Belorussky Railway Station is a symbol of Victory

Railway stations in people's memory are always associated with vivid emotions. Here they sincerely promise to wait and part forever, joyfully greet loved ones and cry with happiness, people's destinies change here. And the walls carefully store millions of such stories. But hardly any railway station can be compared with the Belarusian one in terms of the intensity of passengers' passions. It will be discussed about him.

The history of the Belorussky railway station began in 1860. On the initiative of Moscow and Smolensk industrialists, it was decided to connect the cities by railway (Moskovsko-Smolenskaya), and to build a station building between Leningradsky Prospekt and Tverskaya Street. By 1970, a two-story pavilion of red brick with white trim was erected, and the building received the first trains and passengers.

A year later, it was decided to extend the railway to Brest, and therefore it became known as the Moscow-Brest railway. It has become the longest in Russia. The name of the station has also changed.

Passenger traffic was growing. The station was changing its appearance. It changed significantly in 1896, when the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II was crowned. Especially for the meeting of the royal family, a pavilion in the form of a wooden terem with a porch decorated with the coat of arms of a double-headed eagle was added to the right of the station. The building at that time was incredibly luxurious. Inside there was French furniture, velvet carpets. Everything was decorated with gold ornaments. The tsar was very pleased.

A few years later, a global reconstruction of the station was required, since the old building could no longer cope with the ever-growing passenger traffic. Architect Ivan Strukov has developed a project for a new pavilion built using modern technologies made of iron and concrete. The new building was decorated with numerous towers, arches, spires and pediments in the neoclassical style. The old buildings, including the imperial one, were dismantled. The construction required fabulous expenses of 1 million rubles. In 1908, such a sum was considered very large. But the money was not spent in vain. The area of the station has increased 3 times. New equipment appeared, the fire safety system was upgraded.

And who knows what other changes would have happened to the appearance of the station if the country had not been overtaken by hard times. The First World War began, and trains were departing from the Belorussky railway station. The station was drowning in the tears of mourners. In 1941, history repeated itself, again the soldiers went to the front. The "Holy War" was played for the first time at the station.

And in May 1945, the greeters shed tears of happiness, because it was at the Belorussky railway station that the Berlin-Moscow train arrived with the winners. The arriving soldiers were pelted with flowers. For this reason, many people associate the station with victory in the Great Patriotic War. Belorussky railway station does not leave anyone indifferent, because the memory of those events still lives within its walls.

Every year on May 9, a Memory train departs from one of the platforms. And inside the station itself there is a museum dedicated to the war and post-war years. Victory Day celebrations are regularly held here.

By the time the train with the Red Army winners arrived in Moscow, the right wing of the building was already connected to the Belorusskaya metro station.

Famous people were often met at the station:

• Military and Naval Minister of the All-Russian Provisional Government A. Kerensky;

• writer Maxim Gorky;

• pilots Gromov and Chkalov;

• Arctic explorers led by Papanin.

Evolution of names

The station has repeatedly changed its name. Each of them reflected an important milestone in the development of this transport hub. At first it was Smolensk, because the final destination of the trains departing from here was Smolensk. After the extension of the railway tracks, the station became Brest. Since 1912 it was called Alexandrovsky. And since 1922 - Belarusian-Baltic. The current name of the station has been since 1936.

Interesting facts

1. Previously, there was a racetrack on the site where the railway tracks and the station itself are now located. When the railway project was developed, the horse breeders asked Prince Dolgorukov (president of the Imperial Racing Society) to move the line a little so as not to move the racetrack itself. But the prince refused the petition and the hippodrome had to move.

2. It was at the Belorussky railway station that the first railway tickets in the country were printed. For this purpose, special devices were installed. Before that, tickets were issued by hand.

3. One of the first telegraphs in Russia was installed here.

4. The building has been involved in filming more than once. Cranes are flying and the Siberian Barber were filmed here. There is even a famous Soviet film with the same name. But let's stop at this point in more detail.

The film "Belorussky railway station"

In the famous Soviet film the railway station is one of the main characters. He cherishes the memory of the events of the past. Friends who parted at the train station in the summer of 1945, 25 years later met again at the same place. And even though the reason for the meeting was sad, all the emotions experienced came to life in my memory. After all, they were stored here, in the walls of the station. The story turned out to be very touching and close to many people. Therefore, the film became popular, and the train station became even more famous.

Attractions

Belorussky Railway Station is not the main attraction of the capital, but there is something to see here. A mosaic panel depicting workers and Lenin adorns the station from the street. On the platform there is a monument to the "Farewell of the Slavs". There is also a memorial plaque in honor of the first performance of the "Holy War" march. Inside the building there are portraits of the Warrior-Liberator, Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Nevsky. Popular sights and recreation places of the capital are within walking distance from Belorussky railway station - cinemas, theaters, exhibition galleries, museums. Photo exhibitions are often organized on the territory of the station itself.

Modern look

In the recent past (before the outbreak of the pandemic), trains to Belarus, Germany, and France were sent from the Belorussky railway station. From here it was possible to get directly to Paris or Nice. Daily passenger traffic exceeded 50 thousand people. But the current situation has not affected the activities of the transport hub in the best way. Of the long-distance trains, only one remained to Kaliningrad. Also, 4 Swallows depart from Belorussky railway Station per day to Smolensk. Time will tell how the situation will develop further. With the introduction of QR codes on railway transport, everything can become even more deplorable. However, we will not give any forecasts yet.

The station itself is ready for the influx of almost any number of passengers. The construction of a new transport interchange hub for passengers on accelerated routes has been completed. A new terminal has been opened and two new platforms have been equipped. Engineering and ventilation systems have been updated. The video surveillance system has been upgraded. Paving stones are laid on the platforms.

Passengers can be accommodated in comfortable waiting rooms. On the territory of the station there is a developed infrastructure - there is a hotel, a medical center, cafes, shops, ATMs, free toilets. The storage rooms are automatic. There are areas with free Internet access, and there are special children's corners for young passengers. There is also a chapel inside the station.

The management of the station does not stop there. In the near future, two tracks will be laid from the side of the connecting overpass of the Kiev-Smolensk direction under construction. At the moment, the post of electrical centralization of the building is being overhauled. Obviously, the authorities are counting on a rapid increase in passenger traffic in the near future.

Changes for the better

The station is no longer young, it is more than 150 years old. And its importance in the life of the capital and the country as a whole is only growing. It is a pity that it was not possible to preserve the memory of tsarist times. Nevertheless, it would be very interesting for modern people to visit the room with a carpet and an eagle, which the emperor liked so much. But even now, interest in the station is not weakening. Over time, it changes for the better. Meets the requirements of modernity, but at the same time keeps the memory of important events for the history of the country. By itself, it is an outstanding architectural monument. But with modern comfort and high-quality service. This means that a great future awaits him.