Great Hospitals of the Russian Federation: National Medical Research Center for Neurosurgery Named After N. N. Burdenko: History and Contemporaneity

In 1929 the surgeon N. N. Burdenko and the neurologist V. V. Kramer founded the first neurosurgical clinic in Moscow, which gained the status of Neurosurgery Institute in 1932. It went through a difficult path of military and peaceful years, overcoming all kinds of obstacles. It was constantly developed, built, and upgraded as it evolved to the National Medical Research Center for Neurosurgery. The history of the center is reviewed in this article, highlighting the notable personalities that have influenced the development of neurologic surgery and its scientific background in the Russian Federation. •Moscow Neurosurgery Institution underwent a difficult historical path, constantly building, upgrading, and evolving.•This remarkable institute has influenced development of neurosurgery and its scientific background in the USSR and Russia.•Today N. N. Burdenko National Medical Research Center for Neurosurgery is a chief organization in Russian neurologic surgery.•The center performs about 11,400 neurosurgery, radiotherapy, and radiosurgery procedures annually.