Comments on: the People's Palaces - a beautiful ride

the People's Palaces - a beautiful ride

taz — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 07:37:38 -0800

Fabulous images of the Moscow Metro underground, also known as "the people's palaces". Click "M"s on the entry map to view gorgeous (often architecturally surreal) panoramic images, and visit the picture gallery for sweet details. Via Jorgen at Viewropa.

By: taz

taz — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 07:39:59 -0800

See also the many wonderful historic and contemporary images at "Underground Dream": Although constructed by a tyrant for a people living in terror, this subterranean proletarian paradise offers an ironically humane vision of public social space, both beautiful and functional. Today, with construction continuing, the Moscow Metro covers over 200 kilometers of track and serves 9 million people each day. And, something about one of its key architects.

By: Doohickie

Doohickie — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 07:49:41 -0800

Moscow Metro on beeflowers.com has been linked previously.

By: jacquilynne

jacquilynne — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:22:16 -0800

Wow. Those are simply wow.

By: scarabic

scarabic — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:25:38 -0800

HFS. I can't believe those are Metro stations. But then, this is the gruel I was raised on.

By: 327.ca

327.ca — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:34:58 -0800

This is NOT an art project. No vision, no interpretations, no artistic contributions or ambiguities. I love this disclaimer.

By: aladfar

aladfar — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:36:49 -0800

Though it may be a double post, this seems one of those sites that's worth it. Absolutely fascinating. Suddenly, I'd like to visit Moscow.

By: ORthey

ORthey — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:36:51 -0800

Yeah, they're beautiful. But the turnstyles have teeth. If for some reason your ticket doesn't process right, and you can't stop your forward momentum, a couple of steel bars smash down on your lower body from either side. As a man, I can say that this is less than fun. The stations sure are amazing, though.

By: picea

picea — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:45:56 -0800

Holy shit. Beautiful.

By: taz

taz — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:48:26 -0800

Ach! Funny; I remembered juju's Dacha post, but didn't remember that the Metro was a part of it. also, I blame my search failures on my stubborn habit of typing "Moskow" instead of "Moscow".

By: carter

carter — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:49:47 -0800

These are great, thanks for the reminder, taz - and Bee Flowers has a whole load more interesting galleries from her front page.

By: carter

carter — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:53:06 -0800

ooh, check out this zoomable panorama of the Moscow skyline.

By: SisterHavana

SisterHavana — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 08:59:35 -0800

Wow, these are amazing. They make me want to go to Moscow and ride the Metro. Chicago El stations aren't as interesting.

By: Popular Ethics

Popular Ethics — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 09:16:09 -0800

These are gorgeous. I have to remind myself the whole thing was built with slave labour. I read a great book on the sociological and technical history of subways, (I think was Labyrinths of Iron ) which included a letter written from a prisoner forced to work on the Moscow metro. What struck me was how proud he was to give his broken body to the glory of the state.

By: camworld

camworld — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 09:27:37 -0800

Moscow has very beautiful subways. They are also vey deep underground when compared to places like New York and London.

By: Doohickie

Doohickie — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 09:29:49 -0800

It's not exactly a double post in that "the people's palaces" link is from moscow-taxi.com, not beeflowers.com. I was just sayin'. I looked at the beeflowers link for a while the first time around, so that was definitely familiar, but the moscow-taxi.com site has some different stuff. The good sites are always worth an occasional repost. Unless it's by a n00b. Then they're just target practice.

By: toddst

toddst — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 09:37:41 -0800

I don't know about you, but I prefer watching the rats as I wait for a train here in Boston.

By: AspectRatio

AspectRatio — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 09:47:50 -0800

I was fortunate enough to visit Moscow a few years back and ventured into the Metro. Since they were also intended as nuclear bomb shelters, the escalators seem to go down forever, until you feel almost near hell. Then when you get off, you realize the stations are frozen in time. The communist art has never left, so there are reminders everywhere of the past. Visiting Moscow is an experience, not a vacation. I've been all over the world, and I've been overwhelmed only in Moscow. Great post, thanks!

By: carmina

carmina — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 10:11:56 -0800

taz, loved the post. Moscow is one (out of many) dream destimations for me. I hope one day... I also hope this comes to life soon ;-)

By: crunchland

crunchland — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 10:47:26 -0800

awesome. those reds make the DC metro look like a shabby cousin from the boonies. Socialism has its perks.

By: MightyNez

MightyNez — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 11:06:36 -0800

I just want to say thank you. This brought back many memories. Ploshad Revolutia was one of the particularly interesting stations to me... It was a bit of a strange feeling seeing the beauty of these things as an outsider, but then finding it was much more complicated for the people there... I would express awe at the art/architecture and be met with "Do you know how many people died to make that?!" The sculptor of the soldiers in Ploshad Revolutia got in trouble for how he depicted them—huddled, instead of official pride and gloriousness... I really wish I had access to my scrapbooks now... ah, natsukashii...

By: DrJohnEvans

DrJohnEvans — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 11:30:50 -0800

I agree. Wow.

By: Human Stain

Human Stain — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 14:27:30 -0800

Yes, a little Marxism may be just the thing to spiffy up this bland transit system. Shirley Franklin, let the worker's revolt begin!

By: fluffycreature

fluffycreature — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 15:04:43 -0800

*applause*

By: semmi

semmi — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 20:43:56 -0800

Why does this bring up the Pyramids of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt in my mind?