surgeon came to the conclusion: the achievements of 20th-century medicine would have made it possible to save Pushkin.
The main professional creation of the scientist became the Central Neurosurgical Institute (now — the National Medical Research Center of Neurosurgery named after academician N.N. Burdenko). It was located in the building of the former Petrovsko-Alexandrovsky boarding house-shelterA — an early modernist monument, built in 1902 according to the design of architect Alexander Meisner. In 1932, Nikolay Burdenko founded here the world’s first specialized neurosurgical center. Today, this institute remains one of the largest neurosurgical complexes in the country. In the courtyard of the historical building in 1949, in memory of an outstanding doctor, a monument-bust was installed, the work of sculptor Sergey Merkurov and architect Alexander Baransky.
One more important point of the route —house with atlantesOn Solyanka Street. In 1929, Nikolai Burdenko, together with neurologist Vasily Kramer, opened the first neurosurgical clinic in Moscow here. A small institution with 25 beds, occupying less than 500 square meters, became the starting point for the creation of the future Institute of Neurosurgery. On February 15, 1929, Nikolai Burdenko performed the first operation here, making another step towards the emergence of a new medical specialty in the country.
Another landmark address — the building of the formerGuardianship councilA vivid example of Moscow Empire style is the work of architect Domenico Gilardi. In 1944, the newly formed Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR was housed here, with Nikolay Burdenko becoming its first president. He held this position until 1946, defining the course of Soviet medicine development for years ahead. Since 2016, the Russian Academy of Sciences has awarded the N. N. Burdenko gold medal every five years for outstanding work in the field of neurosurgery and military field surgery.
The walk continues in the Polytechnic Museum, where in the autumn of 1946, the All-Union Congress of Surgeons was held in the large auditorium — the first since the end of the Great Patriotic War. Nikolai Burdenko was unanimously elected honorary chairman of the congress. Although due to illness he could no longer preside over the meetings, his report was listened to first. The last academic work of the scientist — in the presence of the author — was read out by his student. The topic of the report was the treatment of gunshot wounds at the front during the Great Patriotic War.
The tour concludes atLefortovo Hospital(N. N. Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital) — the oldest hospital in Russia, which the academician made his key rear base during the Great Patriotic War. Being the chief surgeon of the Red Army until the end of his days, he coordinated all the country’s military field medicine, operated on the severely wounded, and was the first in the USSR to conduct clinical trials of penicillin.It was here that Nikolai Burdenko introduced a unique method of primary treatment of cranio-cerebral wounds and developed a new approach to the therapy of purulent infections — the introduction of a solution of streptocide (and then penicillin) directly into the carotid artery. After the death of the academician in 1946, the hospital was officially named after him.
“Discover Moscow”A is a joint project of the capital’s departmentsInformation technologies,culture,cultural heritage,education and science. On the portal, you can find over 300 walking routes across various districts of the city. The interactive guide contains photographs and descriptions of almost 2,400 buildings, over 700 monuments, 410 museums, 520 historical sites, and 335 famous personalities whose lives were connected with the city.
Creation, development, and operation of electronic government infrastructure, including the provision of mass socially significant services, as well as other services and electronic form services, correspond to the objectives of the national project“Economy of data and digital transformation of the state”and the regional project of the city of Moscow “Digital State Management.” You can learn more about the national project of Russia and the contribution of the capital atspecial page.
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