Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Moscow Government – Moscow Government –
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Sculptures and panels depicting miners at the coalface, photographs and slogans from the 1930s, and memorial plaques to leading workers. The capital commemorated the work of construction workers. Moscow metroSince the construction of the first stage, the tradition has continued to this day. On Metro Builders' Day, celebrated on October 2, we join historians to discuss how the city preserves the memory of the creators of the underground space.
Why working conditions during the early days of metro construction can be compared to diving deep underwater, what do the sculptures of metro workers at Ploshchad Revolyutsii and Baumanskaya stations symbolize, which tunnel contains the initials of the legendary Tatyana Fedorova, and where to find a monument to a modern tunneler and shield—all in our article.
The metro builder is a symbol of the young state's industrial might…
Hills and dense development on the surface, underground rivers, quicksand and faults in the ground, a lack of experience, equipment, and technology. When construction of the Moscow metro began in 1931, the builders encountered numerous obstacles. Foreign specialists believed that the project, given the extremely challenging hydrogeological conditions, was simply impossible to implement. But the enthusiastic Soviet engineers persevered. The first phase included the section from Sokolniki to Park Kultury, with a branch from Okhotny Ryad to Smolenskaya. An innovative approach was used in constructing the Moscow metro: depending on the site conditions, stations were built in both shallow and deep foundations, choosing the appropriate technology.
The work of the first metro builders was difficult and dangerous. They wielded picks and shovels, hauling rock in mine carts. To combat groundwater, the ground was frozen. In particularly challenging cases, such as when driving through quicksand, they resorted to the caisson method of tunneling: a sealed area with pressurized air was installed in the working area of the face, forcing the water deeper into the rock. Working in a caisson was like diving: high pressure, breathing difficulties, and temperatures rising above 30 degrees Celsius. To acclimate to these conditions, workers entered a pressure chamber before and after work. A shift lasted no more than four hours. The caisson method was used, for example, in the construction of the tunnel between Okhotny Ryad and Lubyanka. When the tunneling shield was introduced in 1934, it initially deviated from its course, but specialists resolved this problem. Inspired metro builders built underground lines at record speed. The profession became a symbol of the country's industrial might, and tribute to it was paid even at the very first stations. For the first time in the history of the Moscow Metro, the Komsomolskaya (radial) station was decorated with majolica panels. They depict metro builders. Valeria Yevtishenkova, research specialist at the Moscow Transport Museum,
Two compositions are displayed on the walls of the entrance hall at the station exits to Leningradsky and Yaroslavsky railway stations. They were created based on sketches by the renowned artist Evgeny Lanceray. Faceless monumental images weren't his concern: he sought to capture the intensity of underground work. To achieve this, the artist himself descended into the tunnels and made sketches from life: miners wielding jackhammers, rolling mine carts, and mixing concrete. The sketches were then transferred to ceramics.
Metro builders are also immortalized at Ploshchad Revolyutsii station. It's a gallery of 76 sculptures, arranged chronologically. They depict events from October 1917 to 1937. A sailor, a peasant, a worker, and a soldier stand at the foundation of the Soviet Union; an engineer and a border guard with a dog represent the present; children represent the future. The present also includes a metro builder.
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…and the heroism of the Soviet people during the war
And at Baumanskaya, you can see a sculpture of a female construction worker in a wide-brimmed miner's hat, wielding a jackhammer. This is the city's way of honoring the women who built the metro alongside the men. But the monument also contains another meaning.
"The station opened its doors in January 1944, at the height of the Great Patriotic War. During that era, architectural designs began to feature themes related to the exploits of frontline soldiers and home front workers, as well as the heroism and perseverance of the Soviet people. During the war, women not only fought against the invaders but also replaced men in factories and construction sites. Baumanskaya features sculptures of a soldier, a pilot, a partisan, and a metro construction worker. The latter symbolizes the dedication and strength of women who, during such a difficult time for the country, continued to build tunnels and stations. Incidentally, this was not only a contribution to the future of peace. The metro served as a bomb shelter and saved many Muscovites from air raids," notes Valeria Evtishenkova.
Elektrozavodskaya Station opened that same year. Its design celebrates the everyday work of Soviet citizens during the war: for example, high reliefs depict Elektrozavod workers, metro builders, tank builders, and gunsmiths. And near the station's above-ground concourse stands a sculptural group depicting three miners at a mine. The first lines were built primarily by hand, so they hold tools used in the construction and finishing of stations. The artist, Georgy Motovilov, successfully conveyed the physical strength of the early metro builders.
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1930s slogans on the Big Circle Line and a modern tunnel boring machine at Rasskazovka
The city honors not only the work of construction workers in general but also the memory of specific individuals who contributed to the metro's construction. Polezhaevskaya is named after Hero of Socialist Labor Vasily Polezhaev, who rose from a foreman on the first stages of the metro's construction to the head of the Moscow Metro Construction Department.
Another legend is Tatyana Fedorova. In 1933, she worked alongside the men constructing the first tunnels, working as a concrete worker and a chisel. During the construction of the Circle Line, Tatyana Fedorova served as a mine superintendent, later rising to the rank of deputy head of Metrostroy. A memorial plaque was installed in her honor at Krasnoselskaya Station: this station marked the beginning of her underground career. There is another "memorial" to this courageous woman, but passengers, however, cannot see it. According to Tatyana Fedorova herself, in the early 1950s, during the construction of Novoslobodskaya, chisel workers sandblasted her initials into one of the tubings (the cast-iron sections of the tunnel vaults).
"Tatyana Fedorova's photograph also adorns Sokolniki Station on the Big Circle Line (BKL). Its design is entirely dedicated to the metro builders, as it connects to the station of the same name on the Sokolnicheskaya Line—the very same one from which the first train departed in 1935. Archival footage decorating the interiors shows an old mechanized shield. Its head is divided into sections, each occupied by a miner. They literally used tools to cut away layers of earth to advance the shield. Also worth noting are the slogans: 'Construction for a while—the metro forever!' and 'Let's give the capital the best metro in the world!' They are still relevant today," the mos.ru source emphasizes.
Now, construction workers don't have to dig into the ground with shovels and picks. But they face new challenges: ever-more dense development and an abundance of utilities. The profession remains honorable. Rasskazovka became the first station to pay tribute to our contemporaries. A metal bench stretches at its entrance. A writer sits on one side (the Peredelkino Creative Center is located nearby), while on the other, the back of the bench becomes a stack of rails. A miner perches next to him. He looks toward another monument—the "Natalya" shield, which was used during the construction of the Solntsevskaya Line. This is an authentic rotor, 6.5 meters in diameter—the main component of the machine that excavates the earth.
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Personal belongings of the shock workers and a mine telephone
On October 2, a new monument was unveiled in the Moscow Metro Square—near Rusakovskaya Street, where construction of the first phase began in December 1931 in the courtyard of Building 13. The front of the monument depicts a tunnel where miners, past and present, are working, a nod to the continuity of generations. On the reverse side, a 1935 metro map can be seen.
In addition, the Mosmetrostroy Museum is open in the city at 17 Tsvetnoy Boulevard.
The museum is small, but it holds many interesting things for Muscovites. Four orders awarded to Mosmetrostroy are on display. Display cases contain documents, photographs, exhibits, and materials on the history of the metro's creation. For example, the original tools of the first builders, the protective clothing and rubberized hats worn by miners, which protected them from the water rushing through the tunnel vaults, are on display. Visitors can hold the heavy receiver of a large mine telephone—it was used to communicate with the dispatcher and also to transmit commands to the operator, who operated the special elevator—the mine cage—that delivered people and mine cars loaded with rock to the surface. Artistic portraits of shock workers line the walls, including a formal portrait of the legendary Tatyana Fedorova, after whom the museum hall is named. Pavel Kalinin, director of the Mosmetrostroy Museum,
Museum visitors will be captivated by a miniature replica of Yevgeny Lanceray's famous majolica "Metro Builders," a unique round table inlaid with semiprecious stones and marble, crafted in 1947 by Mosmetrostroy stonecutters, and a model of a modern tunnel boring machine. These are the very same machines used to construct metro tunnels today.
The museum currently features an exhibition titled "Metro Builders for Victory." Displays and exhibits tell the story of the Metro builders' heroes, the seven stations built during the Great Patriotic War, special facilities, and the metro builders' participation in the construction of the Mozhaisk Defense Line.
"We've become accustomed to the mosaics, stained glass windows, sculptures, marble vestibules, and other works of art in the metro; we see them flashing by on our way to work and school. We're accustomed to convenient transfers and short train intervals. But we mustn't forget that all this requires a great deal of labor. Every meter we dig underground is the result of the efforts of countless specialists and equipment," concludes Valeria Evtishenkova.
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