Soviet Bus Stops

I bought this book out of curiosity and I'm glad I did. The photos in 'Soviet Bus Stops' are all incredibly shot, and make for a fascinating look into a field of architecture that seems to go overlooked.

I stumbled on this by accident. But what a delight! The structures themselves are fascinating and, in many cases, beautiful. It's a glimpse into the aesthetics of dozens of cultures, and evidence of how the Soviet system could not crush creativity. The backdrops, meanhwhile, provide an express tour of the Soviet Union. What a wonderful, quirky, beautiful book!

Christopher Herwig has produced an amazing photographic journal of an utterly unique Soviet architectural art form, the bus stop. To get these photographs Herwig traveled to 14 countries including difficult to access Moldova, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan (not to mention his treks across Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and Estonia among others). Herwig's text and the introduction by Jonathan Meades are illuminating and the essay "The Bus Pavilion: A Minor Architectural Form" by Vera Kavalkova-Halvarsson is especially insightful and explains how in a sea of ugly Brutalist architecture (particularly under Khrushchev and Brezhnev) big budget construction was tightly regulated, but smaller inexpensive projects like bus stops were not considered terribly significant and flew under the radar of the bureaucrats allowing an astonishing array of creativity from mostly young designers and architects with considerable help from local communities. I am genuinely astonished at the creativity on display here, and Herwig's photography is more than up to the challenge. The contrast between the diverse bus stops (many of which are now unserved and abandoned) and their settings are frequently amazing and definitely helped me have a more considered appreciation of this unusual architectural form as a mode of artistic expression. My favorites in the book were concentrated in Kazakhstan (particularly the unusual installation in Astana) and Lithuania, although for sheer diversity of design and astonishing concepts, the bus stops of Abkhazia (especially in Pitsunda and Gudauta) are unbeatable. From both a photographic and architectural viewpoint, Herwig has created a truly unique gem with "Soviet Bus Stops" and I recommend it highly.

This book is magnificent. Apparently Soviet architects were allowed a lot of individuality in designing bus stops, meaning that this is an eclectic collection reflecting local building materials, regional styles and cultures, and the features of life in the different areas. This includes bus stops from most of the Soviet Republics (from what I can tell, only Azerbaijan and Russia itself are not included). It is really amazing to see just how many designs people came up with.

Marvelous book. Nicely bound and printed, and of course the photography is quite striking. Makes a great gift for any fan of Soviet architecture or history. I do wish some of the photos were accompanied by more detailed information, but it is what it is.

I purchased this book for my boyfriend as a gift. The book is small, which is actually quite nice- it's compact but not lacking in substance. It's made well and the pictures are beautiful. The printing is nice, and I really like the red binding. Very sturdy.

This IS the coffee table book. It’s an intriguing look into the eclectic genius of tiny Ukrainian villages and throughout Russia. The backstory the authors offered was delightful. The story about the stipend offered to the villages that allowed for these bus stops... the amazing mosaics that emerged! It was inspiring. Communism, who would have thunk it?

This is a great photo book. Definitely recommended for any Soviet history nerds. It's worth pointing out that there are no pictures of Russia, but every other Soviet satellite state is included. Served as the catalyst for an upcoming journey in the region. Unfortunately my copy came with a bent front cover and a little spot scratched off, which is a little disappointing given the price of the relatively small/short book, but that is a criticism of the seller and not the content.