Vladimir Mayakovsky: The Man Behind The Metro And The Museum

The vestibule of the Moscow metro station, Mayakovskaya, is a memorable station for visitors. It was named after the famous poet Vladimir Mayakovky (1893 – 1930), who used to live and work in the Tverskoy district, which is located in front of the metro entrance. The area is said to be quite beautiful and even a little mystical. Here are a few facts about the station and the poet that inspired it.

Then

The station was designed according to Mayakovsky’s perception of futurism, which he described in his poems. Thirty-four ceiling mosaics created with pink, white and blue tiles decorate the station and were created by another famous Russian artist, Alexander Deneyka. He was joined by Ivan Lubennikov and another unknown artist, who helped in designing the station’s decor. The process took quite a long period of time; they finished the work three years later.

The station remained closed during that time, and the whole city of Moscow seemed to wonder what it will be like. Finally, the artists settled on a unique fusion of modern lines and pink and beige marble floors. Everything looked like a dream inspired by Mayakovsky’s poems.

Even now, the interior of the station remains the same as the government makes it a priority to reconstruct areas that fall into decline. Undoubtedly, this metro is one of the most interesting historical art gems in Moscow.

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Now

In 2013, Moscow celebrated the 120th anniversary of Mayakovsky’s birthday. The Mayakovsky Museum and Moscow Metro administrations decided to make a gift for the citizens of Moscow and launched a special ‘poetry train passage’ on the Filevskaya blue line. Posted on the walls of the coaches were Mayakovsky’s poems along with accompanying pictures. Each of the train’s coaches reflected different parts of Mayakovsky’s life, as well as his deep thoughts about literature. There was even one fragment dedicated to his long love affair with Ms. Lilly Brik. With Moscow citizens being such big fans of literature and the arts, the gift was well received. Queues wrapped around the station halls as people wanted to see the train at least once. Despite many controversial facts of his life, including his unexpected suicide, Mayakovsky still remains one of the most well-loved poets of the Russian Federation.

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About the author

Yulia S.

Contributor / Journalist

Yulia was born and raised in Moscow, Russia but it didn't take long for her to move to Milan, Italy back in 2011 because of her passion for arts, culture, fashion & travel. Yulia is a travel expert, photographer, observer and all time traveler, she speaks fluently 3 languages and passionate about everything she does for living.