We here at the Runoff are an absolute minefield of vaguely interesting trivia, but some of it happens to be fascinating indeed. Did you know that the Russian word for a major rail station is ‘Vokzal’. Remind you of anything? Here’s a clue…think of a lot of dazed clubbers, bus fumes, and a ski ramp.
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens (and if you haven’t heard of it, there have been whole books written about it) was one of several pleasure gardens in London which were enjoyed by the masses until they fizzled out in the mid 19th century. The activities at Vauxhall included fireworks, balloon rides, concerts, and candlelit walks. Vauxhall was hugely influential on the continent and its attractions replicated many times over. Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen was originally called ‘Tivoli and Vauxhall’, in fact.
The grounds of Pavlovsk Palace near St. Petersburg were converted into pleasure gardens in the 1840’s and called ‘Vokzal’ as a nod to its inspiration in London. The first railway in Russia served the Imperial family and ran between St. Petersburg and the palace itself. When the railway was opened to the public the station was emblazoned with the word ‘Vokzal’. The purpose of this was to indicate the terminus of the train, but the station itself became known as ‘Vokzal’ and this eventually became the generic term for all rail termini in Russia.
There are plenty of interesting theories about how the Vokzal name stuck, including an incorrect one from The Independent about a visiting Russian delegation. (the Russian railway predates Vauxhall station by a year). Today the name seems to crop up quite a bit across the old USSR, from restaurants to clothing stores…Это увлекательно или как?
The fun kicks off on Thursday, 6 Feb. in St. Peter’s Church in Vauxhall. If you’ve never been then you should check it out anyway as it’s a beautiful great mammy of Victorian Gothicness with what we imagine are pretty fine acoustics.
