Novosibirsk-Glavny: a railway station that deserves special attention.

Today we decided to tell you about one of the biggest in Russia. "Novosibirsk-The Main One" this year celebrated its 81st year since its construction. Its building in the pre-war years was considered one of the largest in the Union - up to 4,000 thousand people at a time. The project was worked on by leading architects who in the 30s shaped the appearance of the city.

The station was built from 1932 to 1939 and is interesting not only in practical application, but also from an architectural point of view. According to the authors' idea, the building was supposed to be in the form of a rushing steam locomotive. (what do you think it looks like?). An unusual solution was the placement of the triumphal arch in the center of the building. Thanks to her, the central hall is called arched, since it is in the form of arches that the ceiling arches are made, and its height reaches 17 meters. The interior is decorated with marble and granite, luxurious chandeliers and lamps are installed. Since 1999, the interior atmosphere of the station has become more unusual thanks to the winter garden, which includes more than 60 species of subtropical plants. And live music, which can be heard twice a week, has become a good tradition. Violin and piano have been playing here for more than 10 years.

But this is not the only and not the largest hall at the station. The East Hall consists of two floors. On the upper floor there are imprints of history in the form of false windows, which until the beginning of the 21st century were used as the only source of lighting. Now in the center of the hall hangs a huge chandelier weighing 1.5 tons. Economy and business class hotel rooms are located here. But on the lower floor of the hall there is little to remind you of history, but it is functional and modern, in a word, passenger. There is a playground for young passengers here. The main and auxiliary information boards are located.

The station has its own monuments, and there are its own stories. For example, on the platform you can find curious sculptures of people meeting and seeing off trains. V. I. Lenin stopped in 1897 at the Ob station, which was at this place. This is evidenced by a sign located on the facade of the station on the platform side. There is also another plaque here, which tells that Siberians went from here to the front during the Great Patriotic War. And there is an interesting exhibit between the Novosibirsk Main railway station and the new extension (a suburban pavilion with a clock tower, built in 2006). Namely, the layout of the locomotive "Agile", which worked on the Tsarskoye Selo railway. The same can be found at the Vitebsk railway station in St. Petersburg. And in the hall for high-ranking guests there is a chair, seemingly unremarkable, wooden with a red seat. This local exhibit is appreciated for the fact that two leaders of North Korea sat on it: Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. There is also a legend about a secret underpass, but no one has checked this fact and it is unlikely that anyone will bother with it.

So that you understand why this is one of the largest train stations, let's move on to the numbers. The total area of the station is 30 thousand square meters, waiting rooms occupy 7.5 thousand square meters, a hotel is 1.3 thousand square meters, a restaurant and bars are 1.9 thousand square meters. 16 million passengers come here every year, so it is a very important transport hub. The station connects the capital of Siberia with Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novy Urengoy, Omsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Anapa, Adler, Brest and other cities! Trains also depart from it to Minsk and Tashkent. In the summer, two additional destinations are opened to Adler and Anapa.

And now we turn to practical information for tourists and services that you can use.

The station is located at 43 Shamshurina Street. You can get to it from any district of Novosibirsk. The fastest way is by metro to the Gagarin-Mikhailovsky Square station. Also, a large number of buses and minibuses go to the station, or you can call a taxi. You can get there by private car, there are parking lots within a 5-6-minute walk. Please note that they are paid, for a limited time it is possible to leave the car without payment. The station itself is open around the clock.

Free wi-fi is available on the territory of the station, as previously mentioned, there is a waiting room and a children's playground, cafes, shops, assistance and escort services for passengers with limited mobility, as well as ATMs, a 24-hour medical center, free toilets. In addition, you can use additional services: a meeting room (800-1000 rubles), a mother and child room (1050-3200 rubles), a long-term rest room (from 1300 to 9000 rubles), hand luggage and luggage storage (300 rubles per day), a business hall (from 200 to 585 rubles, depending on the number hours), a hairdresser (from 300 to 1300 rubles), office services, reference services (issuance of written certificates confirming the fare, as well as providing oral information about the city and the work of the station), sanitary and hygienic services, a cinema hall (located on the ground floor) and much more.You can also use hotel services on the territory of the station with single, double and triple rooms, including luxury. Also near the station square there are many hotels of different price categories.

Novosibirsk Train Station is the main one. It's not just a train station. This is the gateway to the city, from which many travelers begin their acquaintance with the city.