The Moscow Metro was first opened in 1935 with one 11-kilometer line and 13 stations. In the Soviet Union, it was the first underground railway system. Today it has 241 stations, making it the fifth-longest in the world and the longest outside China. The system is mostly underground, with the deepest station at 74 meters underground at Park Pobedy, one of the world’s deepest stations. The system is the busiest in Europe and is considered a tourist attraction in and of itself.
During Stalin’s regime, subway stations were constructed in socialist classicism to serve as underground “palaces of the people.” The stations such as Komsomolskaya, Kiyevskaya and Mayakovskaya, and others built after 1935 are tourist attractions because of their unique architecture, large chandeliers, and detailed decoration. Names, alphanumeric indices (usually consisting of just a number), and colors identify each line. A male voice announces the upcoming station on inbound trains to the city center (clockwise trains on the Circle Line) and a female voice on outbound trains (counter-clockwise trains on the Circle line).
Below are some fascinating historical photos showing Moscow metro stations soon after the opening of the Moscow metro in 1935.
