Rare archaeological artifacts were found during the restoration works on Pekin Hotel Complex and surrounding buildings. Thanks to their high historical value the findings are considered to be the items of the cultural heritage of the Russian capital. Following the completion of the archaeological studies all of the artifacts will be handed over to Moscow Historical Museum.

As a result of its ongoing excavations Arkheologicheskiye Izyskaniya v Stroitelstve Company has found over 350 historical artifacts dating between XVI and XX centuries since March 2013, including unique Dutch tiles demonstrating the evolution of ceramics crafts in Moscow spanning from XVII to XIX centuries. In addition, the archaeological company discovered articles of daily use and handicrafts made of leather and wood in nearly-mint condition.

"Before getting down to erecting a new building in Moscow we are required to carry out archaeological studies on the site as outlined by the requirements of Moscow's Cultural Heritage Department. As a result of all the surveys on our construction sites we were lucky to have found valuable historical artifacts, all of which will be handed over to the Historical Museum of Moscow," says Irina Burdelnaya, public relations advisor to Hals Development's president.

"Well-preserved items of everyday use are found very infrequently in Moscow's sandy soil. That is why the discovered objects have such a high historical value. This time the archaeologists found pieces of footwear, partially preserved horse harness, a part of a waist bag and a stair-shaped leather amulet crafted by Old Believers. All of these items were kept preserved in the deeper archaeological layers unspoiled by the bacteria. We are really lucky to see these items having survived until now," said Leonid Kondrashov, Moscow's chief archaeologist.

"We uncovered hollow glazed finish tiles covered in etchings, which are typically united by common themes. Such Dutch tiles were used for decoration and heat-preservation by Moscow's homeowners. The tiles will help our experts establish the dates of the archaeological layers and the associated findings," said Vladimir Berkovitch, an archaeologist and deputy director general at Arkheologicheskiye Izyskaniya v Stroitelstve, LLC.

The company has been doing excavations on the site where Tverskaya-Yamskaya village was located between the XVII and XIX centuries. Two excavation sites each measuring at 120 sq. m. were used for archaeological works. More than 3 meters deep, the cultural layers from various historical periods encompassed an archaeological layer at least one meter in depth left by this historical village.        

For further information please contact:

Polina Murova
Murova.P@hals-development.ru

Tel.: +7 (495) 589 22 22 (1164)

Hals-Development  ("the Company") is one of the leading diversified company in the Russian and CIS real estate market.

The Company was the first Russian property developer to list its shares on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The Company"s shares are also listed on the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange and the Moscow Stock Exchange and the Russian Trading System Stock Exchange.

Main shareholder of Hals-Development is Bank VTB (51.24%).

Starting operations in 1994, Hals-Development has successfully completed about 40 projects with a total area over 450,000 square metres, including several residential complexes in Kuntsevo, the headquarters of the DaimlerChrysler company, the Hals Tower office building, the headquarters of the Trubnaya Metallurgical Company, the hotel for the MaMaison chain (Orco Property Group).

Sistema-Hals implements the development of the business center SkyLight in Moscow; carries out the complex program of redeveloping the facilities of the Moscow City Telephone networks; reconstructs the building of the Central "Detsky Mir" on Lubyanka, constructs LETO shopping center in Saint Petersburg and fulfils several other projects.

Hals-Development has assembled a balanced and diversified portfolio of assets in fast-growing sectors of the market. The Company"s strategy is focused on building Class A and B office space, multifunctional retail and office complexes, business-class residential buildings.

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The information in the press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Hals-Development. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "will", "could", "may" or "might" the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and those actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date thereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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