St Petersburg Metro

I fell in love with St Petersburg when I travelled there to take part in the final stages of the Photolympic 2025 contest. On the surface It is truly one of the world’s most beautiful and historic cities. Underground is another world of elegant, stunning architecture and artwork. Marble columns, chandeliers, dim light, Soviet-era propaganda statues and tributes to Soviet heroes from Lenin to Pushkin make it one of the most beautiful metro systems in the world. Construction began in early 1941, but was put on hold due to the second world war and the Siege of Leningrad, when the newly-constructed stations were used as bomb shelters. It was finally opened in 1955. This photo essay concentrates on some of the most beautiful stations, including Avtovo, Puskinskaya, Karovskiy Zavod and the ultra-modern Obvodny Kanal.