The history of the metro
The project of a metro in Moscow dates back to 1870 and to Emperor Alexander II, but it is Stalin who materializes it from 1931. The construction was part of Moscow's transformation from "a bloated Asian town" to the showcase of the socialist world. Its author, Lazarus Kaganovitch, put all the means of the regime into it. The slogan "all to the construction of the metro" shows the investment of materials, artist, and thousands of workers who were commissioned from all over the country. Rarely, even foreign companies like Siemens or Metrovick were involved.
A first line with 13 stations was inaugurated on May 15, 1935. Street celebrations including concerts, parades and theatrical performances took place and the Bolshoi served a spectacular choir of 2,200 metro workers. It was then at a slower pace that the rest of the network developed under Stalin, but even the Second World War, when the Battle of Moscow pushed the Third Reich 30 kilometres from the city, was not reason enough to stop work.
The metro is constantly reinventing itself: the many representations in honour of the "Father of the Peoples" were dismantled during the desalinization. Trash cans disappeared from the platforms in the 1990s as part of the fight against terrorism. Advertising had exploded in the stations and on the trains, it is now highly regulated thanks to the city's policy of promoting its heritage.
In addition, the network continues to grow. In 2019, 169 kilometres of metro lines and 74 new stations have already been built. It is expected that 95% of Muscovites will be able to access the metro network on foot. All in all, the history of the Moscow metro is never over.The imaginary of the subway
Like Luc Besson's metro, we must not stop at what we see of the network. The undergrounds, up to 85 metres deep, are not only used to transport the population in a sumptuous setting, they also serve as an anti-aircraft and even anti-atomic bunker. If you take a close look at the station entrances and tunnels, you will see on the ceiling the leaves of the enormous armoured airlocks, ready to hermetically seal the stations and transform them into refuges. On the other hand, if you are even more attentive you can see a small "A" which means "emergency" and indicates that the metro also has an autonomous subsidiary electrical system. This vision of the metro was tested during the Second World War: not only inhabitants but also businesses were moved into the metro, the Mayakovskaya station even hosted a Mossovet meeting in 1941.
For all these reasons, the metro has a special place in the country's imagination. It is referred to as "a city within the city", dotted with power stations, laboratories, factories, reserves and secret bunkers. Some of these have recently been opened to the public (Bunker 42, Bunker 703 and Bunker of Izmailovo). There are also rumours of the existence of a "Metro 2": a second network of tunnels that would be reserved for the army and the government in case of attack. In any case, this imaginary is part of the national pop culture. This culture has now spread internationally thanks to the bestseller Metro 2033 by the Moscow-born author Dmitri Gloukhovski. In 2019, his trilogy featuring a post-apocalyptic metro serving as humanity's last refuge is being translated into 20 languages. It has also been transformed into a successful video game series, and its film adaptation for 2022 is eagerly awaited by fans.Its remarkable stations
Moscow metro stations are real underground palaces that are a must to visit, either on excursion or on your own. Here is a list of our favorites. For a serene visit, take note of the names of the stations and their lines (Muscovites themselves refer to the lines by their nickname or colour) and avoid rush hour at all costs.
Most of the must-see stations are located on the loop of the inner circular (brown line, the easiest to visit). According to an urban legend, it owes its shape and colour to the round trace printed by Stalin's coffee cup on one of the initial working synopses. Here you can admire the panels of the Komsomolskaya station dedicated to the struggles of the Russian people against its invaders, or those of the Kievskaya station built in honour of Soviet Ukraine, or those of the Taganskaya station celebrating the glory of the Red Army. Stop also for the chandeliers of Prospekt Mira and the bronze medallions of Park Kultury; the Soviet stained glass windows of Novoslobodskaya and the marble-covered walls of Belorusskaya. Finally, at the exits of some of these stations you can hear the latest innovation of the Moscow metro, the cries of birds of prey produced by loudspeakers to keep pigeons away.
The Zamoskvoretskaya line (dark green line) is also worth a visit, especially the Mayakovskaya and Novokuznetskaya stations, the former is an Art Deco masterpiece while the latter is adorned with marble recovered from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, demolished by the USSR in 1931.
On the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line (dark blue line), see the baroque Arbatskaya and Plochtchad Revolioutsii, notable for its 76 bronze statues representing various Soviet workers. Some statues bring luck if touched, you will recognize them by the wear of their patina.
If you want to see the modern metro, head for the Great Circular Line, the first section of which was inaugurated in 2018 (end of works: 2023).
Probably the most amazing part of the whole network is the tunnel between Rimskaya and Ploshchad Ilyicha stations. This tunnel hides a fountain representing the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.
For more information about the history, imagination and beauty of the metro go to the room dedicated to the Moscow Museum at Park Kultury and to the Metropolitan Museum at Sportivnaya station!
