Vitebsky Station is one of the oldest stations in St. Petersburg. It is located on a branch of the October Railway, connecting northern Palmyra with Belarus. It is a starting point for vacationers seeking to visit the most charming corners of the suburbs of the northern capital. The Vitebsky station is located near the metro station "Pushkinskaya".
Historical monument
The history of the Vitebsk railway station is connected with the history of the creation of the railway in St. Petersburg, which is now called the October Railway. It was the branch starting from the Vitebsk railway station that became the first railway branch of the city. It stretched first to Tsarskoye Selo and until 1837 assumed the movement of only a few wagons moving at the expense of horses harnessed to the train. And in 1837 the train was already drawn by the miracle of the latest technology - the “Agile” steam locomotive. In memory of this event, a monument was installed at the station - a model of "Agile".
At the back of the station building is the Tsar’s Pavilion, which served as the landing site for the imperial family and those close to the staff, following to Tsarskoye Selo, where one of the pearls of the imperial summer residences near St. Petersburg was located.
Other railways here were of military importance, and the history of their functioning is connected with the First World War. Therefore, a monument to the soldiers of the First World War was erected on the territory of Vitebsk Station.
On the main staircase between the halls of the first and second floors there is a bust of Nicholas I in honor of his merit in the fact that in the 19th century St. Petersburg began to function and develop as a large railway junction.
Architecture of the first stations
Initially, the station was a low wooden structure, installed on the territory of the parade ground of the Semenovsky regiment. And the audience was not attracted at all by the building, but by arriving to it and emitting sharp beeps, and later pleasant organ tunes, a steam locomotive.
Only in 1849, a temporary building and a wooden platform were dismantled and the construction of a modern stone station began. Vitebsky station was designed by the famous architect Konstantin Ton. He put his facade on the same axis with the barracks of the Semenovsky regiment.
The station building was built in the eclecticism, a popular architectural style of the time. But this building has not survived to our time. From him, trains could only get to the suburban imperial residence Pavlovsk, once arranged with great love by the owners - Emperor Paul I and his wife Maria Fedorovna. The territory of the residence was decided as the kingdom of Apollo and Muses. The first musical “voxal” was opened here, to which the compositions from St. Petersburg came.
Architecture features
At the beginning of the 20th century, the road to Pavlovsk was extended to Vitebsk. Then this part of the railway became part of the Moscow-Vindavo-Rybinsk. A little later, the path of the Vitebsk section was extended to Zhlobin, and then to Odessa.
At the beginning of the XX century, it was decided to demolish the Ton station and erect a modern-style train station in its place according to the project of Brzhozovsky.
The building of the Vitebsk railway station was asymmetric. The main accents are the clock tower and the dome over the central lobby, which cuts high into the sky. The facade elements of the Vitebsk station from the metro station are clearly visible and serve as a kind of beacon for departing people. The center of the main facade is highlighted with a risalit with a stained-glass arch, and the rounded corner of the facade on the second floor is decorated with double columns.
The risalit of the main entrance is flanked by relief images of crossed anchors and a scepter - an element of the coat of arms of St. Petersburg and St. George the Victorious, killing snakes placed in the form of heraldic shields. Over the window arch protruding trapezoidal protrusions resemble the sun's rays. And on top of the facade is decorated with floral arrangements and garlands.
Internal layout of the station complex
Vitebsky railway station of St. Petersburg at the beginning of the XX century was divided into several lounges for passengers of different social classes. Metal heating furnaces and pre-revolutionary inscriptions are still preserved there. And the whole interior still reminds us of the era of the XIX century.
The richest room is the hall, which was intended for aristocrats. It is decorated with a huge window with a stained-glass window and a wide marble staircase with gilding and railings made of expensive wood. The gratings of the stairs are forged in the form of openwork cast-iron inserts, the railing is decorated with massive multi-track floor lamps. The staircase was decorated with a clock and a sculpture - a bust of the emperor and an image of a double-headed eagle crowned with the imperial crown, the relief heads of the god Mercury - the patron saint of commerce, bronze twisted relief ornaments from plant elements made of bronze.
The waiting room for the elite is more elegant, and its walls are decorated with paintings on the theme of the history of railway transport and long wooden bench sofas.
Technical equipment
The Vitebsky station in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 20th century was equipped with the most modern technical innovations at that time - elevators (passenger and luggage), conveyor belts, rails on the second floor, electric lighting, tunnels. And for the first time, access roads were located above ground level. The roads were separated by a small reinforced concrete structure, where the control room was located.
Steam locomotive "Agile"
The first steam locomotive, passing on the way from Vitebsk Station towards Tsarskoye Selo, was called the "Agile". On the way, the train was only 35 minutes, back - 27 minutes, and it was moving at a speed of 51-64 kilometers per hour. The composition was led personally by its creator.
Its creator was the German engineer Franz Gerstner. Eight wagons were attached to the car. The von Gerstner monument is installed in the main domed hall of the station.
A steam locomotive was manufactured in England at the Stephenson plant. The steam locomotive functioned for 25 years. Its layout continues to decorate the territory, which has become for many years the starting point for trains leaving from the Vitebsk station, heading to the suburban imperial residences - Tsarskoye Selo and Pavlovsk.