One of the central avenues in St. Petersburg is called Zagorodny, because in the XVIII century, when the street got its name, it really was outside the city. At 52, Zagorodny Prospekt, Vitebsky Train Station is located in St. Petersburg - the goal of today's virtual journey.
To any of the five St. Petersburg railway stations, the fastest way is to get by underground mode of transport. Vitebsky Station is no exception. The metro will take you to the right place, but in order to get into the station building, you have to go to the surface.
Vitebsky Station (Pushkinskaya metro) is the first station built in Russia in 1837 as the terminal station of the railway that had just appeared in the empire. The first railway line connected the then capital with the suburban royal residence in Tsarskoye Selo. It was planned that the train stop would be on Fontanka, but the money was only enough to the outskirts - Zagorodnaya Street. Therefore, the building of the first railway station in Russian history was temporary, wooden.
Later, a stone structure was erected, which was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded. The modern building was built at the beginning of the 20th century according to the project of the experienced railway architect Stanislav Antonovich Brzhozovsky in collaboration with the young civilian architect Sima Isaakovich Minash. Vitebsky Station (Pushkinskaya metro station) is an architectural monument in the Art Nouveau style.
During the construction of the station, many technical innovations were used. The presence of passenger and freight elevators, conveyors, a control center between the tracks delighted contemporaries. Metal structures, stucco molding, paintings were widely used in the decoration of the building. Above the structure is decorated with a dome and a clock tower. In 1904, the first train departed from the station with the connection St. Petersburg - Vitebsk, and the former Tsarskoye Selo (and later Detskoselsky) station was called Vitebsky Station.
Pushkinskaya metro station was built in 1956. The name of the station is connected with the fact that there was a station nearby, connecting the city with Tsarskoye Selo, where the great Russian poet studied at the famous Lyceum.
Vitebsky Station is used for suburban communication, intercity and international traffic. Thousands of passengers depart daily from here to the cities of Russia (Smolensk, Pskov, Kaliningrad), the Baltic states (Riga, Vilnius), Ukraine (Odessa, Lviv, Kiev, Mariupol), Belarus (Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Brest) and Moldova (Chisinau ) Arrivals from Warsaw and Berlin, Prague and Budapest arrive at the station. Electric trains carry passengers to Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin), Pavlovsk, Veliky Novgorod and other suburbs of St. Petersburg.
10 years ago, the station was reconstructed. Advance cash desks are located on the ground floor of the building. There are also automatic and manual left-luggage offices, a paid toilet and the Tsarskoye Selo buffet. The second floor contains the main station services, a waiting room and access to the stopping platforms.
In the building of the Vitebsk Station, you can purchase all the necessary goods: souvenirs, groceries, stationery, books and magazines. The room has a pharmacy, mobile phones, ATMs.
If necessary, passengers can use single and double lounges located on the third floor.
Since 2009, an interesting cultural project, the Musical Station, has been implemented in the picture hall of the station. Everyone can arrive at the appointed time at Vitebsky Station (Pushkinskaya metro station) and listen to a concert of classical music or choral singing for free. During the existence of the project, about 200 charity concerts of various genres were held for 50 thousand listeners.