The Moscow Metro is a destination for
anyone interested in both architecture and history. First built in 1935 under
Joseph Stalin as a piece of Communist
propaganda, the system carried the slogan, “The whole country is building
Metro” while it was under construction. It was built to serve as “Palaces for
the People,” conveyed by the ornamental features throughout, including
chandeliers, bronze columns, and intricate plaster reliefs. While the sense of
being in an underground tunnel is inescapable in many cities’ subway systems,
the high ceilings and marble walls throughout many of Moscow’s stations are
intended to reflect the light and make the stations glow to communicate svetloe
budushchee, meaning a “radiant future.” The metro is currently undergoing an
expansion that is expected to make it the third largest subway system in the
world by 2020.
