the patriarch’s park in Moscow

Excursion in the patriarch’s park in Moscow

This is definitely one of the most emblematic places in the entire Russian capital. Its unfathomable beauty granted by an artificial pond where you can find all kinds of birds; from ducks to swans, surrounded by majestic trees and green grass and well trimmed make this a wonderful place to spend an afternoon with friends; enjoying a meal or sitting a few hours to contemplate nature among the tranquility that this place offers you.

However, it is not only its beauty that makes this park such an emblematic place; but this park is the stage where the devil appeared to two characters from Bulgakov’s famous work “The master and the daisy”; So visiting this place means seeing you hopelessly immersed in the plot of such a unique work of literature and rubbing shoulders with its protagonists. This gives the park a unique bohemian atmosphere throughout Russia that the locals have taken advantage of very well; to encourage tourism and promote the development of the place. The whole park is surrounded by places with excellent atmosphere to go for coffee; and enjoy a snack to the beat of live music or between the pages of a good book.

The history

Until the seventeenth century there was a swamp at the site of the ponds, and nearby goats were raised, whose wool was handed over to the royal court. Today, only the names of the lanes, Maly and Bolshoi Kozikhinsky, of the Goat Swamp remain. This picturesque place was chosen by Patriarch Germogen as his residence. The patriarch’s settlement has become one of the richest in the city. It has grown significantly, three churches have been erected, the number of residential buildings has increased. And in 1683, Patriarch Joachim already ordered to drain the swamps and dig three ponds where fish could be raised for the patriarchal table. Such ponds can be found throughout Moscow. In the Patriarchs, the simplest varieties of fish were raised and, for example, in Presnensky, expensive varieties that were served on the table during the holidays.

Then, the patriarchy fell into decay, the settlement passed to other owners and the ponds were abandoned and flooded as unnecessary. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was decided to eliminate the newly emerged swamps. The ponds fell asleep, saving only the largest, which was ordered, cleaned, ennobled and launched around a small and beautiful square, which was originally called “Boulevard of the Patriarch’s Pond”. But the “Three ponds”, in which there was once a live fishing, have not sunk into oblivion. They gave the name to Trekhprudny Lane, where Marina Tsvetaeva was born. She described with great love her childhood in this lane in the novel My Pushkin.

Ponds of the Patriarch, Moscow

The patriarch’s ponds are an integral part of the literary life of prerevolutionary Moscow. Leo Tolstoy took his daughters to the crowded track and very popular among Muscovites. Here he placed the hero of his novel “Anna Karenina” Levin, who was desperately looking for Kitty here. Walking through the alley, the nightingales listened to their namesake A.N. Tolstoy Well, the famous novel by M. A. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita” made the patriarch’s ponds a very significant place. There are still rumors that it was not without reason that Woland first appeared here, and Annushka poured oil so inappropriately. It is said that the unclean force that lived in the swamps continued to intrigue the inhabitants of the patriarchal settlement even after Joachim tried unsuccessfully to expel her from there.

The beginning of the 20th century was marked by the active development of the territory adjacent to the ponds. The largest houses and mansions were erected. After the revolution, in 1924, attempts were made to change the name of the ponds to Pioneer, but the name did not take root. But the monuments of Soviet architecture, such as the famous House of Lions (the residence of the highest military leaders of the USSR) in Yermolaevsky Lane, will long remember the Soviet past of the patriarch’s ponds.

In 1974, a monument to I. A. Krylov appeared on the boulevard. The famous fabulist is represented by sculptors A. A. Drevin and D. Yu. Mitlyansky surrounded by twelve of his most famous characters: a monkey with glasses, a crow with a slice of stolen cheese, barking Moska, etc.

And in 1986, it was decided to restore the pavilion on the shore of the decorative pond, located on this site in 1938. Not only the appearance and architectural features were taken from the old pavilion, but also quite tangible stucco reliefs, modules and moldings.

Patriarchs today

In 2003, a large-scale reconstruction of the patriarch’s ponds and the surrounding park was carried out. They cleaned the pond again, strengthened the coasts and threw the long-awaited fish into the pond. In addition to fish, ducks and swans live in the pond, which Muscovites feed with pleasure in the summer. In the square, the trees were replaced, the roads were paved with cobblestones and slabs, benches and new masts were installed for the lighting of the city. After that, the pond, the pavilion and the park became objects of cultural heritage. They are now protected by the state.

In 1999, it was planned to erect a monument to Bulgakov in the Patriarch’s Pond, which is a sculptural ensemble of the writer and the heroes of his novel sitting on the shore. Yeshua Ga-Nozri was supposed to go by the water to Bulgakov, around the pond on the shore sat Master and Margarita, Koroviev, Azazello, Behemoth and others. The cost of the project and the numerous protests of local residents forced him to abandon it.

Today, the patriarch’s ponds are a favorite place to walk. In winter, you can ice skate in the pond, in summer you can have a snack at the edge of the pond, taking delicious cakes from neighboring cafes.

The entire park complex occupies 2.2 hectares, of which 6323 m2 are allocated to roads and sites, and 7924 m2 to green spaces. The area of ​​the pond itself is 0.0099 km2 and its depth reaches 2.5 meters.

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