Who would have thought that every day Muscovites are in a completely unique place, like the Novokuznetskaya metro station? But, nevertheless, this is so. The station was designed by architects Bykova and Taranova. Opened in 1943, in the middle of World War II, which affected its appearance.
The station symbolizes the connection of past centuries and the present. Its bas-reliefs depict historical figures and
famous military leaders, whose deeds and words were watched by all of Russia and Moscow. Novokuznetskaya captured Minin and Pozharsky, Suvorov, Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Mikhail Kutuzov and, of course, Lenin and the traditional figures of that time - proletarians from various professions.
The ceiling panels of the Novokuznetskaya metro station depict scenes from the life of a utopian communist society - harvesting a rich crop, building houses, etc. These mosaics can rightly be called priceless, because they were made in 1942 by V. A. Frolov according to the sketches of the famous A. A. Deineka in besieged Leningrad. At first he worked with three employees of the workshop, but completed the work already alone. All this time the workshop was not heated and lit only with the help of a kerosene lamp.
After finishing work and driving trucks from the panel to the famous "road of life" on Ladoga, Vladimir Aleksandrovich died of starvation and starvation, like many blockades. And only recently a memorial plaque appeared in his honor at the station. In addition to Novokuznetskaya, Frolov’s works can also be seen on Mayakovskaya and in St. Petersburg: in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood (Church of the Savior on Blood), in the tomb of the Peter and Paul Fortress and on the Nabokov’s house.
The architects who designed the station, N. A. Bykova and I. G. Taranov, were spouses. The metro station "Novokuznetskaya" was their second joint brainchild after the Sokolniki. This creative tandem of talented architects also presented Moscow with Belorusskaya-ring, VDNH, Sportivnaya, Izmailovsky, Shchelkovskaya and Vernadsky Avenue.
Nadezhda Aleksandrovna wrote in her memoirs that initially mosaic panels were intended for Paveletskaya, however, during its construction and decoration it was decided not to use ceiling lights in the interior, and they were unnecessary. Her husband returned to Moscow from evacuation and wrote to her about these panels. And although she was against their use, she could no longer dissuade her husband.
An interesting detail - the benches installed at the station, are made of marble, taken from the old Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which was blown up. Therefore, the next time you find yourself at the station, pay attention to them.
An illustration of the history of Russia during the periods of wars and peacetime is what Novokuznetskaya is. It is simply impossible to imagine the metro of the capital without it today: it is located in the center of Moscow, on Pyatnitskaya Street, it is part of a major interchange hub along with the Tretyakovskaya stations of the Kalinin and Kaluga-Riga lines. A small square is located next to the station’s ground lobby. The daily passenger flow at the entrance and exit to the station is 43 and 36 thousand people, respectively. And few of them think about the history of the creation of the amazing Novokuznetskaya metro station.