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Moscow: Architecture, Graffiti, Old Cars, and Park Scenes

Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University

This week I had two lengthy walks around Moscow, one starting in the vicinity of the so-called Three Railway Stations Square and going to the city centre from there; another on the Moscow State University grounds. Once again I realised just how much I loved my native city, the Vorobyovy Gory in particular. The imposing and inspiring building of the MSU overlooking two parks flowing towards the banks of the Moskva river – you can’t beat that.

Leningradsky Railway Station
Yaroslavsky Railway Station
Kazansky Railway Station, Leningraskaya Hotel

To share a few impressions, let’s start with the architecture of the Three Railway Stations Square. This is a what-you-read-is-what-you-get kind of name: there are three railways stations, two on one side of the road – Leningradsky and Yaroslavsky, and one more on the opposite side – Kazansky. The names are given after the directions towards the cities (and beyond those) where the train can take you. “Leningradsky” is your point of departure towards St Petersburg, as well as Murmansk, Pskov, Tallinn in Estonia, and Helsinki in Finland. It is also the oldest railway station in Moscow.

“Yaroslavsky” is named after the ancient city of Yaroslavl, this railway takes you in the north-east direction from Moscow, and you would choose this direction to visit Ivanovo, Severodvinsk, Vorkuta, Arkhangelsk, and others, not to mention Yaroslavl. “Kazansky” is also named after the city of Kazan’ in the Republic of Tatarstan, the railway goes to the East takes you to Ryazan’, Kazan’, Murom, and a few cities in the Ural Region and in Siberia. All three stations are reached by the Moscow Underground via Komsomol’skaya Station.

Contemporary Moscow architecture
Lermontov Square

From there I went down Kalanchevskaya Street towards the Lermontov Square and Krasnye Vorota metro station. Off the street there stands one of the buildings that will no doubt will remind my British readers of the similar edifices they can now see in almost every big city in the UK. The glass surfaces exude confidence, transparency, and openness, which often seems like a welcoming change from the solid brick or stone buildings of the past.

Train and Graffiti

And now to something different, just for Londoners. A few times I had to travel on the local trains from London to smaller towns in the vicinity, I was astounded by the colourful graffiti on the houses and walls that divided the railroad from the rest of the town. This is just one example, but here goes: a train arriving to one of the aforementioned railway stations glides past the graffiti on the walls.

A scene in the Chistye Prudy Park
The Chistye Prudy fountain

Next, we are going to move down a few roads, straight to the Chistye Prudy park. This is an old and central part of Moscow, where one usually catches several noteworthy scenes – like the one on the photo. Further towards the eponymous metro station is a fountain that on the day I walked near was besieged by crowds of people.

An old car
Gulsinor was here

A few similarly notable scenes awaited me the day I had a walk on the Moscow State University grounds. First, I was startled by this old car that is rotting beaten by all the elements not far from the main University building. The building deserves a post of its own, but a statue of a woman with a book that sits on one side of the staircase has been given a peculiar look: her lips were painted red, and the book’s cover reads “Gulsinor was here”.

Exercises in Wedding Photography
Bikers and Church

Much farther down, closer to the Observation Point, a wedding was photographed by no less than 5 friends of a newly created family. And the way to the church was guarded by Moscow’s easy riders.

I thought I would end this factual-and-entertainment post with a few tulips that grow beside the church. Have a great weekend, dear friends and readers!

Author: Julia Shuvalova

Julia Shuvalova is the author of Los Cuadernos de Julia blog. She is an author of several books, a translator, and a Foreign Languages tutor. She lives and works in Moscow, Russia.

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