Former glory of Soviet Union bus stops in photographs by Christopher Herwig

The roadside bus stop should serve a purpose of shelter from weather elements and a place to rest for a few minutes for passengers. But Soviet bus stop structures served a much larger purpose.

Soviet-time architecture is often seen as heavy, monotone buildings created for a purpose of shelter, but not much else. Few buildings of this time have decorations or architectural designs. When they do, the purpose behind the Soviet art was not entertainment or viewing pleasure of a passer-by, but propaganda and political education.

Many Soviet Union era buildings, including bus stops, have been abandoned or neglected since the collapse of the regime. The stones are crumbling and the paint is peeling off. Soviet history is dissapearing with it. There is no more community of unselfish, if somewhat brain-washed, citizens who would be willing to spend most of their waking hours working for the good of the people. More Russians now drive cars; state-run public transportation system has seen a lot of cuts, downsizes and changes since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Photographer Christopher Herwig went to the former Soviet Union from 2002 to 2006. He rode a significant distance on his bicycle, covering roads from the Baltic countries to St.-Petersburg city, photographing many amazing sites of the former Soviet glory on his way. He then came back for a road trip through Central Asia to photograph Soviet architecture in the former Soviet Republics.

His collection of bus stop photographs titled "The Soviet Roadside Bus-stop. Departure from the common and boring, Next stop the wild and crazy," had brought a new light to these old buildings.

"They will appear in the most unlikely places," he wrote. "sometimes in the middle of the desert, steppe or countryside, sometimes with no homes in sight."

You can read more about Christopher Herwig on his website at http://www.herwigphoto.com/

Bus stops served a huge role in the Soviet Union times. Most people did not have cars and relied on public transportation heavily. Everyone is familiar with the beautiful subway stations of Moscow. Millions of commuters still flood the underground railroad system every day. However, not all Russian cities have subway systems. Some other cities use trolleys (above ground one or two car trains using rails and electricity) and trolleybuses (they look like buses with antlers that are attached to electric wires above). Buses, which do not require rails or electricity, were a popular choice too, especially for more remote rural areas.

While individual creativity was not encouraged, images that meant to inspire people toward communal goals, educate them about Soviet history and ideas, prepare for defense of the Motherland or make Soviet Union citizens feel good about their (often difficult) lives, were common.

A few popular themes include people working on farming equipment or harvesting a bountiful yield; happy children wearing red scarfs and/or carrying colorful flowers; handsome men and women smiling beautifuly, while enjoying their manual jobs; large soldiers or sailors holding weapons and red Soviet flags.

Such art designs were placed in the busy areas of each Soviet city. And since most people had to go to work and commute using public transportation every day, all of them saw the pictures and modern designs. It might look simple and old now, but back in the Soviet times these designs were a highlight of the day for many people. The majority of people in cities lived in small cramped communal apartments; often a whole family per one single room. Several families were expected to share bathrooms and kitchens in these communal apartments. Everybody, including women with small children, were expected to work.

People had very few luxiries and were discouraged to work toward individual material or expressive goals.

Communal art gave people of the USSR a chance to feel richer and better off than they really were.

Pictures of bus stops, beautifully photographed by Christopher Herwig, show a few examples of such communal art designs in the former Soviet Union.