Textile Capital, City of Brides and Constructivism

12 points8 km3.5 hours

Ivanovo is a city of many nicknames: the City of Brides, the city of the avant-garde, the Russian Manchester, the Calico Capital and more. Come see its Constructivist masterpieces up close and travel back in time in this avant-garde city, the youngest and most unusual city of the Golden Ring.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

🔍🖼️ Spot interesting details
🍲🎶 Local culture

Route points (12)

Railroad Station in Ivanovo

Point on route “Textile Capital, City of Brides and Constructivism”

Point 1

Railroad Station

🚂 Railway station • 🏟️ Architectural landmark • 🎨 Art installations

Historical Background

Ivanovo-Voznesensk's first railroad station was built in 1898. By the late 1920s the capital of a vast industrial region needed a much bigger station, so construction began on what was a huge project for its time. The building was completed in 1933, in the era of the avant-garde, to a design by the architect Vladimir Kaverinsky. The station became the crowning work of his career. The square in front of the station is worth a look too. On either side of the station stand buildings that still bear giant six-story-high mosaics by the artists Evgeny Gribov and Mark Malyutin.

Architecture

The station is a textbook example of Constructivism: a huge waiting hall flooded with light through ribbon, round and vertical windows. Over its history the station has been renovated several times. In the 1950s and 1980s, for example, decorative elements were added: columns, mosaics and sculpted panels. The latest renovation, in 2018–2020, restored the facade to its original 1930s look. The building got back its huge glass walls and entrance doors with round windows, as well as its original facade colors: gray and a rich red-orange. Inside, the original decor was preserved where possible: patterned tiles and tall arched openings between the halls. The halls are named after the color of their walls, Blue and Red. The Blue Hall has the ticket offices and the waiting area; its 1950s stained glass and stucco have been restored. In the middle of the Blue Hall stands a weaving loom that draws travelers' attention, and the standard metal seating has been replaced with old-style wooden benches. The Red Hall has been restored to its 1980s interior, with refreshed mosaic murals and the Olympic “1980” inscription on the floor.

A Record-Breaking Station

When it was built, this was the seventh-largest station in the USSR, and today it has the largest waiting hall in the country. Ivanovo's station is now the biggest on the Northern Railway and the largest Constructivist station in the world. It is remarkable not only for its size: it is a serious contender for the title of the most beautiful station in Russia.

Exhibitions

Today the station is not just a railroad hub but a full-fledged cultural venue. Inside is the Art Station creative cluster, a space for exhibitions, concerts, film screenings and other events. Its exhibitions tell visitors and locals about what Ivanovo is famous for: Constructivism, the art of sewing, and the work of Andrei Tarkovsky, who was born in this region.