Once upon a time, there was a powerful General Secretary by the name of Stalin, who decided to build dozens of underground palaces for his hardworking "comrades."
It is almost necessary to think like Hans Christian Andersen when writing about the spellbinding and fairy tale-like Moscow Metro. From the very beginning the metro stations were nicknamed "the people's palaces," and once you venture down there, it is easy to understand why. Marble in 20 variations, big chandeliers, sculptures and amazing mosaics adorn these stations. Built lavishly to make the common Russian worker feel appreciated and privileged when commuting to and from work.
The fairy tale began in the early 1930s, when Moscow was in desperate need of an underground. Stalin was not very keen to begin with, but once he came around, all the stops were pulled out. The best architects in the Soviet Union were commissioned to design the stations, and highly respected artists were ordered to create patriotic sculptures, murals and mosaics that celebrated communism and its leaders.
Marble was brought down from the Ural Mountains, and the finest granite was transported up from the Ukraine. Men and women from all corners of this mighty country took part in the project, and more than 13.000 members of the Komsomol (Communist Union of Youth) participated whenever they could.
The very first metro line, which had 13 stations at the time, was up and running in 1935. The following years the metro was extended at a steady pace — even during World War II. Today, there are 12 lines and the number of stations have reached 177.
Most people regard Komsomolskaya station as the most beautiful of them all. This main station from 1952 is served by the brown upper level line and the red lower level line. However, it is the hall of the brown line that is the main attraction – and indeed one of the crown jewels in the whole system.
My expectations were, therefore, very high when I stepped onto the escalator that would lead me to this wonder. The night before my hotel receptionist had told me the best way to arrive at Komsomolskaya. "Get off the red line and take the escalator that leads up to the brown line. That way Komsomolskaya will reveal itself bit by bit as you slowly move along."
And quite rightly so – standing there on the escalator with my head swept backwards, I first saw the big chandeliers, then the curved yellow ceiling with friezes and mosaics, followed by lines of decorated marble columns and finally, at the end of my short escalator ride, the whole magnificent hall in breathtaking widescreen view. I felt more like arriving at a castle than a metro station, and it is no surprise that this marvel won the Grand Prix title at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958.
Finding your way around the Metro system can be a bit tricky at first, since all signs are spelled with Cyrillic letters. A fairly recognizable station name like Proletarskaya for instance, is transformed into the more cryptic Ïðîëåãàðñêàã. No doubt a word that would score a lot of points when playing an advanced version of scrabble, but not a word that does any favours to your photographic memory. A good advice is to count the number of stops on a map before boarding the train — where all speaker announcements are in Russian. At least the gender of the speaker voice indicates the direction of the train. If it is a male voice you are heading toward the centre of Moscow, and if it is a female voice you are leaving the centre of Moscow. On the brown circle line a male voice is used on trains moving clockwise, and a female voice on trains moving counter-clockwise.
When speaking of the brown circle line, it is worth mentioning the following story. According to legend, a group of engineers went to see Stalin with a proposal for extending the metro. While looking at their blueprint Stalin poured himself some coffee, spilling a little down the side of the cup in the process. When asked his opinion the powerful man simply placed his coffee cup in the middle of the plan and walked out of the room without saying a word. Once the puzzled engineers removed the cup, a brown circular coffee stain was imprinted on their plan. The men looked at each other and suddenly realized that a circle line was exactly what the Metro was missing. The coffee stain, they thought, was a sign of their leader's true genius, and work on a ring line began shortly afterwards. Needless to say, the circular line is represented with a brown colour on all metro maps.
The best time to go ``sightseeing'' is during off-peak times at noon, afternoon and the weekend. When travelling during rush hour, be prepared to stand like sardines in a tin. Around nine million people use the metro on a daily basis (more than London and New York combined), so the tall story saying there is always room for one more, does not hold water. Trains run from 6 a.m. in the morning until 1 a.m. at night. Moscow Metro is not divided into zones, so the fare is the same whether you travel a long or a short distance. A single ticket costs 22 roubles (79 cents Cdn.), a 10-trip travel card costs 200 roubles ($7 Cdn.) and a 20-trip travel card will set you back 380 roubles ($13.65 Cdn.). There are also a couple of Russian travel agencies offering a guided tour of around 1 1/2-hours duration.
The number of beautiful stations is vast and varied, but if you only have time to visit a few (besides Komsomolskaya, of course), these should be taken into consideration:
Ploshchad Revoljutsii (1938) on the blue Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line is decorated with 76 large bronze sculptures of Russian everyday heroes – from soldiers, farmers and school children to sailors, factory workers and athletes.
Mayakovskaya (1938) is the most renowned station on the green Zamoskvoretskaya line, and it was one of Stalin's personal favourites. This simple but elegant station, named after the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, won a Grand Prix at the New York World's Fair in 1938.
Elektrozavodskaya (1944), also on the green Zamoskvoretskaya line, has its name from a nearby electric power plant, and features a fantastic ceiling taken right out of an early Flash Gordon film. Rows of small, round lights run along the whole ceiling, as a clear reference to electricity.
Prospekt Mira (1952) is one of many extravagant stations on the brown Koltsevaya circle line. The hall has white marble columns with gilded decorations and big chandeliers, making it reminiscent of a 17th century palace.
Novoslobodskaya (1952) is one stop west of Prospekt Mira on the brown Koltsevaya circle line. In terms of style and design it stands out from the rest. Decorated with 32 colourful, stained glass panels from Riga, it resembles a church more than anything else. A famous mosaic by Pavel Korin entitled "Peace Throughout the World" can be seen at the end of the hall.
Kievskaya (1953), on the brown Koltsevaya circle line, celebrates the friendship between Russia and Ukraine (those were the days). Big mosaics depicting smiling Ukrainian farmers, people rallying under the Red Banner and Lenin, amongst others, adorn the walls.