Moscow Metro: from 1950 to 2014

Moscow Metro (subway, underground) was opened on 15th of May 1935 and immediately received the title of the most beautiful in the world: first subway stations built using 20 kinds of marble and granite. Mosaics, frescoes, sculptures, decorative ceramics were traditional for Soviet design. In this post I'd like to show you 5 beautiful Soviet and modern stations that were opened from 1950 to 2014 and details from other 3. 

The most beautiful Soviet station in my opinion is Komsomolskaya (ring line). It was opened on 30th January 1952. Architect - Alexey Shchusev (author of Lenin's Mausoleum and Kazan Railway station).

The theme of the design, the Historical Russian fight for freedom and independence, is expressed in eight large ceiling mosaics by Pavel Korin. Korin said that the inspiration came from Joseph Stalin's speech at the Moscow Parade of 1941, where he inspired the soldiers amid the catastrophic losses in the early period of World War II to remember the historic heroics of their Russian forefathers. The idea to make the art in mosaic came from the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, where Korin saw that such artforms could last for eternity. The mosaics dedicated to Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov, Vladimir Lenin and The World War.

In 1951 both Pavel Korin and Alexey Schusev (posthumously) were awarded the Stalin Prize for their works on the station. In 1958 the station was awarded the Grand Prix ("Grand Prize") title of Expo '58 in Brussels.

Dmitry Donskoy after the Battle of Kulikovo

Vladimir Lenin on the Red Square

The sister of Komsomolskaya (was opened in one day - 30th of January 1952) is Novoslobodskaya station. There are lots of stations with stained glasses in Moscow, but Novoslobodskaya is the main. Authors: Alexey Dushkin, Alexander Strelkov.

The station's architect, Alexey Dushkin has long wished to unitilise stained glass in decoration of a metro station, and the first drawings date to pre–World War II times. In 1948, with the aid of a young architect Alexander Strelkov, Dushkin came across the renowned artist Pavel Korin, who agreed to compose the artworks for the panels. 

Novoslobodskaya is best known for its 32 stained glass panels, which are the work of Latvian artists E. Veylandan, E. Krests, and M. Ryskin. Each panel, surrounded by an elaborate brass border, is set into one of the station's pylons and illuminated from within. Both the pylons and the pointed arches between them are faced with pinkish Ural marble and edged with brass molding. 

And I said to myself: what a wonderful coat.

The next station is the oldest in this collection. Taganskaya (ring line) was opened on 1st of January 1950. Architects K.Ryzhkov and A.Medvedev. The overall design is based on the traditional Russian motives in decorations. The central feature of the station are 48 Maiolica panels located on each face of the pylon. These contain apart from floral elements, profile bas-reliefs of various World War II Red Army & Navy servicemen each dedicated to a group such as pilots, tankists, sailors etc. The colour gamma is balanced in such a way that the panels facing the central hall are on a blue maiolica background, whilst the platform hall panels are monochromatic.

For the glory of heroes-sailors

for the glory of heroes-partisans

for the glory of heroes-artillerymen

The sister of Taganskaya station is Kurskaya (ring line) (1st January, 1950). The most special part of it is entrance hall. Station lobby is interesting because it has a lot of similarities with the temple buildings. Entrance oriented to the west and the inner part of the altar on the east, he discovers the meaning of the building - the Temple of Victory. The entrance is located after Antechambers rectangular central space for the two rows of windows , octagonal ribbed dome complex. Entrance hall provisionally designated by two rectangular pillars up to the base of the dome. On their inner sides chasing on bronze: huge two-handed swords, twined garlands. The dome is supported by powerful beam laid on high round column. On these beams is inscribed with the text of the second verse of the USSR:

Through tempests the sun of freedom shined on us,
And the great Lenin illuminated our path to freedom
Stalin brought us up - on loyalty to the people,
He inspired us to labor and heroism!

Balloons under the domes are very usual in Moscow metro

The girl from Paveletskaya station (ring line) (1st January 1950, also) is a part of Mosaic panel made by Pavel Korin showing the Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union being held by a worker man (hidden behind the huge metal box) and peasant woman amid floral backgrounds. 

And the last Soviet station I'd like to show is Borovitskaya (23th January, 1986). It's not very special itself, but I really impressed by naive drawings hidden in bricks. I'm sure nobody notices them, but they are cute and too honest. 

Who knows, maybe architects were inspired by this beautiful story: In 1985, during the construction of the station "Borovitskaya" workers stumbled upon an unusual find. At a depth of 5-6 meters was discovered a small red brick house , with preserved windows and walls. Even more strange is the fact that inside the buildings are preserved and the furniture and utensils. Work was suspended. Commission came from the builders, scientists and archaeologists. Scientists have found that a historic building built around the middle of the XVI century, it became the victim of a natural disaster , the ground beneath the foundation settled and drew a house on the depth himself house miraculously remained intact.

Soviet Era is over but Moscow metro doesn't stop to grow and expand. And I chose two modern stations to show you: Lesoparkovaya and Bitsevsky(or Bitsa) Park. Both were opened on 27th of February 2014.

Lesoparkovaya station

And colorful and non-traditional Bitsa Park station.

After evening photographing in subway it's time to go home and I can't ignore the station that I hurry to visit every time of using metro - my home Yuzhnaya station (8th November 1983). The station has a wonderful detail in design - floor in the form of a snake that you can follow while waiting for the train. :)

Be interested in what you see every day and see you in Russia!

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If you have something that you want to see in Russia (specially in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg), you can always ask me to photograph it!

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