Rubbing dog noses under underground chandeliers

Pierce the surface through one of the long escalators and you will discover a city within a city, the underground Moscow. In this metro network, history has intertwined within the steel beams and ingrained inside the marble pavements. It was conceived during the Russian Empire but the first World War, the October Revolution and the subsequent Civil War put a stop to all plans. The dormant project only grew wings after a massive mobilization of workers and resources, led in a frantic pace by the Communist party. Suddenly it transcended a mere transportation cause and became one of the most ambitious projects in USSR. Architecture, materials and lighting design conspired to create the experience of svet (radiance) or more precisely: svetloe budushchee (a radiant future).

 

Marxism has its own honorary station.

The infamous Moscow metro map, with the distinct circle line.

At the bottom of each escalator a small cubicle with a (mostly) woman operator making sure everything is in order.

In Ploshchad Revolyutsii station, rubbing the dog’s nose is believed to bring good luck (resulting in a dog with the shiniest metal nose).