 Minash was responsible for the sweeping staircases, foyer with stained glass and spacious halls boasting a series of painted panels that chronicle the history of Russia's first railway.The building's soaring arches and expanses of glass proclaimed the architect's familiarity with advanced construction techniques of the West.Vitebsky railway station, unlike other railway terminals, doesn’t have a station square in front of it – its main facade looks out onto the Zagorodny Prospect.1

In a departure from normal practice of the Soviet years, the Vitebsk station preserved its elevated train shed, five platforms and luggage elevators almost intact, making it an ideal location for filming Soviet adaptations of "Anna Karenina", Sherlock Holmes stories, and other 19th-century classics.