Vyborg railway station
Encyclopedia
Vyborg railway station is a railway station
located in the town of Vyborg
, Leningrad Oblast
, Russia
.
The original station building was built in 1913 but was destroyed in the Continuation War
. The current station building was built in Soviet
times.
and Herman Geselius. The granite
station building was built in 1913 by Finnish State Railways now known as VR Group
but was destroyed as retreating Soviet troops exploded it in the Continuation War
in 1941.
The original building bore a close resemblance to Eliel Saarinen's other famous work, the Helsinki Central railway station
. In the tradition of a pair of male human figures on either side of the main entrance of the Helsinki Central station, the Vyborg station had two statues of bear
s on a pedestal on either side of the main entrance.
times, represents the typical Stalinist
style. The station building has ticket sales, a café
, a magazine kiosk, a currency exchange
office, and deposit boxes.
From 2009 the station will be served by Helsinki
- Saint Petersburg
high speed trains operated by Karelian Trains
, a joint venture between Russian Railways
and VR (Finnish Railways)
. This will replace the current, much slower service.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
located in the town of Vyborg
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
, Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The original station building was built in 1913 but was destroyed in the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
. The current station building was built in Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
times.
Original building
The original station building in Vyborg was designed by Finnish architects Eliel SaarinenEliel Saarinen
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century....
and Herman Geselius. The granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
station building was built in 1913 by Finnish State Railways now known as VR Group
VR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
but was destroyed as retreating Soviet troops exploded it in the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
in 1941.
The original building bore a close resemblance to Eliel Saarinen's other famous work, the Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station is a widely recognised landmark in central Helsinki, Finland, and the focal point of public transport in the Greater Helsinki area. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building...
. In the tradition of a pair of male human figures on either side of the main entrance of the Helsinki Central station, the Vyborg station had two statues of bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s on a pedestal on either side of the main entrance.
Modern building
The modern station building, built in SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
times, represents the typical Stalinist
Stalinist architecture
Stalinist architecture , also referred to as Stalinist Gothic, or Socialist Classicism, is a term given to architecture of the Soviet Union between 1933, when Boris Iofan's draft for Palace of the Soviets was officially approved, and 1955, when Nikita Khrushchev condemned "excesses" of the past...
style. The station building has ticket sales, a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, a magazine kiosk, a currency exchange
Currency exchange
Currency exchange can refer to:* Bureau de change* Foreign exchange market...
office, and deposit boxes.
From 2009 the station will be served by Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
- Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
high speed trains operated by Karelian Trains
Karelian Trains
Oy Karelian Trains Ltd is a joint venture agreed on 23 November 2006 between Russian Railways and VR Group to facilitate the operation of international express passenger rail services between Helsinki, Finland and Saint Petersburg, Russia. Karelian Trains is registered in Helsinki, VR and RZhD...
, a joint venture between Russian Railways
Russian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
and VR (Finnish Railways)
VR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
. This will replace the current, much slower service.
See also
- Riihimäki-Saint Petersburg railroadRiihimäki-Saint Petersburg railroadThe Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg Railway is a long segment of the Helsinki–Saint Petersburg connection, which is divided between Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast in Russia and the province of Southern Finland in Finland.-History:...
- Vyborg–Joensuu railroadVyborg–Joensuu railroadThe old Karelian railroad between Viipuri and Joensuu is a railway with broad gauge, which used to link Joensuu, Sortavala, Hiitola, Antrea and Viipuri...
External links
- A picture of the former station building
- http://www.virtuaaliviipuri.tamk.fi/katsele.php?lang=en&id=Rautatieasema A virtual Viipuri Railway Station in 1939