22 awesome bus stops in the former USSR

Peter Ortner's new book shows Soviet architecture in a colourful and characterful new light

by Tom Powell

The intriguing shape and bold colours of this Crimean bus stop are a far cry from the uniform ones we have in the UK

Peter Ortner

The wire sculpture inside this stop tells Armenian national legends – and gives you a pretty cool view while you wait

Peter Ortner

That's Boltun, Moldova, not Bolton, Lancashire

Peter Ortner

Afternoon, gentlemen

Peter Ortner

Many of the shelters on Uzbekistan's Silk Road take note of the country's Islamic heritage

Peter Ortner

Many of these waiting places are so secluded that you'll rarely see a soul near them

Peter Ortner

Colourful buildings like this one in Azerbaijan break up the monotony of the vast open country

Peter Ortner

When life gives you lemons, stick them on a bus stop in Uzbekistan

Peter Ortner

The sign on this Crimean bus stop is fooling absolutely no one

Peter Ortner

A lick of bright blue paint transforms the swooping concrete that's a familiar part of Soviet building design

Peter Ortner

Triangles are huge feature of Uzbekistan's Islam-influenced roadside architecture

Peter Ortner

These colourful structures were designed as memorable landmarks to help travellers navigate

Peter Ortner

Is your umbrella ten-foot tall and made of metal?

Peter Ortner

A few of these in London and we'd be even better at waiting

Peter Ortner

Lots of bus stops were covered in imagery like this to strengthen national pride and boost the unity of Soviet states

Peter Ortner

Unconventional spaces like these offer slender protection from the beating sun

Peter Ortner

Sometimes the only sign of life at these remote waiting places is the litter left behind

Peter Ortner

This ramshackle structure on an old military road in Georgia is a testament to a more communist-era architecture

Peter Ortner

Bus stops are sometimes the only buildings for miles and miles of the Central Asian steppe

Peter Ortner

Atop a rugged Georgian hillside lightly dappled with melting snow, it's a surprise there's a road leading to this strange wooden structure

Peter Ortner

Despite the clear influence of Greek and Roman architecture, you can find this bus shelter in Ukraine

Peter Ortner

This fortress-like Uzbek shelter looks like it could stand up to more than just wind and rain

Peter Ortner

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Published: Wednesday 31st August 2016

Inspiration

You'd be forgiven for assuming that every building east of Berlin is a staggering statement of blocky Brutalism. Now that we've read Peter Ortner's new book, Back in the USSR: Soviet Roadside Architecture from Samarkand toYerevan, we're going to have to disagree. Sure, most of these buildings are made of prefab concrete blocks, but each photo is a colourful celebration of cultural identity that you don't immediately associate with Soviet architecture. These bus stops may be relics of the communist past, but they also give a sense of each country's national character that goes back way beyond the 20th century.

From the Silk Road of Uzbekistan to the eastern reaches of the mighty Danube in Moldova, the German photographer has captured some of the most colourful, distinctive and outright bizarre architecture in the former Eastern Bloc. Thankfully we don't think he had to wait for buses at all 141 of them.

Back in the USSR: Soviet Roadside Architecture from Samarkand to Yerevan is available for £18 and published by Jovis. For more information visit jovis.de/en

Inspiration

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22 awesome bus stops in the former USSR

Peter Ortner's new book shows Soviet architecture in a colourful and characterful new light

by Tom Powell

Published: Wednesday 31st August 2016

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