Kurskaya (Kolzewaya Line)
Kurskaja ( Russian Ку́рская , ) is a subway station of the Moscow Metro . It is located on the Kolzewaya Line (also known as the Ring Line) and is part of an important hub for Moscow's public transport network.
The underground station opened on January 1, 1950 and was part of the first construction phase of the ring line.
general description
Kurskaya Metro Station is located in the east of central Moscow in the immediate vicinity of the garden ring on its outer side. The tracks, platforms and reception buildings of the Kursk train station , one of the most important long-distance train stations in the Russian capital, are located directly above the underground subway station . This station gives its name to both the metro station and the Kurskaya metro station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line , which is crossed by the ring line in this area. There is a direct transfer option between the two stations. In 1995, the Chkalovskaya metro station went into operation in the immediate vicinity of the Kursk train station , making the subway junction at the Kursk train station a three-way junction. Above ground there are transfer options from Kurskaja to several bus or trolleybus lines, to the tram (which has a terminus with a turning loop here) and to the trains dispatched at Kursk station (including the suburban trains to Podolsk , Serpuchow , Balaschicha , Reutov, which are often used by commuters among others). For this reason Kurskaja / Tschkalowskaja is one of the busiest transfer hubs in the Moscow metro system.
The station on the ring line has two separate entrances. The northern entrance, which is built into an above-ground vestibule building, was created in 1950 when the station was built. The vestibule building adjoins the reception building of the Kursk train station immediately to the north; From the mezzanine level there is also direct access to the basement of the reception building and an underpass to the individual tracks. In addition, an escalator shaft leads from this intermediate level to the platform of the subway station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line, as well as short escalators to another entrance, which is built into a residential building on the garden ring. The southern access to Kurskaya-Kolzewaya is a joint access to Kurskaya-Kolzewaya and Chkalovskaya. This access was established in 1995 with the construction of the latter. The intermediate level also serves as a transfer route between the two stations; it is connected to the surface by underpasses with stair and ramp entrances. The southern entrance to the Kurskaja is also in the immediate vicinity of the station building, but unlike the northern exit, it does not have a direct (weatherproof) transition to the station building. However, it is much closer to the tram turning loop than the north entrance.
While you can only get from Kurskaya-Kolzewaya to Chkalovskaya via the intermediate level of the southern entrance, there are two ways to change between the two stations of the same name: On the one hand there is the direct connecting corridor, which you can access from the middle of the Kurskaya-Kolzewaya platform hall, on the other hand, you can use the intermediate level of the north access for changing stations.
architecture
The vestibule building of the north entrance, which adjoins the reception building of the Kursk train station, has the shape of a double triumphal arch, which was intended to symbolize the strength of the Soviet Union during and after the Second World War when the ring line was built. The distribution level and the counter hall are a few meters below the above-ground vestibule, from there you can use escalators to get to the Kurskaya platform. The latter has a tripartite division that is typical of the Moscow Metro, with the middle part being separated from the two track areas by a row of white marble columns. Circular chandeliers are attached to the arched vault of the central hall, which give light to the hall. The floor covering consists of black gabbro and gray and light red granite and labradorite slabs , which together form a geometric pattern. The outer walls above the tracks are designed with white and dark gray marble, the bronze panels with plant ornaments and Soviet symbols stand out as an additional decorative element.
Controversy over the Stalin stanza
Until 1956 there was a memorial to the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin inside the above-ground vestibule of the Kurskaya . In addition, the cornice under the round dome of the vestibule was adorned with a lettering from the version of the Soviet state anthem that pays homage to Lenin and Stalin (“Through the horrors, the sun of freedom shone to us, and Lenin the Great illuminated our way. Stalin educated us - He encouraged us to be loyal to the people, to work and heroic deeds! ”). In the course of the so - called de - Stalinization , however, all tributes to Stalin disappeared from the Moscow subway, so the memorial was removed from the vestibule and the last two stanzas from the hymn quote were retouched. From 2008 to 2009, the vestibule and the northern counter hall including the escalator shaft were completely overhauled, which is why the northern entrance to the Kurskaya was closed for over a year. During this renovation, the original Stalin monument was not restored, but the stanza in which Stalin's name appears was attached to the cornice of the interior of the vestibule. This approach, which was defended by the Metro management with the need for a restoration true to the original, due to the preservation of historical monuments, met with sharp criticism from several civil rights organizations. In August 2009 the board of the liberal party “ Right Cause ” pleaded for those responsible for the restoration of the lettering to be punished, which literally represented “a shame for our city and an insult for the memory of millions of victims of the dictatorship” .
See also
Individual evidence
literature
- V.Zverev: Metro Moskovskoe . Algoritm, Moscow 2008, ISBN 978-5-9265-0580-8 . P. 151
Web links
- Information about Kurskaya-Kolzewaya on the official website of the Moscow Metro (Russian, English )
| Previous station | Moscow Metro | Next station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taganskaya | Kolzewaya Line | Komsomolskaya | ||
Coordinates: 55 ° 45 ′ 30 " N , 37 ° 39 ′ 33" E