There are stations in the Moscow metro whose architectural appearance is the visible embodiment of the era in which they were built. Very noteworthy in this regard is the Frunzenskaya metro station. If you do not rush anywhere, then such stations can be visited as a kind of architectural museum.
From the history of Moscow metro construction
The Frunzenskaya station of the Sokolniki line of the Moscow metro received its first passengers in 1957. According to the existing tradition, its discovery was timed to coincide with the May Day holidays. Frunzenskaya was commissioned as part of the launch site between Park Kultury and Sportivnaya stations. Sokolniki line in the fifties actively developed in the southwest direction. This was due to the need to provide reliable transport communication areas of active housing with the center of the capital. The metro station Frunzenskaya got its name in honor of a Soviet military and statesman. But the design name of the station was Khamovnicheskaya.
Khamovniki
But the embankment of the Moscow River and the streets in former times were called Khamovnichesky. This is one of the most ancient characteristic place names of Moscow. In historical sources, it has been constantly mentioned since the sixteenth century. At that time it was a working outskirts, where white or “boorish” canvas was produced. And the Khamov weavers who lived in this craft lived. But the original Moscow name temporarily completely disappeared from the map of the capital, after the name of the outstanding Soviet military commander of the Civil War M.V. Frunze was immortalized. It was in this area of the capital that the Frunzenskaya metro station was built. By this time, Khamovniki had changed a lot. From the former working outskirts of the region turned into a very prestigious habitat of the Soviet party, military and technical nomenclature. And he met the metro station that opened here. Frunze district is distinguished by stylistic unity, and the lobby of the metro station does not contradict it.
Architectural features
Entrance to the station provides one ground lobby. In 1984, it was reconstructed and partially integrated into the building of the Moscow Youth Palace. Metro "Frunzenskaya" in the constructive sense is a pylon three-vaulted deep station. At a depth of 42 meters, three escalators lead to the central hall. The dominant architectural style is classicism. By its compositional solution, this is one of the most expressive stations (from the number of those built in the post-war period). The architects did not change the sense of style. She is not overloaded with unnecessary decorations characteristic of other stations of the same time. The interior decoration is dominated by white and red granite. Bronze decorative elements look very expressive. At the end of the hall is a bust of Frunze by Vuchetich.
In the cultural context of history
Frunzenskaya metro station is also notable for the fact that it is a kind of completion of an entire architectural era. She was lucky in the sense that it was built in accordance with the author’s project and did not fall under the influence of the well-known decree of the party and government on the fight against architectural excesses. This document was aimed at saving money and allowed to build metro lines faster. But the stations that managed to get under it are easy to recognize by dullness, ugliness, and bare functionalism. There are many of them in the Moscow metro, in particular on the Filyovskaya line and in the Izmailovo area. The fallacy of such a concept was not immediately recognized, and the consequences were overcome only at the end of the seventies. But even after the architectural era of forced timelessness ended in the Moscow metro and the new stations found their face, they began to look completely different. Frunzenskaya and other stations of this period are rightfully considered classics.
Metro Frunzenskaya, Moscow
Of the objects geographically tied to this metro station, the Moscow Youth Palace should be noted first of all . In addition to it, there are many hotels, restaurants, administrative and commercial structures. The Frunze embankment area is traditionally a place of elite housing development. Its architectural appearance was largely formed in the post-war period. In real estate structures, the area adjacent to the Frunzenskaya metro station and the housing located here are very highly quoted. Apartments in the Frunze Embankment area are in steady demand, despite high prices. This is a relatively quiet and comfortable living area of Moscow. The Frunzenskaya station itself receives a relatively small flow of passengers daily. There are no transfers, even in the long term there are no plans to build new lines.