The external scenes of the institution also show, in the background, The Palace of the Soviets (Stalinistic 'wedding cake' building with a statue of Lenin on top). The Church that once occupied this site was demolished in the late 30's to prepare for its construction, however due to the outbreak of WW2 the building was never completed. It became "the world's largest outdoor swimming pool" until the mid 1990's when a replacement Church was constructed.
The film takes place in 1946.