VDNKh (Metro)
Encyclopedia
VDNKh is a Moscow Metro
station in Ostankino District, North-Eastern Administrative Okrug
, Moscow
. It is on the Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line
, between Alexeyevskaya and Botanichesky Sad stations.
VDNKh opened on 1 May 1958. It is named after the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (Russian: Выставка Достижений Народного Хозяйства Vystavka Dostizheniy Narodnovo Khozyaystva)
. The station features pylons faced with white marble
and decorated with circular ventilation grilles. VDNKh was designed by Nadezhda Bykova, I.Gokhar-Kharmandaryan, Ivan Taranov, and Yu. Cherepanov. VDNKh it is one of the deepest Metro stations being situated 53.5 metres (175.5 ft) below ground. It is also one of the busiest stations, serving 107,377 passengers a day in 2009.
Originally, this station was planned to be richly decorated in the manner of the other stations built in the 1950s, with mosaic
s by venerable artist Vladimir Favorsky
along the insides of the arches between the pylons. However, in the wake of Nikita Khrushchev
's attack on decorative "extras," the mosaics were crudely coated with incongruous thick green paint.
The original circular vestibule is on the west side of Prospekt Mira, in front of the Space Obelisk
. A second entrance was added at the southern end of the station in 1997.
is within a walking distance.
The station was also featured in the tenth leg of The Amazing Race 13
.
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring town of Krasnogorsk. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the Moscow Metro has 182 stations and its route length is . The system is...
station in Ostankino District, North-Eastern Administrative Okrug
North-Eastern Administrative Okrug
North-Eastern Administrative Okrug, or Severo-Vostochny Administrative Okrug is one of the ten administrative okrugs of Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1991 and has an area of...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. It is on the Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line
Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line
The Kaluzhsko–Rizhskaya Line is a line of the Moscow Metro, that originally existed as two separate radial lines, Rizhskaya and Kaluzhskaya opened in 1958 and 1962, respectively. Only in 1971 were they united into a single line as the central section connecting the stations Oktyabrskaya to Prospekt...
, between Alexeyevskaya and Botanichesky Sad stations.
VDNKh opened on 1 May 1958. It is named after the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (Russian: Выставка Достижений Народного Хозяйства Vystavka Dostizheniy Narodnovo Khozyaystva)
All-Russia Exhibition Centre
All-Russia Exhibition Centre is a permanent general-purpose trade show in Moscow, Russia....
. The station features pylons faced with white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and decorated with circular ventilation grilles. VDNKh was designed by Nadezhda Bykova, I.Gokhar-Kharmandaryan, Ivan Taranov, and Yu. Cherepanov. VDNKh it is one of the deepest Metro stations being situated 53.5 metres (175.5 ft) below ground. It is also one of the busiest stations, serving 107,377 passengers a day in 2009.
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s by venerable artist Vladimir Favorsky
Vladimir Favorsky
Vladimir Andreyevich Favorsky was a Soviet graphic artist, woodcut illustrator, painter, muralist, and teacher. He was a People's Artist of the USSR from 1963 and a full member of Soviet Academy of Arts from 1962, as well as of the Four Arts society....
along the insides of the arches between the pylons. However, in the wake of Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's attack on decorative "extras," the mosaics were crudely coated with incongruous thick green paint.
The original circular vestibule is on the west side of Prospekt Mira, in front of the Space Obelisk
Monument to the Conquerors of Space
The Monument to the Conquerors of Space was erected in Moscow in 1964 to celebrate achievements of the Soviet people in space exploration. It depicts a starting rocket that rises on its contrail. The monument is 110 m tall, has 77° incline, and is made of titanium...
. A second entrance was added at the southern end of the station in 1997.
Transfers
Though not directly connected to VDNKh, Moscow Monorail station Vystavochny TsentrVystavochny Tsentr
Vystavochny Tsentr is a station of the Moscow Monorail Transit System. It is located in the Ostankino District of the North-Eastern Administrative Okrug of Moscow.- History :...
is within a walking distance.
In Popular culture
VDNKh is featured as the home of the main protagonist in the novel and video game Metro 2033.The station was also featured in the tenth leg of The Amazing Race 13
The Amazing Race 13
The Amazing Race 13 is the 13th installment of the reality television competition series The Amazing Race. It featured 11 teams of two, each with a preexisting relationship, in a race around the world....
.