Exhibition dedicated to 70th anniversary of St. Petersburg Metro opened at Presidential Library

On October 20, 2025, the Presidential Library hosted the grand opening of an exhibition dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Metro, the largest transport enterprise in Russia's northern capital.

The event was attended by Evgeny Kozin, head of the St. Petersburg Metro, and Yuri Nosov, director general of the Presidential Library.

As part of the grand opening of the exhibition, a cooperation agreement was signed between the St. Petersburg Metro and the Presidential Library.

As noted by Yuri Nosov, Director General of the Presidential Library: "The collaboration will focus on promoting historical and cultural heritage and historical education. In the anniversary year of the St. Petersburg Metro, we have created a new collection on the portal entitled 'The Russian Metro: History and Modernity', dedicated to the main stages of the formation and development of the metro in Russia. A separate section of the collection is devoted to St. Petersburg. The documents and materials in the collection can be viewed from anywhere in the world."

The exhibition "St. Petersburg Metro: 70 Years Old" tells the story of the creation and development of the metro, whose construction began in 1941. At that time, the first shafts and access tunnels were laid, and tunnel boring began.

With the outbreak of World War II, work was suspended. The Leningrad Metro opened its doors on November 15, 1955. The first metro line, only 11 kilometers long, consisted of eight stations – from Avtovo to Ploshchad Vosstaniya. The exhibition features documents, biographies, and personal belongings of the first managers and employees of the metro. A special place in the exhibition is given to the story of the "underground palaces" of the Leningrad Metro with their unique architectural and artistic ensembles of metro stations, which harmoniously fit into the historical image of the city on the Neva.

Of particular interest are the collectible tokens that the St. Petersburg Metro has been issuing since 2005.

The exhibits tell about the technical and architectural features of the stations, the rolling stock, and those who work in the metro—like-minded professionals united by a common idea.

The exhibition will run until January 15, 2026.

The exhibition can be visited as part of tours of the Presidential Library.

Information on visiting the Presidential Library, organizing tours of the building and exhibitions of the institution is available on the library's portal in the "Tours" section at: https://www.prlib.ru/about_excursion, email address: excursion@prlib.ru.