Varshavsky railway station: from the first train to Europe to the shopping center

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

During the construction of the Nikolaevskaya railway, the laying of the road from St. Petersburg to Warsaw began with the construction of the Varshavsky railway station. The station building was erected according to the project of the architect Skarzhinsky K. A.

Historical background

The Crimean War temporarily suspended all construction work. But after some 5 years, by 1857, everything resumed. The work was led by new people. In light of this, the originally conceived appearance and layout of the station were changed. The architect P. O. Salmanovich turned it into a large complex. Now employees could be accommodated in the building, even rooms were provided for living. Platforms were built for horse-drawn carriages. The project of the Varshavsky railway station did not provide for any exquisite decorations, but had to be simple and concise, which was eventually achieved. The station (one of the buildings of the complex) opened in 1853.

The construction of the railway continued already in 1856, trains from St. Petersburg ran to Gatchina, and from 1858 they reached Pskov. Trains started leaving for Warsaw only in 1862. Througha few years after that, it was already possible to get from the station to Berlin, Vienna and Brussels. Accordingly, the passenger traffic and the volume of luggage carried increased, and the station no longer met modern requirements, so they began to rebuild it. A locomotive depot has appeared.

At the beginning of the last century, a paid entrance for the mourners was made on the platform of the station, and it was 10 kopecks. A few years later, it was abolished due to the strong discontent of the citizens.

Varshavsky railway station itself is a "witness" of many historical events. Literally a stone's throw from the building, Minister Plehve V. K. was killed, and the Bolsheviks hid in the building during the revolution. During the military blockade, due to the fact that the Germans came close to the station, it was badly damaged. At the end of hostilities, some rooms of the building were rebuilt.

Post-Soviet times

For many years the Varshavsky railway station in St. Petersburg was the place where passengers who arrived from Europe got off.

The period of perestroika and the collapse of the USSR had a negative impact on the activities of the station, it practically stopped accepting trains. After all, the passenger flow towards the B altic countries has practically disappeared. The remaining routes, both suburban and long-distance, were moved to other stations, and the building itself was planned to be destroyed for some time.

Museum

After many years of oblivion, in 2006, a museum was opened in the depot building and on the rails of the old stationrailway technology. Steam locomotives and wagons created in different periods were put on public display, and even a rocket launcher - one of the first high-speed wagons in Russia.

The Museum at Varshavsky Railway Station received a new building in November 2017 and is now located at 4 Bibliotechny Lane. The nearest metro station is B altiyskaya.

TRK

From 2003 to 2006 the building was completely renovated. Designed by Giovanni Bartoli. Upon completion of the work, the Varshavsky railway station turned into a shopping and entertainment center called the Warsaw Express. Now it is 32 thousand square meters, with shops and entertainment facilities, including a casino and a cinema.

In the process of reconstruction works, the monument to V. I. Lenin was removed from the square in front of the building

Church of the Resurrection of Christ

When it comes to the Obvodny Canal, one remembers not only the Varshavsky railway station, but also the temple. This is an Orthodox church, which is part of the Admir alty Deanery District.

Initially, the church was built of wood, back in 1894. Two years later, a building of 3 floors was erected near it and a reading room and a school were opened in it.

With the advent of priest Alexander Rozhdestvensky, the Sobriety Society was opened at the temple (1898). Surprisingly, the Society becomes very popular, and by 1904 several branches were already opened throughout the country. In the year of the foundation of the Society, fundraising for the construction of a stone church begins.

Already in 1904the first stone of the new Church of the Resurrection of Christ at the Warsaw railway station is laid. A huge contribution to the collection of money is made by the well-known philanthropist Dmitry Parfenov in those days, for whom, one might say. construction becomes his life's work. Despite the troubled times, the war, the project manages to be completed on schedule, that is, a year after the start of construction.

The parish is designed for 4 thousand people. In 1086, in honor of Father Alexander, the founder of the society, who died a year earlier, a 100-pound bell was installed.

By 1914, the facade decoration was completely finished. Interior work is still ongoing, oil painting is being done by V. T. Perminov, artist.

Like most churches, in the 30th year of the last century, the temple is closed, instead of services, employees of the tram depot work here.

The believers were returned to their shrines only in 1989, services begin only in 1990. Restoration work is gradually being carried out, in 2008 a new cross is installed on the main dome. And for the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, a monument to Nicholas II was erected on the western side of the church (2013). Now it is not only a holy place, but also an architectural monument of the city, which tourists come to see.