Lesser known facts about this inhumane punishment
Traveling by subway is a public transport convenience we all take for granted. Besides providing a quick and efficient way of getting around town, the world's subway networks also feature some extraordinary stations, and beautifully designed buildings where incredible art, design, and architecture all end up on the same track.
Browse this gallery for an inspiring underground journey.
Opened in 1952 and looking more like a royal ballroom, Komsomolskaya station is the grandest of the Russian capital's metro stations.
Exquisite stained glass windows form the central theme of Novoslobodskaya station, also inaugurated in 1952.
A fine example of pre-WWII Stalinist architecture, Mayakovskaya station opened in 1938.
Stadion metro station is located at the city's former Olympic Stadium site, built for the 1912 Games.
The red brick and forest green of Solna Centrum station always catches the eye. It dates back to 1975.
The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel snakes under the Huangpu River, connecting the Bund and Lujiazui areas in the city's Pudong District.
At 646 m- (2,119 ft-) long, the tunnel is effectively a virtual extravaganza, providing train passengers with an opportunity to experience a fabulous multimedia light show.
The train compartments are completely transparent to allow mesmerizing 360-degree views.
Walking through Syntagma Square metro station is to wander through remnants of an ancient Greek necropolis.
The station is an underground museum displaying items from Byzantine, Roman, and ancient Greek periods.
The Dome of Light is the world's largest work of glass art.
Each of the dome's four quadrants depicts themes from the cosmos, humanity, and the country's often turbulent political history.
The city's Concorde station is illustrated by the 'Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen of 1789,' carefully written out word-for-word on ceramic tiles.
Passengers at Lisbon's airport should look out for the delightful caricatures of famous Portuguese writers, artists, and musicians set on the metro walls. Pictured is fado singer Amália Rodrigues.
At Parque metro station the theme is the Portuguese discoveries, wonderfully illustrated by maps, names of famous explorers, and terrifying sea creatures.
A 100-meter (328 ft-) mural set along the Northern Line platforms of Charing Cross station show scenes from the original mid–19th-century construction of the famous landmark.
Regularly cited as one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world, Avtovo opened in 1955. Its ornate decoration, crystal chandeliers, and lavish use of marble also places it among Russia's most elegantly designed public transport hubs.
The upper level of modern Sportivnaya metro station features architecture that represents monumental painting, sculpture, and Olympic themes from antiquity.
One of the city's newest stations, Volkovskaya was opened in 2008 and is named for the River Volkovka.
However, New Yorkers—and the rest of the world—now have the futuristic Fulton Center to explore. Opened in 2014, the new transit center and retail complex saw the city's existing Fulton Street subway station completely refurbished.
See also: Made in stone! The world's most breathtaking petrified forests.
Mastering the metro: the world's most amazing subways
Commuting doesn't need to be boring!
TRAVEL Transportation
Traveling by subway is a public transport convenience we all take for granted. Besides providing a quick and efficient way of getting around town, the world's subway networks also feature some extraordinary stations, and beautifully designed buildings where incredible art, design, and architecture all end up on the same track.
Browse this gallery for an inspiring underground journey.