Metro

Komsomolskaya station

The Moscow metro is the most popular and convenient means of transport in Moscow. It looks different from subways in other European capitals. Each station has a unique and individual design. The halls are finished with marble and lit with chandeliers, walls and ceilings glitter in mosaics and stained-glass windows. No surprise it was often called "marble palaces for the people."

The first metro line was launched in 1935. It seemed the whole country was involved in its construction. The best architects of the time were to design metro pavilions and underground lobbies. Marble and other natural stones were brought from all corners of the Soviet Union.. More then 75000 ordinary people were employed.Metro was created not only to carry passengers. It was the greatest PR project of the time.

No subway in the world could boast of such luxury. Moscow metro was built to prove the advantages of the Soviet regime. It was the showcase of 'Stalin's Moscow'. This is what one of the first passengers wrote about metro "Wonderful! Ravishing! Superb! A worthy monument to the great Stalin era! Fragment of communism!"

Metro is an underground gallery of the soviet realist art. This art was meant to depict "the real" Soviet life. The people on those images look happy. They are confident in their future. Collective farm girls seem to have fun working on the fields. Workers are never tired. The life in the country was shown as a never-ending festival.

Moscow metro is very deep. The deepest stations are

Metro used as shelter during the war

70-80 meters underground. During the Second World War the city's metro stations were used as air-raid shelters and many of the larger stations were used for important political and tactical meetings.

Metro in Moscow is expanding. Some of the modern stations look as impressive as the old ones.But unfortunately the Muscovites are so much in a hurry that they never look around. And only the tourists have the time to appreciate the beauty of our metro.

Don't miss the opportunity to visit Moscow metro. But it's very important to avoid the rush hour (8-10am, 5-8 pm). Your Moscow tour guide will show you the most impressive metro stations. But you can also explore metro on your own. The must-see stations include Ploshadj Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Novokuznetskaya, Komsomolskaya, Novoslobodskaya.