If architecture, transport or history intrigues you, or you've dreamed of touring the Moscow Metro subway stations, you can now do it from the comfort of your sofa.
The Metro opened in Moscow in 1935 and is the Russian capital's enormous transportation system. Its stations showcase the beauty of Soviet and modern Russian history and architecture, complete with baroque mouldings, marble arches and stained-glass windows. Visitors usually examine the stations more closely via the Moscow Metro Career Guidance Centre, which was open up to 27 March to facilitate tours of the Metro stations, depot and museum.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down many visitor attractions worldwide and brought about a series of travel restrictions, the centre began putting its fascinating content online. It is now offering virtual tours of its subway stations through its "From the Metro" initiative, where viewers can learn interesting snippets by looking at the Metro through the eyes of subway workers. As well as architectural tours, you can see areas and facilities that are unusually inaccessible to visitors, such as tunnels, substations and vestibule roofs.
There is even behind-the-scenes footage of control rooms, training centres and historic stations that are now closed. Recent lectures have been offered on the history and architectural features of the metro stations, and participants can ask questions of lecturers during online conversations. While the content has been in Russian so far, English-language content is coming soon. The first English online lecture, The introduction to Moscow Metro history, will take place on 8 April at 4pm GMT +3.
You can check out the daily schedule on Moscow Metro's Instagram page here.
Keep up to date with Lonely Planet's latest travel-related COVID-19 news here.
