Unecha is a town of railway workers. The name “Unecha Station” would have resonated with every railway employee in the region. But how did the idea arise to build a rail link between two historic cities — Bryansk and Gomel — with a station placed precisely midway between them?
By the late 19th century, Europe’s political landscape had split into two rival military–political blocs. The Triple Entente — comprising Russia, France, and Great Britain — stood opposed to the Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. Emperor Alexander III recognized that war was increasingly inevitable and that Russia urgently needed a network of strategically vital railways to strengthen its defenses and mobilize troops.
On May 29, 1882, a Supreme Decree authorized the construction of the Polesie Railways — the largest transport project in the Polesie region. The state allocated over 11 million rubles from the imperial treasury to bring it to life.
The sixth section of this line, connecting Gomel and Bryansk, was completed in just 23 months. Among the 11 stations opened along this stretch was Unecha. The first stone of the future station was laid in September 1885 near the Unecha River. By August 8, 1887, the section was officially opened — and the first train rolled through Unecha Station.
A rare photograph from 1897, titled “Arrival of the Train”, captures the solemn celebration of the 10th anniversary of this railway section’s opening. In front of the modest wooden station building, railway officials, locomotive crews, and station staff stand in formal lineup.
At the turn of the 20th century, Unecha Station comprised a single-story wooden terminal, two administrative buildings, and a water tower — the latter of which still stands today, just steps from the modern station. This layout remained unchanged until 1943, when, during the liberation of Unecha from Nazi occupation, the original station building was destroyed by fire. Thanks to surviving photographs like the one from 1897, we can vividly reconstruct the appearance of this early railway junction.
From its very inception, Unecha existed as a railway settlement. The overwhelming majority of its residents were railway workers — the men and women who not only operated the line but also laid the social, economic, and cultural foundations of the town itself.
