Public transport can also fascinate, surprise and attract not only with its functionality, but also with the stunning beauty and unusualness of stations, crossings and ground exits. If you approach the construction or reconstruction of the metro with imagination and inspiration, you can get masterpieces of underground architecture that will become the pearl of the city and the pride of all its inhabitants. It’s nice to go to work in such a metro, and just going down on a tour will be interesting.
This is not just transport, habitual grayness and unpretentiousness. Many subways from this list can be considered affiliates of museums or art exhibitions. Just imagine how gorgeous and amazing the subway can be!
The most beautiful metro stations in the world
10
Barcelona
It was included in the list of the most beautiful subways thanks to the amazing Drassanos station on branch 3. And although the name translates as “shipyard”, the station is a futuristic masterpiece of simplicity, cosmic light and almost seamless tangible beauty. It was opened in 1968. In its original form, before reconstruction, it was a dark, cramped, unremarkable station.
The architectural solution of ON-A, which carried out the reconstruction, is so thought out that it completely changed the appearance and improved the functionality of the station without any special investment.
"Continuity of space" is the motto of this design, and this is achieved through continuous cladding of reinforced concrete, passing to the ceiling in bright white. The black color of the ceilings and information panels themselves, the smooth red and black lines on the floor create a cosmic atmosphere from Star Trek.
By the way, about the Gothic quarter of Barcelona, our site most-beauty.ru has a very interesting article with many photos.
9
Bilbao
In the photo: Moyua Station in Bilbao.
The subway in this large Spanish city appeared in 1995. The main requirements for the design of the new metro were urbanism, simplicity and comfort. The design was developed by Norman Foster. This metro is considered very modern, which is also reflected in its futuristic design. The materials used in the decoration are steel, glass, concrete. Noteworthy are the curved glass exits from the subway, they are easily recognizable and have become a hallmark of Bilbao. These transparent designs are beautifully illuminated at night.
Did you know that Bilbao has one of the most beautiful airports in the world?
8
Stockholm
In the photo: T-centralen station in Stockholm
Built in the late 1950s during the Swedish cultural boom, Stockholm Metro is an art gallery with a length of over 100 kilometers, which contains samples of European art from five decades.
Pictured: Stadion station, Stockholm
Three stations are regularly included in different ratings of the most beautiful metro stations - T-centralen, Stadion and Rådhuset. Since the metro was built in a monolithic rock, an interesting idea came up - to leave the surface of the rocks open, and to make each station recognizable and unique with the play of light and wall paintings. A bright rainbow, silhouettes of metro builders, cave dusk - all this you will find here underground. Not to mention paintings, carvings, sculptures and mosaics of various styles and authors.
In the photo: Rådhuset station. Stockholm
Over the past half century, many artists have become famous in Sweden thanks to their work in the Stockholm metro.
7
Munich
Pictured: Bahnhof Marienplatz Station, Munich
Munich U-bann is considered one of the most convenient subways in the world. Many transitions, travelators and escalators will allow you to easily get to the right metro in the city. But, in addition to convenience, there is still a very attractive design - typically German, with strict lines, minimalism and lack of pretentiousness.
Pictured: Olympia-Einkaufszentrum Station in Munich.
Some of the 100 stations of this metro will inspire you with thoughts about space, some with summer rain and a translucent rainbow. Somewhere from the ceiling, huge lamps hang with soft orange light spreading over the blue walls, creating an atmosphere of privacy and coziness. And somewhere, a marble-chess floor and dark red walls subconsciously make you re-read "Alice in Wonderland."
Photo: Candidplatz Station in Munich.
And these are far from all the most beautiful stations of this city. A little later we will publish a separate article about the most beautiful Munich metro stations.
6
Moscow
In the photo: Komsomolskaya metro station in Moscow.
The direct opposite of Munich is the Moscow metro. Here, in the capital of the former USSR, in the decoration of the subway, all the greatness and power of the Soviet state is displayed. This is the apotheosis of the Stalinist empire that you will not confuse with anything - grandeur, pomp, a combination of classicism, empire and Moscow baroque. The Moscow Metro is also regularly included in the ratings of the most beautiful in the world, and rightfully so.
In the photo: Kiev metro station in Moscow.
Molded medallions, murals, mosaic panels, marble, smalt, valuable rocks adorn the station, which can be mistaken for ceremonial meeting rooms. The main subjects used are Soviet subjects - the formation of Soviet power, revolution and war, the friendship of fraternal republics and paintings from the life of Soviet people.
In the photo: Mayakovskaya metro station.
In the photo: metro station "Electrozavodskaya".
In the photo: metro station "Novoslobodskaya".
5
Toronto
In the photo: Station Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
The Toronto metro is worth a ride for at least one station - Royal Ontario Museum. After reconstruction in 2008, it acquired the appearance, indeed, of a museum branch. To decorate this amazing station, the exhibits of the Royal Ontario Museum and the Gardiner Museum, which are located above it, were used.
Here, metro passengers can see the cult symbols of the first settlers of Canada, Ancient Egypt, artifacts of the traditional culture of China, Toltec culture in Mexico and relics of Ancient Greece. Museum exhibits from different eras even support the supporting columns of the station, lending authenticity to their role of holding the ceiling above trains.
4
Athens
In the photo: Metro Museum. Monastiraki Station in Athens.
Despite its venerable age (launched in 1869), the current metro is modern and comfortable. It can not be omitted from the list of the most beautiful subways in the world, as this is another underground museum. During the construction of new branches for the 2004 Olympics, ancient finds were discovered. But, fortunately for all passengers, the authorities decided not to transfer them to museums, but to leave them where they were found, organically fitting them into the subway infrastructure.
Now, behind the glass in the lobby or in the design of the vaults of escalators, you can see multilevel excavations with artifacts from different periods of Athenian civilization, Byzantium, the Roman Empire and the prehistoric period. There are also ancient graves, parts of the walls, an ancient road, clay drainage pipes and much more. There are human remains, the most ancient and valuable, of which is the fully preserved human skeleton dating from the 4th-5th centuries. BC.
3
Shanghai
Pictured: Shanghai Metro Bund Sightseeing.
The construction, thanks to which Shanghai was included in this list, is a funicular connecting the two banks of the river. The Chinese did not just make an underground tunnel, where passengers would look out of the windows at the muddy underwater world of the Huangpu River. On this funicular, the creators guarantee you a journey to the "core of the Earth."
The fare here is more than ten times higher than on a regular metro. After boarding a small futuristic car, passengers slowly go through the tunnel, on which a grandiose light show unfolds.
Pulsating lights simulating a flight through a certain acid space and flashes of flashing lights are accompanied by a rather sinister soundtrack, which is sometimes interrupted by the words "bright star", "hell", etc. It is not clear what kind of reaction the creators of this funicular wanted to cause in the audience, but surprise and fear can arise simultaneously.
2
Dubai
Entrance to the Dubai Marina Metro Station in Dubai.
In the photo: Dubai Metro Station Dubai Marina.
This metro is relatively young, ultramodern, luxurious and fully automated - the drivers are not here. $ 8 billion was spent on its construction, where 30,000 people were involved. In this miracle of architecture, the national style was used in the design of the stations.
The main idea of the design of the stations is the interaction of 4 basic elements, intertwined with the emphasis on long-standing traditions and history of this state. For example, the stations made in the form of seashells, in the decoration of which natural pearls were used, refer us to the fact that the seashells have been developed here for a very long time.
By the way, having bought a VIP-class ticket, you can ride in the first carriage and enjoy the beautiful panoramas of the city through the windshield. On our site most-beauty.ru you can find an article about the best attractions of Dubai.
1
Toulouse
In the photo: Various entrances to the metro of Toulouse.
The subway of French Toulouse is famous not for the underground decoration of the stations, but for its bright, colorful ground entrances. The story is that by the time the second line was built, the elevators of the first metro line leading to the subway were already painted. So that on the second line the ground part does not look dull and gray, it was decided to invite artists and give them complete freedom of creativity. In the design of exits and elevators, mainly various geometric shapes are used, but the colors are so bright that you simply can’t find the subway entrance.
Conclusion
It turns out that it’s quite difficult to choose the best of the best metro stations from a huge variety of options. Someone will completely disagree with our opinion, and may be right. After all, we bypassed many of the most beautiful metro stations. For example, the St. Petersburg metro is famous for some of its stations. Also, we did not mention the London Underground, the subways of the cities of North America, China and Singapore, which are also worthy of being here.
The editors of the site most-beauty.ru are waiting for your comments on the topic of the article!