This new map is showcasing the Moscow metro’s hidden design gems

If you’re heading to Moscow, then the Russian capital’s ornate metro system is a tourist must-see.

The Moscow Metro Architecture and Design Map helps first-time visitors find their way through the sprawling stations — as well as highlighting the hidden gems you could miss in the rush hour crowds.

Curated by architectural historian Nikolai Vassiliev and published in English and Russian, the map celebrates both imposing Stalinist architecture and the serene beauty of contemporary stops tucked away in the city suburbs.

It also includes introduction by Nikolai Shumakov, head architect of Metrogiprotrans, and chief designer of many of Moscow’s finest contemporary stations.

The map was launched by Blue Crow Media, a team which has already overseen maps on Constructivist Moscow and Modernist Belgrade.

“[The Moscow metro] is widely considered to be the most impressive network of stations in the world”, they say. “Stations such as the baroque Komsomolskaya with its elaborate cartouches and historical mosaics are featured alongside the avant-garde Krasnye Vorota and the futuristic Fonzinskaya. These famous so-called ‘palaces of the people’ from the 1930s to today are celebrated together”.