Looking at these structures, Canadian photographer Christopher Herwig realized how incorrect Western clichés about Soviet people are, writes the British publication.
Soviet architects created "absolutely fantastic" buildings, while in the West, bus stops have always been the most modest and unremarkable type of structure, The Guardian writes.
Like follies (or whims—small buildings usually constructed for palace and park ensembles—editor's note) in 18th century England, the unusual Soviet bus stops were experiments for something more grand. For local sculptors, architects, and builders, they were an opportunity to showcase their creative potential, the article states.
The entire uniqueness of the bus stops was captured by Canadian photographer Christopher Herwig during his travels across the territory of the former Soviet Union. Pyramids and arches, domes and portals, as well as incredible combinations of various structural details—all of this can be seen when examining these structures. The creators of the bus stops paid attention to all architectural styles, were not afraid of aesthetic whims, and everything was limited only by the architects' imagination and the materials available to them, the publication writes.
The first stops that caught Christopher Herwig's attention were in Lithuania. They resembled dollhouses—open-front concrete boxes painted in pastel colors. However, as the photographer traveled further, the structures became more whimsical. The stops in Kazakhstan he described as "completely crazy," the article states.
In Kyrgyzstan, a bus stop in the shape of the national headwear ak-kalpak looks like a crown or a resemblance of local yurts. The bus stops vary greatly—those in Ukraine are decorated with reliefs, in Moldova they are adorned with mosaics, and in the forests of Estonia, handmade wooden stops closely resemble triangular houses, notes the publication.
"It seemed that each had a unique personality. This made me realize that behind the 'Iron Curtain' and the clichés about the Soviet Union that we were raised on in the West, there were millions of people here (in the USSR—editor's note) who dreamed and pushed the boundaries of creativity," The Guardian quotes Christopher Herwig's opinion.
Some of the most unusual stops are located in Abkhazia, near Pitsunda on the Black Sea coast, where the dacha of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was situated, the publication writes.
Source: Sputnik Kyrgyzstan