Teatralna (Kiev Metro)

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	Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line
								Akademmistechko
								Zhytomyrska
								Sviatoshyn
								Nyvky
								Beresteiska
								Shuliavska
								Politekhnichny Instytut
								Vokzalna
								Universytet
								Teatralna
								Khreshchatyk
								Arsenalna
								Dnipro
								Hidropark
								Livoberezhna
								Darnytsia
								Chernihivska
								Lisova
	edit

Teatralna (Ukrainian: Театральна,Russian: Театральная Teatralnaya) is a station on the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line of the Kiev Metro. The station was opened in 1987 between Universytet and Khreshchatyk, and is a result of a drastic change in the development of the system that took place in the mid-1970s.

Originally a northwest-southeast line was not foreseen in the designs that originated when planing the first stage and the future transfer points took place in the 1930s-1960s. However by the mid 1970s it was clear that if a line is to pass such an axis (aka Syretsko-Pecherska Line) there would be no transfer to the Sviatoshysnko-Brovarska Line would be possible. The obvious solution to the problem was to add a station onto the existing track. However as the original tunnels lacked a provision for a future station, it required a very precise re-boring with a straight section that would enable the station to be built in (the original paths had no provision. Construction began simultaneously with the work commencing on the Syretsko-Pecherska Line in the early 1980s and the station was opened in 1987. The old tunnels were then used for construction of the future station Zoloti Vorota which opened in 1989 thus creating the second transfer point in the system. (connected via rear end to the side of Tetralna). For about six months of construction, the service on the line was disrupted, and effectively the line was split in two with replacement bus service operating free of charge between Khreshchatyk and Universytet.

The station is indebted for the current name to Kiev Opera Theatre located a few streets away, and Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theatre of the Russian Drama right next to the metro entrance. Prior to 1992 the station was known as Leninska (Ukrainian: Ленiнська, Russian: Ленинская Leninskaya) as it was located on Leninska Street which was renamed the same year to the Khmelnytska Street. Currently there is a proposal for a second entrance to the station.

In decoration the station reminds almost exclusively of its former name. In addition, as the station was built in between a Stalinist Architecture inspired stations, the architects T.Tselikovska, N.Aloshkin and A.Krushynsky took careful measures to blend the station into it and not to allow sharp contrasts to show. Rich red marble adorns the mighty pylons which hold niches that are decorated with bronze sculptures with the name and life years of Vladimir Lenin and in the end of the central hall is bronze basrelief to him. The walls are reveted with white marble and the floor is laid with grey granite.

An interesting and quite humorous paradox exists to this day. In 1992 both the station and the street lost their Lenin based nomenclature and city wise almost all of the Lenin images were removed in the early 1990s (including from other Metro stations). However, ironically, the statue of Vladimir Lenin on the street and his basrelief in the station were retained, thus becoming one of very few remaining public places in Kiev with Lenin memorabilia.

The humorous paradox has been cost to the head of the municipal company "Kiev Metro", Mykola Shavlovsky his position. The recently elected Kiev mayor, Leonid Chernovetsky criticized Shavlovsky for lack of order in the metro. "Everything is left as it was in 1970s", said the mayor. "Socialism is still left in the metro - just take a ride - the citations of Vladimir Lenin are all around (on Teatralna station). But even Lenin did not want such metro as it is these days", added Chernovetsky.[1]

[edit] External links

• Description on official site (Ukrainian)
• description and gallery (Russian)
• Satellite shot centred on the vestibule
• Photo gallery (Czech)