Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro is one of the most remarkable public works of the 20th century. Opened in 1935, the system was designed from the outset to be beautiful — an underground palace for the Soviet people. The stations on the Circle Line (Koltsevaya) are the most extraordinary: each was designed by a different team of architects, and each is different in theme, material, and atmosphere.

The unmissable stations are Komsomolskaya (baroque ceiling mosaics depicting Russian military glory), Novoslobodskaya (stained glass panels backlighting each arch), Mayakovskaya (mosaics of Soviet skies and aircraft visible from the platform), and Elektrozavodskaya (dramatic use of industrial materials). A single metro ticket covers the whole journey — ride the circle line and you will cover the best of it in an hour or two.

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A story
The Moscow Metro was built in part as propaganda — proof that the Soviet state could create something beautiful for its workers. Stalin personally approved the designs for the showcase stations on the Circle Line, insisting on marble, mosaics, chandeliers, and painted ceilings. The workers who built the metro in the 1930s and 40s worked in dangerous conditions; several stations are memorials to that labour. The result is a network where the ordinary business of commuting takes place in surroundings that would embarrass most art museums.

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