Soviet Bus Stops Hardcover – September 29, 2015

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.

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.

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.

I'm big on this style of architecture - the old Soviet brutalism from the Cold War era. These are so fascinating - the root of brutalism exists, but the artistry and specialized/regional designs on each of these really give them all personality and elevate them above the simple blocky brutalist style, into their own unique style. This is literally on my coffee table, and I enjoy sharing these images and discussing them with visitors!

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?

I've had my eye on this book for a while and I'm glad I finally bought it. It's smaller than I would have imagined, but it's the perfect size for a guest to pick up and flip through at a house party. The foreword and author's introductions are interesting, but I wish there was a bit more text to go along with each image.

I absolutely love this book. I keep it on my coffee table and it's fun to observe people's reactions when they notice it - "is that a book about... bus stops?"However, everyone that picks it up gets more and more interested as they flip through the pages. Some of the bus stops in the book are pretty amazing, and it's inspiring to think about how much time and artistic detail was invested into building them.I can't recommend this book enough. My guests and I sure get a kick out of it, and you probably will too!

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!