2cv travel

• Top Gear series 25

Everything you need to know about the Citroen 2CV

Citroen's little hero is one of the stars of episode four. Your complete guide here

What is it?

A lollopy, characterful, ancient Citroen that has become legend. Produced between 1948 and 1990 (yes, that really is 42 years of production), the 2CV ( deux-cheveaux or ‘two horses’) was originally conceived in the late Thirties as a rugged, useful, affordable car. Famously, it was designed with very specific requirements, including being able to carry four people and 50kg of goods at 30mph, across muddy and unpaved roads if necessary. In fact, it was suggested at the prototype stage that the 2CV should be able to carry a basket of eggs across a ploughed field without whipping up an interior omelette, and also manage something like 80mpg while doing so. That’s one hell of a design brief, and yet, after quite a few prototypes, Citroen actually managed it.

Unveiled at the Paris Salon on 7 October 1948, it also - during the decades of production - evolved a cult following akin to a religion. It might not be particularly luxurious or safe when you compare it to modern vehicles, but there’s a real depth of thought in its pared-back design that means it has charm few cars can match. Character? A 2CV is right up there with an original Mini or Fiat 500.

What engine is in a Citroen 2CV?

Originally, 2CVs came with an air-cooled, 375cc, two-cylinder engine thumping out a whole 9bhp. But that was enough for a 40mph top speed, proving adequate for the design specification. Later, upgrades to the flat twin provided 14bhp and then a heady 16 in the early 1960s, eventually reaching a peak of 33bhp from a monster 602cc motor in the ‘70s. Suffice to say, the 2CV was never exactly fast. But that kind of misses the point - rowing a 2CV along at maximum velocity requires a very specialised set of skills, ones you only really acquire by driving 2CVs more than is healthy. As a side note, there was also a factory 4x4 variant of the 2CV called the ‘Sahara’ that had not one engine but two. In fact, it had two of everything, from fuel tanks to gearboxes (and a connecting rod between the latter pair).

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How fast is the citroen 2cv.

It’s not. But then it was never designed to be. There’s an old joke - later adapted to whatever car was most rubbish at the time - that it managed zero to 60mph in ‘about a day’. The original would get to its top speed of 40mph in about 42-43 seconds, and the latest and fastest versions only managed to bust the UK legal limit by 1mph even in the early 1980s. There were some who dropped in the flat-four from the larger GS for a double-up on the power though - including James Bond in ‘For Your Eyes Only’, though the ‘007’ special edition came with fake bullet holes instead of the more powerful hardware.

Tell me about the Citroen 2CV's tech

Weirdly for such a simple car - as is the way with creative design - the 2CV actually has plenty of interesting engineering. The ladder chassis is normal for the era, but the frame is a bit like an old aeroplane, and made of tubing with the thin steel body bolted on top. The suspension is equally simple-but-clever, and linked fore and aft. Essentially it’s self-levelling, and when under load during a corner, the kinematics effectively lengthen the wheelbase on one side of the car. It gets squashed into being able to corner with surprising vigour while being almost ridiculousy soft - and allowing that whole egg transportation issue to be covered. The company also inadvertently created a legend - because of the narrowness of the front tyres and long-travel suspension, it’s pretty much impossible to roll a 2CV. You’ll understeer into everything.. but never roll.

How much is the 2CV?

That would depend on how collectible it is. A late-ish restoration project can be had for a grand or so, but decent, driveable 2CVs are more like six or seven. And once you’re into Sahara territory, several thousand more.

Tell me something interesting about the Citroen 2CV

It seriously annoyed the Nazis. Citroen design chief Pierre-Jules Boulanger was so insistent that the German army didn’t get their hands on his prototypes for military purposes in the last part of the ‘30s that he walled them up into buildings, hid them in haylofts and generally made himself a nuisance. He even played shell games with transport trains when the Nazis tried to steal Citroen’s tooling, sending the relevant transport units in random directions across Europe. In fact, he was so annoying to the Nazis that he was officially labelled an ‘enemy of the Reich’. Pretty cool when you think about it.

Pictured: 2CV pre-war prototype

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Citroen 2CV: A Classic Exercise in Profound Minimalism

It’s hard to think of another car that offers such a distinct driving experience, which I think has a lot to do with why the 2CV has become canonized as an automotive icon.

By Andrew Connor

10 original photos

On October 8th, 1948, the Citroën 2CV debuted at the Paris Motor Show to an unimpressed crowd. One American purportedly remarked upon its reveal, “Does it come with a can-opener?” Meanwhile, a correspondent for Autocar called it “the work of a designer who has kissed the lash of austerity with almost masochistic fervor.” Despite the kneejerk criticism, though, the 2CV was a hit with the buying public and remained in production for over 40 years. Today it is as synonymous with France as a Breton shirt, the Eiffel tower, a smoky corner cafe or a flaky croissant.

Of course, austerity was pretty much the entire point of the 2CV, and to fully understand why, you’d have to go back to the very beginning of its development: 1936, a time when the rural dwelling French still relied on horse-drawn carriages, and even the humblest cars were priced out of reach. Wanting to create a true car of the people, Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger challenged his team to create an “umbrella on wheels” of sorts, a minimalist car that was cheap to buy and so stupidly simple it could be easily repaired and maintained, even on a shoestring budget.

His design brief went something like this: The car should carry four people, and 50 kilos of potatoes (or a keg of beer, depending on who you ask) at 60 kph while consuming three liters of fuel for every 100 kilometers. Similarly, it should be able to traverse rugged terrains and drive through a freshly-plowed field without cracking a basket of eggs. Looks were more or less irrelevant.

The product of this brief was the TPV ( Toute Petite Voiture , or “Very Small Car”), a rudimentary, aluminum-bodied car with hammock-like seats that hung from the interior ceiling. The TPV was set to debut at the 1939 Paris Auto show, but once France had declared war Germany, the project was scrapped. All working prototypes of the TPV were either dismantled, buried or hidden away. Boulanger didn’t want to see his creation seized and become a part of the Nazi war machine.

After the war, France was in much worse position to mobilize its people, and just about 100,000 of France’s two million pre-war cars in France were left. What’s more, the government instituted a “Plan Pons” to regulate car production with scarce materials which, in short, limited Citroën to only producing the more upscale Traction Avant. It wasn’t until the government disbanded this plan that the 2CV could come back to fulfill its original vision, though revised with a redesigned steel body (aluminum was too expensive at this point), steel-tubed seats with rubber support (instead of roof-mounted hammocks) and a 375cc air-cooled flat-twin engine producing nine horsepower and achieving a top speed of around 35 miles per hour.

Basic though it was, the car resonated with a recovering Europe and eventually went on to be a success in export markets like South America, Africa and Asia. All in all, nearly 9 million 2CVs were built, and production lasted until 1990. Though the 2CV was bound to change somewhat with the times — more “luxurious” features and larger engines would eventually enter the mix — the car stayed true to its humble roots.

That much is obvious when driving one of the 2CV’s later iterations. In my case a mid-’80s “Club” model. Step in, and you can tell that there are a few small upgrades made throughout, including a more ergonomic steering wheel, better interior trim pieces and, most notably, a finer plaid upholstery with the look and texture of a Penfield flannel.

That said, even with these improvements, the car is still an exercise in profound minimalism as it was on the original. The body panels are crêpe-like thin, so much so that the hood flexes upon opening. Air conditioning is reduced to two small, vents above the dash that channel oncoming headwinds into the cabin aimed at your face and upper torso. The seats can be removed and used to have a roadside picnic, if you like. The windows open by flipping upward and out, and the vinyl roof manually peels all the way back, the like top on a tin of sardines, to expose the interior to the kiss of the sun on a warm summer day.

But the most notable addition to this later 2CV is the engine, the 602cc flat-twin that became the standard on late model 2CVs making around 30 horsepower which bestowed it with the ability to (barely) hit modern highway speeds, though I’m not entirely sure how badly I wanted to test that out. My time in the 2CV was mostly concerned with around-town driving, and even then the sensation of speed was amplified well beyond the reality shown on the speedometer.

The best analog I can think of is an old two-stroke moped. You really need to push and rev to eke out every smidge of power, and with that come vibrations and noise that combined with its light weight make the whole experience feel weirdly visceral despite how slow you’re going. Amplifying that is the four-speed manual which is unlike anything you’re likely to experience in another car. The 2CV has a standard(ish) H-pattern with a dogleg layout (which means first gear is down and to the left) but rather than pushing a lever forward and back, you’re pushing the shifter in and out of the dash while twisting it.

It goes something like this: Twist the lever to the left so it’s angled towards you, then pull out to go into first. Then, push it back inward while twisting it to the right (so the knob is standing straight up) to go into second. Pull it straight back to go into third. Then, twist the shifter to the right (so the knob is angled away from you) while pushing back inward to put it into fourth. Make sense? No? I’m sorry.

But whatever. It takes about thirty seconds after ham-fistedly trying it in person to make sense, and the shifting action (at least in this lovingly cared for example) is crisp, intuitive and satisfying. That, combined with the fact that you have to drive the car at ten-tenths all the time (remember: moped) yields a decidedly raw driving experience. What’s more, that soft, long-travel suspension — the one designed to save a basket of eggs from Humpty Dumpty-esque fate — provides both a smooth ride and a… unique cornering experience. This thing leans . You haven’t truly experienced body roll until you’ve driven a 2CV, yet the car has proven nigh impossible to topple , even during hard driving.

It’s hard to think of another car that offers such a distinct driving experience, which I think has a lot to do with why the 2CV has become canonized as an automotive icon. Yes, we tend to measure cars regarding their overall performance and their backstory, but these are figures and yarns that are more often than not regurgitated, telephone-style , by the enthusiast community. But our most distinguished automotive memories, more than anything, are characterized by the tactile experiences we have in a car and the personal stories we share.

Consider this: the owner of this 2CV, whom hails from the Netherlands, acquired it because she had one in her family growing up. She and her sister would drive it from Amsterdam to the South of France in the summertime. Just imagine that, more than 700 miles — one way — through the French countryside, the top rolled down and sun beaming, the thrum of a flat-twin engine reverberating throughout the tin-like cabin, with the car vigorously leaning into every corner.

Her story is just one of, literally, millions — and there really are millions because of the 2CV’s initial raison d’etre as a simple, affordable car for the people. Today we have much more modern, safer and better-appointed cars to fulfill that mission. And that’s fine. Because today, I could imagine owning a 2CV as fun, daily runabout, driving it to the store to buy brie cheese and a baguette, inspiring smiles both from drivers and pedestrian along the way. The car still lives on, a sublime little umbrella on wheels, still creating stories.

Viva la 2CV .

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Seeing the Mountains of France Through a Citroën’s Clouded, Classic Windshield

The Citroën 2CV seemed like the perfect car for a road trip through the Cévennes region. And in its own slow, cranky way, it was.

A traditional mas, or farmstead, that’s been converted into a homestay, near the village of Génolhac, in the foothills of Mont Lozère, the tallest mountain in the Cévennes. Credit... Gabrielle Voinot for The New York Times

Supported by

By David McAninch

• July 15, 2019

In 1878, on something of a whim, the novelist and travel writer Robert Louis Stevenson crossed southern France’s Cévennes mountains, one of the wildest and most sparsely populated parts of the country, in the company of a slow-moving donkey named Modestine. In May, also on something of a whim, my wife and I crossed the Cévennes mountains, still one of the wildest and most sparsely populated parts of the country, in the company of a slow-moving automobile called a Citroën 2CV.

Stevenson described Modestine as recalcitrant and moody, as well as “cheap and small and hardy, and of a stolid and peaceful temper.” This also happens to be a pretty accurate description of our car, which was mint green, shaped like an umbrella and equipped with flip-up windows, tube-frame bench seats, a canvas sunroof canopy, a squeaky single-spoke steering wheel, and stalk-mounted headlights that reminded me of the eyes of an overeager dog. The car’s noisy two-cylinder engine could, with a tailwind, comfortably achieve a top speed of around 60 miles an hour on the open highway.

As it happens, there are no open highways in the Cévennes, and really not many more roads than there were in Stevenson’s day. Which I suppose is to be expected in a stupefyingly stark and lush landscape rived by deep river gorges and narrow valleys butting up against 5,000-foot granite mountains and wind-scoured limestone plateaus. The fact that all of these striking natural features, each worthy of its own coffee table book, are packed cheek-by-jowl inside a single 360-square-mile national park just a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Lyon convinced me that the Cévennes — an area I’d scarcely heard of until recently, despite years of traveling in France and the fact that it’s a Unesco World Heritage Site — would be an inspired choice for a weeklong road trip with my wife, Michele.

And, I thought, why not do it in a Deux Chevaux — as the model is universally known — the beloved “people’s car” of postwar France, a vehicle famously referred to by the British automotive journalist L.J.K. Setright as “the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car.” A road trip in a vintage 2CV would be the fulfillment of a long-held dream of mine, and thus when I found out you could rent one on Drivy.com — basically an Airbnb for cars — my plan was hatched. I clicked around and located an owner in Lyon who’d rent me his fully rehabbed 1976 2CV-6 Club for $70 a day, including supplemental insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance.

Shortly after our arrival in Lyon, Michele and I met the owner, a soft-spoken retiree, at his house, signed some papers in his cluttered den, took a five-minute test-drive and were off. Before we pulled away, he solemnly handed me a binder of laminated laser-printed pages that he referred to as the “Bible” — a hefty list of dos and don’ts for operating the vehicle — and then bade us bonne route.

As is the case with many plans based more on a dream than, well, planning, mine was sorely tested on the first day of our five-day journey. Some of our inconveniences, to be fair, were not my fault. For one thing, it rained the entire day — not just drizzled, but “rained ropes,” to borrow the French idiom — causing full-on rivers to form across dips in the roadway, since all that water had nowhere else to go after sluicing across the impermeable granite, limestone and schist rising invisibly in the mist around us.

What’s more, our car’s wipers had just one speed — let’s call it medium-slow — which made visibility an on-and-off affair, as did the absence of a defogger, a circumstance the car’s Bible failed to mention and which required Michele to wipe the windshield repeatedly with a Kleenex to keep my view of the roadway clear. This would have been stressful enough, but I must also note that even the most detailed maps of the Cévennes fail to give an adequate idea of just how challenging it is to drive through this ancient massif. Our route was a more or less relentless succession of blind curves, preposterously steep switchbacks and single-lane bridges over water-carved chasms — all of it beautiful to behold, I had no doubt, if we’d been able to see anything.

But the moment that really exposed the creaky foundations of my grand plan occurred just as night was falling. I’d eased the car onto a muddy pullout and killed the engine so that I could rest for a minute — my arms ached from wrestling with the manual steering and the balky L-shaped gearstick — and so that we could study the map to find the best route back to our hotel, a charming if slightly gone-to-seed establishment outside the village of Anduze.

Now, as any horror-movie screenwriter will attest, was the moment to write in the rasp of a car failing to start. When our 2CV’s engine refused to turn over after repeated turns of the key, I instinctively got out my phone to call Drivy’s roadside assistance number, but couldn’t get a signal. I bit my lower lip and looked at Michele, as if she might somehow have a suggestion for getting us out of this unpleasant situation, but she was simply looking back at me with the same lip-biting expression.

And so I did what one does in times of need: I consulted the Bible. A distinct smell of gasoline suggested I’d flooded the engine — “drowned,” in the more blame-y French locution — and apparently we merely had to let the car rest “a short while.” Michele and I debated the meaning of that phrase, then decided to wait 10 minutes, during which we sat without saying much, listening to rain drum on the car’s canopy. Finally, I took a deep breath and turned the key. The engine coughed to life. We had heeded the Bible’s words and, lo, its prophecy had come to pass.

Pushing the limits

The next morning brought dry weather and a stiff wind that herded the clouds across the sky so fast I felt like I was watching a sped-up film. The landscape that had emerged from last night’s frightful darkness was every bit as beautiful as I’d imagined: terraced foothills backed by craggy, sun-dappled mountains, with residual pockets of mist nestling in between, wisps of it being teased away by eddying currents of air.

If the sight of this didn’t fully redeem my decision to take a road trip in a superannuated automobile across the Cévennes’ forbidding topography, it at least put Michele and me in a bright enough mood that we could chuckle over breakfast at the half dozen French tourists so laden with expensive-looking trekking gear as to give the impression they’d stepped out of a Patagonia ad. They were likely hiking the Chemin de Stevenson, a popular 170-mile trail that retraces the footsteps of the Scotsman and his donkey.

Maybe it was because I’d taken to reading the chronicle of Stevenson’s journey — which he rather prosaically titled “Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes” — before bed, but increasingly I found myself thinking of our temperamental 2CV as an animate being. Reflexively, I’d check on it as soon as I got up, peeking out at the hotel parking lot to make sure our mint-green friend had not suffered some ill fate during the night. And each morning before getting back on the road, I’d pat the dashboard with a mixture of relief and something akin to love when the engine commenced its reassuring rattle.

In fact, as we got to know our car’s quirks and peccadilloes, the parallels between it and Modestine began to seem somehow foreordained. Stevenson devoted many pages to his struggles to goad his “she-ass,” using the parlance of the day, to walk faster. “God forbid, thought I, that I should brutalise this innocent creature; let her go at her own pace, and let me patiently follow,” he wrote. Eventually, though, he resorted to whipping the animal, only to be wracked with guilt afterward.

ROBERT LOUIS

Sainte-Enimie

Causse MéjEan

des cÉvennes

Over the next several days of driving over and through the Cévennes’ ravines, mountain passes, and tablelands — known here as causses — I similarly feared I was pushing our beast of burden beyond its operational limits. The Citroën struggled noisily during steep climbs and descents, invariably acquiring a tail of impatient drivers unable to pass us on the twisting, narrow roads. Occasionally it produced burning smells and grinding sounds whose source I couldn’t pinpoint. Clutch? Brakes? Motor? And yet our ride did not fail us, delivering us safely to our destination each night.

What’s more, the car provided us with moments of joy and conviviality that we’d never have experienced in, say, a BMW. For one thing, the 2CV is a natural conversation starter. On our second day, while driving the Corniche des Cévennes — a jaw-dropping 34-mile ridgeline route that was used by the troops of Louis XIV to suppress the bloody protestant revolt known as the War of the Camisards (by far the most famous thing that’s ever happened in the Cévennes) — we pulled over to snap a few photos and were approached by a gray-haired fellow in a fleece jacket.

As we stood at the cliff’s edge, buffeted by ferocious winds, he explained that he’d been an engineer for Citroën, and he held forth for some time on the various features of our particular model. Then he congratulated us on the timing of our trip, pointing out that 2019 is the centenary of the company. When I asked him about the car’s suspicious smells and noises, he gave a Gallic shrug and said, “I wouldn’t worry about them.” As he sped off, I couldn’t help but notice he was driving a Peugeot.

We had similar encounters throughout our journey. In the remote and ancient mountain hamlet of Montbrun, access to which required one of the more gorgeous if harrowing thread-the-needle drives of the journey, we struck up a conversation with a trio of middle-aged French travelers. One of them reminisced at length about her childhood family excursions in a 2CV, during which her parents would remove the bench seats and use them for picnics — a scene evoked in old print advertisements for the car. Occasionally we exchanged honks with other Deux Chevaux going in the opposite direction. One of them, uncannily, was a 2CV-6 Club of the same pale green hue as ours. Michele and I grinned and waved maniacally as it cruised by. The occupants of the other car were doing the same.

Best Laid Plans

The last leg of our journey took us across the beautifully bleak uplands of the Causse Méjean and into the Gorges du Tarn. This spectacular, cave-pocked river canyon is edged by a sinuous route hemmed in by soaring walls of karst on one side and a low stone parapet on the other. It’s a favorite of French motorcyclists, who roared past us in great numbers — most of them decked out, like the hikers, in a fortune’s worth of fancy gear — as we approached Sainte Enimie, the riverside village where we’d spend our final night.

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Over a midday meal of grilled lamb at an auberge in the center of town, Michele and I made a decision: We’d give the 2CV the rest of the day off. We’d already demanded so much of it, and we didn’t want to push our luck. And so Michele and I drank wine freely with lunch and loosened our limbs by strolling alongside the gin-clear waters of the Tarn and then into the leafy heights above the village, pausing to admire the abundant wildflowers and other delicate things of the kind that you tend to miss when traveling by car, even one as slow-moving as a Deux Chevaux. We planned to get up the next morning and drive to Lyon, reunite car and owner, and then catch the fast train to Paris for our flight home.

We arose at dawn, and the owner of our hotel, a jocular man in his early 60s named Monsieur Lopez, helped us load our bags.

When the car failed to start, Michele and I were annoyed but not unduly concerned — giving the motor a 10-minute rest wasn’t going to dent our schedule fatally. When 10 minutes elapsed and the engine still wouldn’t turn over, Michele and I did our worried lip-biting thing. When I failed to reach the car’s owner at this early hour on a Sunday and was told by Drivy’s roadside assistance operator that they would try to locate the nearest garage and get back to me, Monsieur Lopez laughed, assuring me that we would have a long wait indeed, a full day at least, as every mechanic for miles around was asleep or getting ready for church. When a passer-by offered to push the car so we could pop the clutch, we made the discovery that this particular run of 2CVs had a centrifugal model that could not be engaged to revive a dead motor. And when, finally, this same stranger had no success trying to jump-start our engine using his own vintage automobile — a cherry red Renault 4 that, I have to say, looked really handsome next to our Citroën — I came to an unpalatable conclusion: We’d have to abandon the 2CV and very hastily revise our plans.

One cadged lift, a four-hour bus journey, and an interminably slow intercity train ride later, Michele and I were seated across from each other at a bistro in Paris’s 10th arrondissement making quick work of a carafe of Morgon. We’d managed to get a partial refund on our Lyon-to-Paris train tickets, and I’d finally reached the 2CV’s owner, who apologized for our troubles and told us not to worry; he would arrange to retrieve the car with a friend later that week. (Later, I learned that the culprit was an overheated ignition coil — “a classic problem” the car’s owner told me. )

Michele expressed relief when I told her the 2CV would soon be safely back in Lyon. “I just felt so bad leaving it there,” she said, her voice pinched with emotion. She could easily have been talking about a child or a beloved pet.

Stevenson evinced a similar sentimentality after he sold Modestine at the end of his walk and boarded a coach to begin his journey home. “It was not until I was fairly seated by the driver … that I became aware of my bereavement,” he wrote. “I had lost Modestine. Up to that moment I had thought I hated her; but now she was gone.”

David McAninch is the author of “Duck Season: Eating, Drinking and Other Misadventures in Gascony, France’s Last Best Place.”

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Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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