There is also another name – Karauansarai. This is a trade and business complex and cultural centre. Originally it was an Upper Trade Square, where bred, vegetables, meat, leather and fur were sold right from the carts and open counters. Gostiniy Dvor was built in 1820–1836 according to the project of the Sankt-Petersburg architect A.I. Melnikov. The one store building was built in the classicism style; there were places for the stalls inside and outside. In the centre there were warehouses. In 1941–1943 the trade lines were re-structured into Ufa Cotton Mill. Then the building was empty for a long time and slowly was turning into the ruins in the centre of the city. In 1995–2000 the complex was demolished and built again (the architects Davidenko and Goldobins).
Now Gostiniy Dvor is one of the sights of Ufa (see "Trade and Entertainment Centers").
