CCCP Underground: Metro Stations of the Soviet Era is a monumental visual study by German photographer Frank Herfort. Spanning approximately 20 metro systems across the former USSR and Eastern Europe—from the iconic stations of Moscow and St. Petersburg to the socialist-realist hubs of Bucharest and Tashkent—the book documents the “palaces of the people.” Herfort’s photography captures the opulence of these underground spaces, featuring heroic bronze sculptures, intricate mosaics, and grand marble halls that served as chronicles of Soviet power. The book offers a unique look at these subterranean time capsules, blending architectural documentation with a sense of the eerie, quiet endurance of a vanished empire.