Komsomolskaya Square. Komsomolskaya Square Monument in the center of Komsomolskaya Square
A country: Russia
City: Moscow
Nearest metro: Komsomolskaya
Was passed: 2003
Sculptor: Shcherbakov S.A.
Description
The monument to the creator of Russian railways and the first Minister of Transport of Russia Pavel Petrovich Melnikov is a large full-length bronze sculpture of the minister, mounted on a columnar granite pedestal. Pavel Petrovich is depicted dressed in a ceremonial ministerial uniform with all the orders on his chest for services to the fatherland. His left hand is laid aside, in his right hand he holds a scroll with the royal decree on the start of construction of the first railway in Russia between St. Petersburg and Moscow, to which he persuaded Nicholas I with great difficulty.
On the pedestal there is a commemorative inscription in gilded letters: “Melnikov Pavel Petrovich, the first Minister of Railways of Russia.” Small steps lead to the foot of the monument. Not far from the monument on the memorial alley there are two large bas-reliefs of maps of Russian railways and main railway stations.
History of creation
The monument was erected in 2003 on Komsomolskaya Square, closed between three stations on the initiative of the Russian Railways.
How to get there
Arrive at the Komsomolskaya metro station (circle line) and get off at the Leningradsky station on Komsomolskaya Square. In a small park in the center of Komsomolskaya Square you will find a monument to Pavel Petrovich Melnikov.
Strictly speaking, the Square of Three Stations is not on the map of Moscow, but there is Komsomolskaya Square - however, this is precisely the case when the name of a place is de facto born “from below” and exists regardless of whether it is approved de iure “from above” or not. The area of the three stations appeared as a result of the reconquest of land from local reservoirs: until the 1860s (the building of the Nikolaevsky station already stood) there was an undrained swamp, the Olkhovets River flowed and, finally, there was a large Red Pond, on which in 1697 Peter the Great celebrated the capture of Azov with fireworks. The swamp was drained, the river was drained into an underground pipe; As for the lake, it was drained only at the beginning of the 20th century, in the interval between the construction of the new Yaroslavl and new Kazan stations - the last two “dominants” of this unusual place.
The area of the three stations is a unique transport and communication “hub”, which can only be partly compared with a similar transport and communication “crossroads” of four different metro lines underground in the area of the Biblioteka station. Lenin. Residents from the northwestern, northern and numerous eastern regions of Russia flock here every day. Sooner or later, this huge passage yard, which grew up in a swamp, had to be designed as a place involved in history. The simplest and most effective way is to install monuments.
PHOTO 1. Once upon a time, here, on the western side of the Yaroslavl station, there was a dense sector of trading tents. In September 2011 (just in time for the city day), a fountain was opened in the cleared space, and a dynamic statue of St. George the Victorious was installed above it - with a spear, on a horse and a defeated serpent under it. This saint became the main character of the coat of arms of Moscow under Ivan III (1462-1505), at the same time when the “double-headed eagle” became the coat of arms of the entire Moscow state. By the way, if you look closely, you can see the main state emblem on the rider’s chest. The work of sculptor S.A. Shcherbakova seems truly realistic: every muscle of the horse is “written out,” and in George himself, not so much holiness is emphasized as physical strength. you can look at a very worthy iconographic original.
PHOTO 2. Granite monument to V.I. Lenin is the oldest sculptural image on the Square of Three Stations. Installed with east side Yaroslavl station in 1967. Sculptor A.P. Kibalnikov (1912-1987) depicted the Leader of the world proletariat in a completely canonical “oratorical” pose for him: left hand holds on to his lapel, and his right hand is about to shoot forward - in a characteristic “Leninist” gesture. 
PHOTO 3. The Trans-Siberian Railway monument with the symbolic 0th kilometer was installed near the tracks long distance Yaroslavsky railway station in 2001 - in honor of the 100th anniversary of the longest railway in Russia. On the reverse side of the “cube” the distance to Vladivostok is indicated - 2298 km. 
PHOTO 4. This group monument, dedicated to the “creators of Russian railways,” was opened next to the Kazansky railway station on August 1, 2013 - Railwayman’s Day. As “creators” the sculptor S.A. Shcherbakov (see above) introduced six different people who lived throughout almost 150 years of Russian history: the inventors of the Russian steam locomotive Efim Cherepanov (1774-1842) and his son Miron Cherepanov (1803-1849), the builder of the Tsarskoye Selo railway Franz-Anton von Gerstner (1796-1840), Minister of Transport under Alexander II Pavel Melnikov (1804-1880), Minister of Transport under Alexander III Sergei Witte (1849-1915), Minister of Transport under Nicholas II Mikhail Khilkov (1834-1909). Finally, there is a seventh character here, albeit in the form of a bust - Nicholas I. His presence in this company is justified by the following inscription at the base of the monument: “On February 12, 1842, the All-Russian Emperor Nicholas I signed a decree on the construction of the Moscow - St. Petersburg Railway.” . 
PHOTO 5. The bust of the chief architect of the new Kazan station, Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev (1873-1949), stands next to his brainchild, facing Komsomolskaya Square. The construction of the majestic building, the central part of which resembles the Syuyumbike Tower in Kazan, began before World War I, but lasted for decades: 1913-1940. 
PHOTO 6. The bust of the chief architect of the Nikolaevsky (now Leningradsky) station, Konstantin Andreevich Ton (1794-1881), is also installed next to his creation. The building was built in 1849 and has never been rebuilt since then. 
PHOTO 7. Bust of the chief architect of the new Yaroslavl station, Fyodor Osipovich Shekhtel (1859-1926). Another talented “Russian German” on whom rested Russian empire. The modern building of the Yaroslavl station in the neo-Russian style with elements of “northern modernism” was built in 1904. 
P.S.
All photos were taken on 05/01/15.
Komsomolskaya Square (until 1933 it was called Kalanchevskaya Square) is a square in Moscow on which three stations are located: Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky and Kazansky. It is also popularly called the Three Stations Square, which they wanted to rename it to in 2003. But the matter did not go further than talk.
It’s easy to get to the square, and many probably know about it, but pass by. You can get to it from an underground pedestrian crossing leading from the Komsomolskaya metro station of the same name on the Sokolnicheskaya or Circle Line.
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A gray, dull building with the inscription “Russian Railways” on the roof is the information and computing center of the Moscow railway. It was built in 1980 according to the design of architect V.A. Nesterov and engineer A.L. Velkin.
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Two memorial plaques are installed near the fountain.
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One of them with a diagram of the main routes of the railway network Russian Federation.
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And the other shows the first railway line from Moscow to St. Petersburg in the mid-19th century.
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From the square you can see several high-rise buildings in Moscow at once: the closest is the former Leningradskaya hotel (now it is the Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya), behind it is the RVM Megapolis business center (formerly Domnikov, built in 2009), and also further Stalin's skyscraper at the Red Gate.
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On August 2, 2003, a monument to the first Minister of Railways P.P. Melnikov (author - S. Shcherbakov) was unveiled on the square.
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Next to the square there is also the administrative complex of OJSC "Russian railways", consisting of three adjacent and interconnected multi-storey buildings. The most high building has 28 floors.
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Let's take another look at the fountain, opened in 2003.
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Let's look at the three stations that are located around Komsomolskaya Square. The oldest is, of course, Leningradsky Station. The building was built in 1844-1849 according to the design of the architect K.A. Ton. From 1855 to 1923 it was called Nikolaevsky Station.
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The modern building of the Kazan station was built in 1913-1940. Before that it was called Ryazan Station.
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Clock with zodiac signs at the Kazansky railway station:
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The Yaroslavl station building was also rebuilt. The modern building was built in 1902-1904 (architect - F.O. Shekhtel). The station changed its name several times: from its opening in 1862 until 1870 it was called Troitsky Station, in 1870-1922 - Yaroslavsky, in 1922-1955 - North Station and since 1955 - again Yaroslavsky.
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Between the Leningradsky and Yaroslavsky railway stations there is the ground lobby of the Komsomolskaya metro station, opened in 1952.
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Taking another look at the square from the monument to P.P. Melnikov, we will go to the new fountain, which is located behind the above-ground metro vestibule.
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The fountain was opened quite recently - on September 4, 2011, on City Day. Previously, there were trading tents here. Now, in my opinion, it has become much cleaner and more pleasant.
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In the center of the fountain there is a sculpture depicting the coat of arms of Moscow - St. George the Victorious. Author - S. Shcherbakov.
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Around the fountain are laid out these slabs with the names of all Moscow stations.
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