Visiting The Moscow Metro
The
Moscow Metro was designed as a hymn of praise to socialism. The beauty of
the stations is renowned, and their sumptuous decor should be seen and
enjoyed by everyone visiting the city.
The original
line was opened in 1935, although plans for its construction had existed
since before the Russian Revolution. The first plan was rejected but in
1912 a second proposition was approved. The outbreak of World War I,
followed by the revolution delayed its construction until 1931.
This line
originally had 13 stations, the most interesting of which is
Kropotkinskaya. The walls and columns of the station were faced with
marble taken from the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and the
columns themselves, which support the vaulted ceiling, were designed as
five-pointed stars.
Ploshad
Revolutsii, on the second line, is symbolic of the new socialist world -
there are 76 bronzes depicting farm workers, athletes, soldiers and
sailors. Mayakovskaya station, on the third line, represents a day in the
land of socialism. The ceiling of the hall is covered in mosaic panels,
made of opaque glass, representing the day from morning to night, and
back to dawn.
In 1950 the
ring line was opened and its Komsomolskaya station (1952) is the best of
all. Designed by Shchusev, its underground pavilion is topped with a
steeple crowned with a five-pointed star and the interior is sumptuous,
full of astonishing mosaics depicting military victories and Russian
heroes, marble, granite, multicolored glass and chandeliers. The Moscow
Metro carries an average of 8.1 million passengers each day, making it
one of the busiest in the world. Visitors should not miss this gorgeous
underground art gallery-cum-museum, and you can travel on it too!
