Railway stations are not entirely suited to unhurried contemplation, but these Russian buildings will make you stop and gasp at the beauty hardened in stone.
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Russia's most eloquent railway station is also the oldest. Vitebsky railway station in St. Petersburg opened its doors way back in 1837, when the first train rushed from the Tsarist capital to Tsarskoye selo, the city's southern suburb.
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Today's gorgeous building was erected much later, in 1904. This masterpiece of modernist architecture has been the backdrop for plenty of Soviet and Russian movies.//Main staircase with a bust of Emperor Nicholas I.
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As the cradle of Russian railways, St. Petersburg continues to be one of the industry’s innovative centers. The city's newest Ladozhski railway station was opened in 2003.
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Moscow's railway stations have never been considered among the city's top attractions. With Moscow historically being the country’s main traffic hub, its terminal stations still have a rather seedy image as dens of iniquity. That said, some of the capital's 11 railway stations are real architectural gems // Kievsky railway station
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Kievsky railway station was built in 1912 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, the key event during the French invasion of 1812. The station's landmark is the giant steel and glass arch covering the landing platform.
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Another remarkable spot in the capital is Yaroslavsky railway station with its fairy-tale-like decorations in the neo-Russian style. This terminal station is the busiest in the city, being the starting point of the Trans-Siberian route, the longest railway in the world.
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In Vladivostok, on the other side of the Trans-Siberian route, the exhausted traveler will be surprised to see a building very similar to the starting point back in Moscow. In the early 20th century Vladivostok railway station was designed that way deliberately — to underline the unity of the country.
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The journey through Siberia offers curious passengers the chance to view a range of terminus architecture. Reconstructed under Stalinist rule, the neoclassic railway station in Novosibirsk is truly sublime…
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…while the baroque-style Krasnoyarsk railway station has a more airy look.
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Going back westwards, it is worth taking a glance at Lipetsk railway station in central Russia — a peculiar example of Soviet futurism.
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Tired of rarities? Try Samara on the Volga River — its glass and steel railway station is the tallest in Europe.
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For something more Hi-tech, head to Sochi. Adler railway station is the closest to Olympic Park and the most modern in Russia, having been built in 2013.
