As in Old Engravings of the 17th – 18th Centuries - Design of BKL Lefortovo Station Approved

The Lefortovo station of the Bolshaya Koltsevaya Line is being built in the south-east of Moscow near the Sputnik cinema, mos.ru reports.

The interiors of the Lefortovo metro station, the Bolshaya Koltsevaya Line, imitate old engravings of the 17th — 18th centuries.

Monochrome theme-based drawings in the ticket hall and lobby will remind passengers of the rich historical heritage of the Lefortovo District, after which the station got its name. The design project for the new station was approved by Moskomarkhitektura. The designers are Metrogiprotrans Company.

«The Lefortovo Palace, located on the right bank of the Yauza River in the neighboring Basmanny District, was a source of inspiration for the architects. The original building has not survived up to present. However, we can see the appearance of the palace in old engravings. This eclectic-style building with tent roofs and carved façade decorations was built by decree of Peter the Great for Admiral Franz Lefort in the late 17th century. The palace ensemble, restored after a fire in the 18th century, is a heritage-listed building of federal significance and is protected by the state» — said Sergey Kuznetsov, Chief Architect of Moscow.

He also says that white marble, light gray granite, fiber-reinforced concrete and aluminum panels will be used for the decoration of the station. The walls of the lobby will be decorated with a black and white ornamental panel picture with the surface of about 40 square meters. It will depict the reflection of the palace in the water of the Yauza River. An artistic composition in the ticket hall will be devoted to the first owner of the palace, Franz Lefort.

When sketching the picture, the authors turned to the history of the Lefort dynasty. The composition includes the heraldic symbols of the family coat of arms of the Leforts — an elephant and a knight’s helmet. The diameter of the image will be about five meters. The picture will be placed in a ceiling niche with integrated lights. The Lefortovo station is being built in the south-east of Moscow, in district with the same name, between Soldatskaya and Nalichnaya Streets. It will have one exit — to Nalichnaya Street, to the Sputnik cinema, to residential buildings and public transport.

The station is scheduled to open in 2020. Lefortovo is one of the six stations of the north-eastern section of the Bolshaya Koltsevaya Line. Rzhevskaya, Stromynka, Rubtsovskaya, Aviamotornaya and Sheremetyevskaya will also open here. The interiors of the Sheremetyevskaya station will imitate a noble estate. For example, in the lobby one will be able to see glossy balls 2.5 meters high, looking like shining porcelain teapots on noble men’s dining table.

The Bolshaya Koltsevaya Line will be 70 kilometers long; it will have 31 stations and two electric depots. BKL will unload the existing stations inside the ring, as well as the Koltsevaya metro line. BKL stations will open in a phase manner.