Moscow Metro Tour - Underground Palaces

November 28 – December 4

Monday morning and it’s back to work after a whirlwind weekend with Chantale. Luckily, her departure is softened by the myriad of social functions leading up to the holidays. In fact, this week only Monday and Sunday do not include a social and/or work function. No wonder my bathroom scale is starting to show the effects of a Russian winter!

I offered to host the Trade Section Christmas Party at my SQ because of its proximity to the Embassy and it was tarted-up for Christmas in time for Thursday’s bash. We had ordered a bunch of food from a local caterer, rescued some abandoned bottles of vino from the Embassy basement and wrapped our presents for a Grinch gift exchange so we had all the necessary ingredients for a couple hours of fun. The afternoon was a blast with lots of laughter especially during the gift exchange with the odd theft of a prized selection here and there. In the end, everyone seemed pleased with their final selection so all was good. The party ended too soon but there are parties on Friday and Saturday as well so best to save some energy (and liver/brain cells) for those.

Friday was the Colonel’s fiftieth birthday so free drinks and pizza at Canada Club for a couple hours and then a few games of cards with the folks from Obydensky before calling it a night. Despite the late evening, I was up and at it early the next day as I was heading out on a guided tour of the Moscow Metro; something I have been meaning to do for months. Stephanie and I met the fairly large group (it was a free tour!) at Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Blue Line). Lots of cool things to see there but we are keeping that discussion for the end of the tour so we headed off to Teatralnaya (Green Line).

Teatralnaya Station is decorated with labradorite and white marble taken from the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Crystal lamps in bronze frames attached to the center of the room give the central hall a festive appearance. The vault of the central hall is decorated with bas-reliefs by Natyla Danko on the theme of theatre arts of the USSR, manufactured by Leningrad Porcelain Factory. These bas-reliefs are a series of fourteen different figures, each representing music and dance from various nationalities of the Soviet Union. 

Seven male and seven female figures attired in their national costumes are  performing an ethnic dance or  playing a distinctively ethnic musical instrument. The series includes Armenia, Belarussia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Back on the train, we head to Mayakovskaya station. Located 33 meters beneath the surface, this station became famous during World War II when an air raid shelter was located in the station. Alexey Dushkin's Art Deco architecture was based on a Soviet future as envisioned by the poet Mayakovsky. The station features streamlined columns faced with stainless steel and pink rhodonite, white and grey marble walls. In the ceiling there are a number of mosaics by Alexander Deyneka with the theme “24-Hour Soviet Sky”.

Mayakovskaya Station

Soviet Sky Mosaic

Soviet Sky Mosaic

Soviet Sky Mosaic

Staying on the Green Line, our next stop is Belorusskaya. The station is named after the nearby Belorussky Rail Terminal, from which westward trains towards Belarus and western Europe depart. The station is decorated with national Belarusian motives. 

Next we jump off the train at Novoslobodskaya (Brown Line). It is best known for its 32 stained glass panels, which are the work of three Latvian artists. At the end of the platform is a mosaic  entitled “Peace Throughout the World”.  

Next stop is Kurskaya (Blue Line). It is named for the Kursky railway station located nearby. Built in 1938, the station has tiled walls and gray marble pylons with sconce light fixtures and circular ventilation grills. Upstairs there is a spot for visiting musicians but sadly there were none there that day.

Two hours later and we are back where we started at Ploshchad Revolyutsii. The station opened in 1938, its architect was Alexey Dushkin. The station features red and yellow marble arches resting on low pylons faced with black marble. Each arch is flanked by a pair of bronze sculptures by Matvey Manizer depicting the people of the Soviet Union, including soldiers, farmers, athletes, writers, aviators, industrial workers, and schoolchildren.  
One of the bronze sculptures — a dog that accompanies a frontier guard — is believed to bring good luck if you rub its nose.

A rub for luck!

Moscow metro is famous not only for its exquisite design and interior but also for its unique trains. Nowadays there are  seven of them which have their own names. Some of them are dedicated to significant military campaigns and battles, others - to art and culture.

A train honouring the memory of the veterans of the Great Patriotic War The Christmas Train!

Another interesting Metro fact is the gender of the person announcing the station depends on the direction that you are going.  When you are taking a train to the center of Moscow you hear a male announcer. But as soon as you cross the city center you'll hear a female voice announcing stations. There's a good way to remember this - 'your boss calls you to work; your wife calls you home'. On the ring line the clock-wise direction is announced by the male voice, while counterclockwise direction is under the guidance of the fairer sex. This system was initially invented to help the blind. Listening to announcements you can find your way even if you don't understand the language.

The Metro tour finished, I have a couple hours to get ready for my next Xmas party! Saturday night’s festivities were co-hosted by Alex and Cat at one of the locations a bit farther afield. I grabbed the Metro mid-afternoon armed with some chips, guacamole, and small hostess gifts so I could help with last-minute preparations. Luckily, everything was done when I arrived so nothing to do but hang out, taste test the night’s delicacies and sample some punch.

Most of the Embassy descended on the party between 7:00 and 8:00 and the music and dancing started had the place rocking. There were some special guests including folks from other Embassies and

Canada’s next man in space – David Saint Jacques. What a great night of silliness to kick off the holiday season!