Komsomolskaya metro station

It is now seven months since we returned from Moscow. Sometimes, it feels long past. Yet, if I close my eyes, I can clearly see the route I regularly walked to Novosloboskaya metro station. There is the art shop, with its plaster sculpted heads in the display window; the battered little statue of a bumble bee lady near the playground; the Vietnamese restaurant; the weekend farmers market.

I recently discovered that it is possible to create tabs on my blog. That few blogs carry tabs is hardly surprising – it is not at all obvious how it is done. During the subsequent course of tidying and adding some tabs, it occurred to me that many places I had visited and photographed during the course of my stay in Moscow had not made it on to my blog. A reason to keep going just a little longer…

I never covered the grandest metro station of all - Komsomolskaya.

 There could have been few positive things to be said about living under a tyrant like Stalin. Perhaps one is that when he said, ‘build a really grand metro station’, a really grand metro station was built – or else. In Australia, there would be long debate; endless expensive feasibility studies; a close scrutiny of how many coins were in the bottom of the public fiscal purse; and then we might get something that resembled a tiled public toilet.

Komsomolskaya lies beneath a major transport hub. Above ground is a huge open space surrounding which are several large railway stations, from one of which runs the line to St Petersburg. Nearby is one of the Stalin buildings – the Leningradskaya hotel. So it is a busy station. Try not to visit at peak hour.

A yellow wedding cake of a station, some countries would love to have an opera house as ornate as this subterranean train platform. Completed in 1952, it features mosaics from major conflicts in Russia’s history. From one end of the station, a bust of Lenin still watches...

Baumanskaya metro station

It’s been ages since I had a look at a metro station. 

Before I start I’ll have a metro station related gripe. Today someone trod on my foot - hard. The treading on the foot didn’t bother me, that happens in busy metro stations, what irked was that the culprit (who knew he’d done it) didn’t apologise. There is a word in Russian for sorry, ‘Izveneety’, but in over two years I haven’t heard it. Not once. I wasted my time learning it. 

When you know Russians, they are perfectly lovely people; but if they don’t know you, you don’t exist – and are treated accordingly. So if you come to Moscow on holidays do not expect all the social courtesies one finds in Western Europe, and don’t take it personally – that’s just how things are done here. 

OK, now on to something more positive. Baumanskaya metro station. If you have enjoyed gawking at the statues in Ploschad Revolutsi metro station, it’s worth hoping on the train and going two stops to Baumanskaya, where you’ll find some more. There’s also a mosaic portrait of Lenin. The station was completed in 1944, which surprised me a little as I thought the Russians might be a bit too otherwise preoccupied to be building metro stations. 

The date of the station's construction, 1944, is very much reflected in the martial nature of some of the statues.

 Nikolai Bauman, I read on Wikipedia, was a comrade of Lenin’s in the early days who ran foul of the authorities in 1905 and was beaten to death while in custody, thus becoming something of a martyr to the Bolshevik cause.

The statues are made of plaster, coloured to look bronze. Unlike the real bronze statues in Ploschad Revolutsi, this means they don't have golden shiny spots where people rub them for luck

This must be the guy who dug the metro tunnel - by the look of him, he could have done it single-handed.

 It’s worth getting out of the station and having a wander around as there is a beautiful cathedral in the neighbourhood – Yelokovo Cathedral.

Yelokovo Cathedral (and trolleybus lines)

Exterior wall mosaic

Dostoevskaya metro station

I haven't done a post about a metro station for a while.

I have chosen one of the newest - only opened in 2010 - Dostoevskaya. It is on the northern lime green line (number 10).

This is a beautiful station.

Dostoevskaya Station is decorated to celebrate the writings of that famous 19th century author, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Most often recognised as the producer of several enormous Russian novels that everyone feels they ought to read...some day...maybe...when I'm retired...

Smile...Fyodor is watching

I have read 'Crime and Punishment'. Airing that achievement, along with the conquest of 'War and Peace', is sure to impress at parties. Any other academic achievements become quite incidental. I don't mention that 'The Idiot' defeated me after 300 pages.

When the station opened there were some complaints that it was too brooding and gloomy. Not surprising considering Dostoevsky's novels are brooding and gloomy. As the designer, Ivan Nikolayev reportedly said, "What did you want? Scenes of dancing?"

You might expect a space ship, but all you'll get is a rattly old train.

Scenes from Crime & Punishment. No dancing, just Raskolnikov and his axe.

The Metro 4 - Ploshchad Revolyutsi

Ploshchad Revolyutsi (Revolution Square) metro station was opened in 1938. It's a popular station with visitors to Moscow. I occasionally see people with cameras, even small tour groups, in the station on quiet days. 

The station contains numerous bronze statues of figures engaged in various activities, particularly Soviet-style workers, soldiers and sports people. While I admire the excellent workmanship of the statues, I do find that the station feels a little cramped and gloomy. I was therefore interested to read recently that the government commission that approved the station also noticed this. Apparently it was Stalin’s admiration for the lifelike statues that allowed the opening to proceed as planned.

Ploshchad Revolyutsi station.

  An obvious feature of the statues are the occasional shining golden patches on the otherwise darkly oxidised surfaces. Watching for a while, you will notice people passing by often touch the statues in those spots. The wear of thousands of fingers has kept the metal bright. It seems that touching the statues brings various forms of luck. The girl student’s foot is supposed to remedy a broken love affair and the border guard’s dog brings good luck with exams.

The guard dog's nose gets a good work out from fretting students

The chickens evidently don't offer much luck.

Archway to the platform. Just feels a bit cramped to me.

Tunnel (or perechod) between Plochchad Revolyutsi and Teatralnaya stations. It is possible to move considerable distances under central Moscow using these perechods, which is a great advantage during the winter.

The Metro 3: Escalators and Komsomolskaya (brown line)

I have noticed that if I place my hand on the moving handrail of an escalator in Australia, it gradually creeps ahead of me. The handrail, it seems, moves slightly faster than the steps. The same thing happens on the long Metro escalators in Moscow. It must be a universal escalator phenomenon. 

To their credit, Muscovites are very diligent about standing to the right on escalators, allowing people in a hurry to pass. Not that many people actually walk up (or down) the steps. Most people just stand there. I have seen people scurrying along the perehods (passageways) to the escalators as if they were late for an urgent meeting, only to become statues on the ascent. People have even, quite rudely, pushed in front of me in their urgent haste to get on these magic moving steps. Then they freeze and I pass them again (I usually walk up the escalators – I try to think of them as free exercise machines).

Wendy has suggested that riding the long escalators, which can take up to a minute, is sort of time out for busy Muscovites. I am less charitable – I think they are just being lazy.

Another interesting feature of the Metro is what I call the escalator police. At the bottom of long escalators is a little glass booth in which sits a grey-uniformed, often somewhat elderly, official watching both the escalator in front of them and a group of escalator images on closed-circuit television. I guess it stops people from getting up to whatever mischief people get up to on escalators. But it has to be one of the world’s most utterly, totally, completely boring jobs. Especially as Muscovites don’t seem to get up to any interesting mischief on escalators – they just stand there.

Riding the Komsomolskaya escalator. Unusually quiet as this was New Years Day. The metal and glass booth on the left is home to the diligent 'escalator police' - so behave yourself!

 Today’s station is Komsomolskaya on the brown line (there is a nearby, older station on the red line which is also called Komsomolskaya). This station was opened in 1952 and is perhaps the most ornate and lavish in the Metro. If I only had time to visit one Metro station on a short trip to Moscow, it would probably be this. 

A second, short escalator ascends.....

.....to an art gallery (sorry, I mean train station)

 The central hall contains 8 mosaic panels. Six of them show Russian military leaders and folk heroes. The other two were added in 1963 (one of which depicts Lenin speaking) to replace a couple of Stalinist mosaics deemed inappropriate at the time. 

Komsomolskaya mosaic

 

The station design won a Grand Prix at the 1958 International Exhibition in Brussels.

This really is just an underground railway station

See, there's a train!

Even Lenin approves.

The Metro 2: Novoslobodskaya Metro Station

I have lived most of my life in Sydney. As a result I have developed low expectations of underground stations – the Sydney underground has the aesthetic appeal of a string of public toilets connected by rail. 

The Moscow metro has improved my perspective. Underground stations don't have to be dingy.

Novoslobodskaya is north of central Moscow on the circular metro line (brown line, number 5). The brown line and its stations are almost invariably busy as people use them in the same way as drivers use a ring road – to skirt around the city centre.

 

Train arriving at Novoslobodskaya station

 I caught a glimpse of Novoslobodskaya stained glass a few weeks ago as my train passed through. Having an interest in leadlight, I decided to have a closer look at the first opportunity.

One of over 30 leadlight panels, each edged with brass.

 The station architect was the guy also responsible for Mayakovskaya, Alexey Dushkin. The station pylons are faced with pink granite from the Urals. It was opened on 30 January, 1952.

 

The stunning glass panels, which are illuminated from behind, were manufactured in Latvia to designs prepared by Pavel Konn.

Not content with the leadlight, Pavel Konn also designed a mosaic at the end of the station platform, called ‘Peace Throughout the World’.

Pavel Konn's mosaic "Peace Throughout the World'.

Well, in fairness, I suppose the Sydney underground stations do have advertising posters to look at.

The Metro 1: Mayakovskaya Station

The Metro

The Moscow metro is the foundation of the city’s mass transit system. Without it, I am sure, Moscow could not function. According to Wikipedia it is the second largest underground system in the world (after Tokyo), moving 6.6 million people each day, with 185 stations and 305 kilometres of track.

It is delightfully efficient and simple to use. The network consists of 11 lines, identified both by colour and number. All of these lines cross the city except one, the brown line (number 5), which is circular and intersects all the others, thus saving people the need to go in and out of the city centre unnecessarily.

A variety of types of ticket are available from cashier offices found at the entrance to all stations. At the time of writing a single journey costs 28 rubles (about $1 Aus). Twenty trips cost 520 rubles. A three month ticket (which I have) costs 3485 rubles (around $120 Aus). A full year is 11430 rubles (about $380 Aus). I had considered buying a full year ticket, but if you lose it, that’s tough luck.

On purchase, one is given a ticket that is swiped over a glowing red light at the entry gate. The light will turn green and one can walk through (the display will also helpfully show how many trips remain or the expiry date on the ticket). If you don’t swipe a valid ticket and try to walk through, a metal barrier will fly out at crotch height. Ouch.

There is no train timetable. At peak hours there are trains every 30 seconds. At other times the frequency drops to around every 2 minutes. I have never had to wait 3 minutes for a train. Any less service and I doubt the system would cope. At peak hour the trains are absolutely packed, and it is usually busy at other times.

Construction of the metro began in 1935 and it was designed to showcase Soviet achievement. Many of the stations are just gorgeous. Over coming months I’ll progressively feature stations in this blog, starting with my ‘local’, Mayakovskaya.

Mayakovskaya new entry hall (added in 2005)

Mayakovskaya entry hall mosaic

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station is named in honour of the Russian poet, Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930). Designed by Alexey Duskin, it was opened on 11 September 1938. In the same year it won the Grand Prix at the New York World Fair.

Mayakovskaya escalator

 The station is 33 metres deep. It is decorated with pink rhodonite, stainless steel and grey marble. Recessed in the circular light arrays in the ceiling are lovely mosaics depicting a variety of scenes.

 During the war Mayakovskaya (in common with other metro stations) served as a bomb shelter. Stalin gave a motivating speech from the station in 1941 with the Germans at the gates of Moscow.

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There are 33 of these mosaics recessed in the light wells in the station ceiling