Teatralna (Kiev Metro)

Teatralna ( _uk. Театральна, _ru. Театральная "Teatralnaya") is a station on the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line of the Kiev Metro. It serves as a transfer point, via the pedestrian walkway connecting it to Zoloti Vorota station on the Syretsko-Pecherska Line. The station was opened in 1987 [ [http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/kie/kiev.htm Urbanrail.net - Kiev] ] , between Universytet and Khreshchatyk stations.

Currently there is a proposal for a second entrance to the station. [cite news|title=On the station "Teatralna" another transfer tunnel will be built|url=http://prokiev.com.ua/ukr/news/2007/09/18/162342.html|work=prokiev.com.ua|date=September 18, 2007|accessdate=2008-02-28|language=Ukrainian]

The station owes its name to the Kiev Opera Theatre located a few streets away, and Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theater of Russian Drama, next to the metro entrance. Prior to 1992 the station was known as Leninska ( _uk. Ленiнська, _ru. Ленинская "Leninskaya") from its location on Leninska Street. This was renamed in the same year to Khmelnytska Street.

History

In the original 1950s Kiev metro plans, the northwest-southeast Syretsko-Pecherska Line was not foreseen, and therefore no space was left for a transfer station on the Sviatoshysnko-Brovarska line. When the later line was planned in the 1970s, it was decided to build a new station onto the existing track.

The original curved tunnels lacked any provision for a future platform, and had to be very precisely rebored to create a straight section for the new station. Construction began simultaneously when the work commencing on the Syretsko-Pecherska Line, in the early 1980s. During the last six months of construction, the service on the line was disrupted, and effectively the line was split in two with a replacement bus service operating free of charge between Khreshchatyk and Universytet. Finally on November 7, 1987 (the 70th anniversary of the October Revolution), Kiev Metro gained a new station. The old tunnels were then used to build the enlarged vault of Zoloti Vorota, which opened in 1989. An underground walkway connects the back of Zoloti Vorota to the side of Tetralna, allowing passengers to change lines without leaving the metro.

Decoration

The station's decor strongly recalls its former name. As it was located between two earlier stations in the Stalinist style, its architects T. Tselikovska, N. Aloshkin and A. Krushynsky took care not to create any sharp contrasts. Rich red marble adorns thick pylons which separate the platforms from the central hall. They hold niches decorated with bronze sculptures showing the name and life years of Vladimir Lenin, leading up to a large bronze bas-relief at the end of the central hall. The walls are reveted with white marble and the floor is laid with grey granite.

An interesting paradox exists to this day. In the early 1990s, almost all of the Lenin plaques, statues and individual sculptures were removed from around Kiev, including from other Metro stations. Leninska station was renamed to Teatralna in 1992. Ironically, however, the statue on the street and bas-relief in the station were retained, among just a handful of surviving Lenin monuments in Kiev.

This humorous paradox recently cost the director of the metro company, Mykola Shavlovsky, his position. The recently elected Kiev mayor, Leonid Chernovetsky criticized Shavlovsky for lack of order in the metro. "Everything is left as it was in 1970s", said the mayor. "Socialism is still left in the metro - just take a ride - the citations of Vladimir Lenin are all around (on Teatralna station). But even Lenin did not want such a metro as it is these days", added Chernovetsky. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20070517234815/http://www.pravda.com.ua/ru/news/2006/7/21/43744.htm Metro director sacked over Lenin bas-relief] ru icon]

References

External links

* [http://www.metro.kiev.ua/ua/about/stations/sv-br/chapter1049 Description on official site] uk icon
* [http://www.metropoliten.kiev.ua/station/station.php?lang=0&station_id=10 description and gallery] ru icon
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Kiev&t=k&om=1&ie=UTF8&ll=50.444968,30.518303&spn=0.002993,0.010815 Satellite shot centred on the vestibule]
* [http://metro.zarohem.cz/kyjev/01-svjatosinobravarska/10-teatralna/index.html Photo gallery] cs icon