Roadside bus stops do not immediately spring to mind as a worthwhile subject for a photographer.

However, after seeing the surreal architecture employed in the former soviet satellite states, you will understand why Christopher Herwig followed bus routes from Estonia to Armenia to capture these oddities for his latest book.

SOVIET BUS STOPS’ chronicles dozens of these entirely unique and surprisingly artistic structures in 157 color photographs, exploring the bus pavilion as its own architectural form. “There is a certain amount of [utilitarianism] here,” reads the foreword by Jonathan Meades.

Herwig was originally captivated by such shelters back in 2002, after he embarked on a long-distance bike ride from London to St. Petersburg.

During the soviet era, bus stops would very often be designed by local artists. In a move that seems the very antithesis of communist conformity, they were given creative freedom to build as they saw fit. As a result, each bus stop displays a bit of the character of the town in which it stands.

Throughout his photographic journey, Herwig travelled through 13 countries, with many of the areas rarely traversed by tourists.

He scoured maps, Google Earth and traveler’s blogs for clues to find many of the shelters, which appear to be in exceptionally good shape for their age.

The photographer took 12 years to capture all the images for the book. It was originally published in a limited-edition, (now sold-out version of the book). However, the collection is now available in an expanded, smaller-format trade edition.

(Image Credits: Christopher Herwig)