Railway station in Brest

The first railway station in Brest opened in 1886. Soon after the building was inaugurated – on 29 August – Emperor Alexander III and his son Nicholas welcomed heir to the German throne Prince Wilhelm there. An impressive building with majestic arcs and spikes resembled a fortress built on an island. The railway station in Brest was by right considered the most sophisticated and convenient railway station in the Russian Empire and was the first one to start using electric lighting in 1888. The Soviet-style renovations added a broach spire and a five-point star on top of the building, which became a real landmark of the town. In June 1941 the staff of the railway station defended the building of the station for nine days hiding in labyrinth-like basements just like the Brest Fortress soldiers.