Warsaw Station

According to its date of construction, St. Petersburg’s Warsaw Station is the city’s third-oldest railway station, after Vitebsky and Moskovsky stations. Construction began in 1851 and was completed in 1860. The station was originally built to connect St. Petersburg with the tsar’s residence in the settlement of Gatchina. The line was later extended, and trains from Warsaw Station initially ran to Pskov and later to Dvinsk. From 1862, trains ran directly from the station to Warsaw, then the line’s terminus in Poland. From there, connections continued to major European cities such as Berlin, Paris and Vienna.

Built in the Renaissance style, the Warsaw Station building is an architectural landmark not only of St. Petersburg but of all Russia. Nevertheless, time has taken its toll, and many of its unique architectural features have been destroyed—for example, the old platform hall, which was demolished during the installation of overhead electrical lines in the early 1960s.

The future of Warsaw Station in St. Petersburg is uncertain. City authorities are considering demolishing it. Cultural institutions in the city, however, are especially keen to preserve the station building and establish a contemporary art center there. The idea is inspired by similar projects that have transformed former industrial sites in other major cities. A comparable initiative, for example, saved London’s docks and Helsinki’s harbor facilities from demolition.

In May 2001, Warsaw Station was closed for reconstruction. Most of the trains that had operated from Warsaw Station were transferred to Vitebsky Station.
Exhibitions organized by the St. Petersburg Railway Museum are held on the currently unused tracks of Warsaw Station.