Soviet Bus Stops

An Exhibition by Photographer Christopher Herwig

IERES, George Washington University, Suite 412

From March 16 to June 12, 2015

From the shores of the Black Sea to the endless Kazakh steppe, the diverse architecture of Soviet bus stops demonstrates the range of public art from the Soviet era and gives a rare glimpse into the creative minds of the time.

Photographer Christopher Herwig has been hunting bus stops in remote corners of the former Soviet Union since he stumbled upon them while biking from London to St. Petersburg in 2002. He has covered more than 30,000 km by car, bus and taxi in 13 countries discovering and documenting these strange works of art created behind the Iron Curtain.

Herwig’s series attracted considerable media interest around the world, and now, with the project complete, the full collection is presented in Soviet Bus Stops, a limited edition, hardcover photo book. The book represents the most comprehensive and diverse collection of Soviet bus stop designs ever assembled. 

With 20 years of experience in over 90 countries, Christopher Herwig is a Canadian documentary photographer determined to find beauty and inspiration in all aspects of life. He has been based in Central Asia and West Africa while working for NGOs, UN agencies and many of the world’s finest publications. You can find his work at www.herwigphoto.com