Albanian Lapidar Survey

Lushnje Martyrs' Cemetery

Lushnje Martyrs’ Cemetery

More on Albania …..

Albanian Lapidar Survey

The three volumes produced by the Albanian Lapidar Survey are the result of the work of researcher Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei, photographer Marco Mazzi and assistant photographer Xheni Alushi who spent 50 days in June and July 2014 to quantify the monuments of Albania’s Socialist past. More information on the project can be found on the Department of Eagles website.

Volume I contains articles related to the lapidars (the generic name given to the variety of monuments, statues and mosaics) produced and inaugurated between 1944 and 1990, both historical and contemporary. Perhaps more importantly it also contains a list 659 lapidars from all over the country. This list includes the location (city, town or village); the latitude and longitude; altitude; inscriptions; and other data (such as date of inauguration, sculptor/architect, etc.).

Although comprehensive the list is being added to as more information becomes available and updates are regularly placed on the ALS blog.

Volumes 2 and 3 contain (normally) a couple of the images of each lapidar captured during the survey.

This is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in these unique works of art and it is hoped that the greater exposure to the wider world will ensure their long-term preservation.

Description and photos of the Lapidars (Monuments), statues, bas reliefs and mosaics

Sculptors and Architects of Albanian Lapidars

Volume 1

Volume 1

 

 

Containing the most comprehensive list of Albanian lapidars available to date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volume 2 contains pictures of those lapidars from (around about) Berat to the north of the country. Due to size they are presented here in two parts.

Volume 2

Volume 2

Volume 2

Volume 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volume 3 consists of those lapidars south of the line through Berat to the border with Greece. This is also in two parts.

Volume 3

Volume 3

Volume 3

Volume 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos and a description of the lapidars, as well as other examples of public Socialist Realist art, staues, bas reliefs, mosaics, etc. can be found here.

More on Albania …..

Moscow Metro – Baumanskaya – Line 3

Lenin in Baumanskaya Metro Station

Lenin in Baumanskaya Metro Station

More on the USSR

Moscow Metro – a Socialist Realist Art Gallery

Moscow Metro – Baumanskaya – Line 3

Female Miner

Female Miner

Baumanskaya (Бауманская) is a station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line of the Moscow Metro, named after the revolutionary Nikolai Bauman. It was designed by Boris Iofan and Yury Zenkevich and opened in 1944. The Art Deco design features white marble pylons with rounded corners, projecting, fluted piers faced with red ceramic tile, and decorative ventilation grilles. In the bays between each set of piers are bronze sculptures by V.A. Andreev depicting Russian soldiers and workers of the home front during World War II. At the end of the platform is a mosaic portrait of Vladimir Lenin. This station is very busy, as one of the biggest Moscow institutes (Moscow State Technical University) is located not far away.

Partisan in snow camouflage

Partisan in snow camouflage

Baumanskaya is the second busiest station in Moscow Metro. The facts:

    • There are at least 3 major universities near the station: Bauman Moscow State Technical University main and secondary buildings Moscow State University of Civil Engineering and Moscow State Academy of Law.
  • Army Officer

    Army Officer

    • Specific configuration of central hall like garmon (Russian accordion) before the escalator, where some passengers try to short jump queue.
  • Bricklayer

    Bricklayer

    • Most passengers prefer Baumanskaya to other station if they would get to the area which is at half-way between Baumanskaya and another station even if causes additional transfer or even best accessible by ground transport.
  • Female Partisan

    Female Partisan

    • The escalators here were the oldest working in Moscow Metro and the entire world. Their replacement began on 8 February 2015 and was completed on 24 December 2015.
Intellectual

Intellectual

A cryptic inscription is on the wall of station. It is situated near the first car stop towards the Shchyolkovskaya station just under the last ventilation lattice. The inscription is deeply carved in marble on about 120 centimetres (47in) above the floor, is about 8 centimetres (3.1in) in length and 1.5 centimetres (0.59in) in height. It consists of two dates, divided by hyphen:

19 14/XI 46 – 19 15/XII 54

These dates translate to 14 November 1946 – 15 December 1954. The way of writing is very similar to the way dates are written on gravestones. The origin of that artefact is unknown. [I missed this on my visit.]

Soldier with Red Flag

Soldier with Red Flag

Text from Wikipedia.

Airman

Airman

Location:

GPS:

55.7730°N

37.6806°E

Depth:

32.5 metres (107 ft)

Opened:

18 January 1944

More on the USSR

Moscow Metro – a Socialist Realist Art Gallery

Moscow Metro – Aeroport – Line 2

Moscow Metro - Aeroport - platform

Moscow Metro – Aeroport – platform

More on the USSR

Moscow Metro – a Socialist Realist Art Gallery

Moscow Metro – Aeroport – Line 2

Aeroport (Аэропо́рт) is a Moscow Metro station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line. Its name, literally meaning airport, owes to the nearby Khodynka Aerodrome, Moscow’s first airport, no longer in operation. Now, there is a bus terminal (Goraerovokzal, Гораэровокзал) which has regular service to Moscow’s principal airports. Opened as part of the second stage in 1938, the station features a single-vault design. It was built using a cut-and cover method. Concrete segments of the vault were pre-cast and then lowered into the station.

Aeroport - 01

Aeroport – 01

Architects B. Vilensky and V. Yershov applied the aviation theme to this big open station, in what is seen as some of the best examples of Soviet Art Deco architecture. The most noticeable design feature is the network of intersecting ribs that fan out across the vaulted ceiling. These ribs originate from fan-shaped limestone panels spaced at regular intervals along the walls, which are red marble with shell-shaped brown marble insets. The floor is reveted with grey granite. Lighting comes from pyramidal objects which house luminescent lamps, although originally the station had chandeliers with normal tungsten bulbs.

The vestibule to the station is located on the north side of Leningradsky Avenue near the Viktorenko Street, and receives a daily passenger traffic of 59,800.

Aeroport - 02

Aeroport – 02

Architecture and design

In the station’s design, the architects tried to express the theme of Soviet aviation. The desire to convey the volume of the platform hall led to the choice of a single-vault station design, so the vault was built of monolithic reinforced concrete according to a special design. ‘Aeroport’ was the first single-vaulted station of the Moscow Metro built by the open method.

Long narrow relief strips reminiscent of parachute slings pass through the station vault. They intersect with each other and give an additional feeling of space and lightness.

Aeroport - 05

Aeroport – 05

The lower part of the track walls is finished in black diabase. Above this is relief fan-shaped inserts lined with marble-like limestone and purple marble. The harmonious combination of materials of different colours and textures gives the track wall a particular decorative expressiveness.

Above the track walls, there are diamond-shaped cast-iron ventilation grilles. They are inscribed in the intersections of the ‘parachute slings’. On the ceiling is a row of conical chandeliers for fluorescent lamps, giving evenly diffused light. The chandeliers originally consisted of semi-circular lamps fixed around a single spherical сeiling. However, they gave too little light and were, therefore, replaced.

The floor of the station is lined with grey granite. Originally, the platform was covered with asphalt, and a patterned walkway, made of marble, ran along its centre. There are five double-sided wooden benches in the centre of the station. Above their backs, there are information boards and signs.

Aeroport - 03

Aeroport – 03

The ends of the station hall are connected to the two vestibules by wide staircases passing through arches decorated with decorative metal grilles. Each vestibule has a rectangular shape. The upper part stands out with a circle on the ceiling which is supported by four onyx columns with many faces. The ceiling has an intricate stucco pattern. The walls of the ante-rooms are lined with dark yellow marble limestone; the pilasters are of black marble.

Aeroport - 04

Aeroport – 04

The vestibules are communicated by staircases with two lobbies facing Leningradsky Avenue. They are built into two residential buildings, built-in 1938 (in 1954 the buildings were connected).

Text from Wikipedia.

Location:

GPS:

55.8003°N

37.5329°E

Opened:

11 September 1938

Depth:

8.6 metres (28ft)

More on the USSR

Moscow Metro – a Socialist Realist Art Gallery