Vostok (Minsk Metro)

Vostok ( _ru. Восток, IPA2|vəs'tɔk; _be. Усход ~ East) is a Minsk Metro station. Opened on December 30, 1986.

The station's name not only implies its geographical location, as it was the easternmost station of Minsk metro for more than 20 years, but also its connotation with the Vostok space programme that ultimately led to the first manned spaceflight. The stations architectural ensemble (Ye.Leonovich, V.Matelsky) is based on the latter, and consists of a single vault shape with suspended canopy that forms a single element. The canopy simultaneously acts as a blind from the lamps, and also contains the lighting elements which are focused on the apex of the white vault. This "petal" layout reminds an interior of a spaceship with illuminator windows. Contrasting with that is the dark red and grey granite on the walls and the floor.

The station is located near the National Library of Belarus and the residential microrayon Vostok-1 and -2. Its two underground vestibules are interlinked with subways that are located on both sides of the Independence avenue. In 1986-2007 the station was terminal, it received quite a lot of passenger traffic from commuters that travel from the northeast. However this ended when in 2007 the extension to Borisovsky Trakt and Uruchye was finished.

External links

*ru icon [http://www.minsk.gov.by/cgi-bin/org_ps.pl?k_org=-67400111&lang=ru Minsk State Committee] - Station description
*ru icon [http://bymetro.narod.ru/estet/vostok.htm Minskoye Metro] - Station description
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Minsk,+Belarus&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=18&ll=53.934569,27.651139&spn=0.001547,0.006781&t=k&iwloc=addr Google maps] - Satellite shot centred on the station