The Art of Moscow’s Metros
Painting, mosaic and sculpture awaits you underground in Russia’s ca
In Moscow, traveling by underground train can be like visiting a succession of art galleries. Learn where to find Soviet era art on the metro.
That phrase about it being the journey and not the destination never rang so true as in Moscow, where you can actually spend a half-day “touring” the public transport. The decadent underground train stations are a special feature of Russia’s capital and in the city center you’ll find them covered with mosaics, stained glass, bronze sculptures or Soviet-era paintings.
Riding the Moscow Metro
It’s almost impossible to stay in Moscow and avoid taking the Metro – it’s very often the easiest and fastest way to get somewhere, and definitely the cheapest too (apart from walking, of course!). It’s best to buy a ticket for 5, 10 or 20 trips, depending on how much you think you’ll use it – just line up at the ticket office at the entrance to each station (look for the queue) and use your fingers if necessary to explain how many tickets you want. The only other challenge is to survive the long, long journey down the escalator to the platform, although St Petersburg is where you’ll find the deepest stations.
Understanding the Moscow Metro System
It’s no coincidence that some of the metro stations are more impressive than art galleries. During the Soviet era, a large amount of money was invested in fitting out some of the central metro stations to convince the people of the advantages of socialism. As a result, not only is the metro system a sightseeing attraction of its own, but it’s also a fascinating insight into the past, with images of woman ploughing the fields and groups of peasants proudly driving tractors intermingling with astronauts and high-tech achievers.
Stations to Visit in Moscow
With just one ticket, you can hop on and off trains and change lines at your leisure before emerging again into the city streets. So it’s easy to make a half day “tour” of some of these stations, although the craving for fresh air might get too great to stay longer. Here are some of our favorite stations:
- Arbatskaya: admire impressive roomy halls and romantic chandeliers
- Kievskaya: photograph the Soviet-era pride of mosaics
- Novoslobodskaya: see colorful stained glass windows with portraits of composers and artists at the top
- Revolution Square: imposing bronze statues of soldiers
- Mayakovskaya: ceiling mosaics and hammer and sickle motifs
- Novukuznetskaya: relief sculptures of attacking soldiers and more ceiling mosaics
- Paveletskaya: high vaulted ceilings and golden hammer and sickle decorations
