Patriarch's Ponds in Moscow is a picturesque corner of nature in the very center of the city. The person who first visited this place will be puzzled. Instead of several ponds, he will see only one, surrounded by a small and clean park. Once there were three, but now there is one, but the name still remains - Patriarch's Ponds. "How to get there?" - guests of the White Stone may be interested. The path to them is not particularly difficult. Any Muscovite you meet will willingly tell you the way to your favorite vacation spot for citizens.
What makes Patriarch Ponds interesting
This is a unique place to relax. The park has a lot of greenery, a wonderful and clean pond with swans and ducks. Birds are not at all afraid of people and have long been accustomed to treats. Well-equipped places for leisure: shops, cafes, restaurants ... Paths created for walking, and around - sculptures from Krylov's fables. In the evening, the alley with magnificent lighting attracts you to walk under the arm with your loved one, guaranteeing a romantic mood.
The area of the park complex is 2.2 hectares, and the pond itself is 0.99 hectares. The greatest depth is 2.5 meters.
Where are the Patriarch's Ponds
This is the district of old Moscow, in the very center of the city, with pre-revolutionary houses. And each of them conveys the flavor of its time. So, for example, house number 10 on Bolshaya Sadovaya was built in the Art Nouveau style. It is more characteristic of St. Petersburg (well-yards were extremely fashionable in the early 20th century in the Northern capital).
Nearby is the famous residence of Soviet military leaders "House with Lions." These and others adorn Patriarch's Ponds in their own way. How to get there Pretty simple. The park and the pond are located in the center of old Moscow, so there should not be any difficulties. It offers the capital metro, minibuses, trams.
History of the Patriarch Ponds
It’s not in vain that Bulgakov chose the Patriarch Ponds as the meeting place with evil spirits for his characters Ivan Bezdomny and Mikhail Berlioz. At that time in Moscow there was no place more connected with mysticism than the Patriarchal settlement.
Previously, this place was called Goat swamps. And if you think that there were only goats walking there, then you are deeply mistaken. It's all about the intrigues that the unclean forces arranged for the inhabitants of this area. In pagan times, priests drowned their victims here, destined for the ancient gods, and on especially solemn occasions their heads were cut off. Perhaps this is why a similar death befell Berlioz. According to another version, the Goat Court was nearby, from which wool was sent to the royal court.
Until the end of the 16th century, this place was empty. At the beginning of the 17th century, the residence of the Patriarch Hermogenes settles here , and the area becomes the Patriarchal Sloboda. At that time it was one of the richest areas of Moscow.
In 1674, Patriarch Joachim, who was a military monk before being tonsured, decided to fight with evil spirits. It was he who decided to declare war on the devil. To this end, an order was given to drain the Goats' swamps by digging up three ponds. They began to breed simple varieties of fish (for sale to the urban population). And Chertorysky stream flowing from the swamps, despite all attempts to fill it up, continued its movement. In 1832, a second attempt was made to eliminate the stream. Two ponds fell asleep, but this did not stop the stream of water.
During the Soviet era - as part of the fight against religion - in 1924 the pond was renamed Pioneer. But the people continued to call him the old name, and in our years they completely returned the former. For all time, boat stations opened and closed several times, and in winter a free skating rink is arranged here.
Around the remaining body of water, a square was set up, and since then the pond has become a favorite resting place for citizens. Today it exists in the singular, so it would be more correct to call it the Patriarchal Pond.
Mystical Patriarch Ponds
According to old-timers, cats and dogs rarely approach ponds, and ducks and swans never stay overnight in the water, preferring to fly to the zoo.
And in the archives of the Ninth Directorate, an investigation of the death of a boy was preserved, who decided to swim across a reservoir for a dispute, but in the middle he screamed and disappeared without a trace. The body, by the way, was never found.
Patriarch's Ponds - an integral part of the literary life of the capital
Not far from this place was born Marina Tsvetaeva. Her childhood passed on the shores of a reservoir and, of course, left its mark on the poetess. She described him in the novel My Pushkin.
Leo Tolstoy often brought his children to the winter ice rink. He also sent here his character Levin.
And the novel by M. A. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita” completely turned this place into a mystical and symbolic one. The evil spirits that have long inhabited these swamps still continue to intrigue the locals. That's why they installed a memorial sign here: "It is forbidden to talk with strangers." You never know what ...
In 1974, a monument to Krylov was erected in the park . Sculptors Drevin and Mitlyansky surrounded the fabulist with the most popular characters in his works.
Patriarch Ponds: how to get there?
They are located in the Presnensky district of the Central Administrative District. Patriarch's Ponds on the map of Moscow are located as follows: in the north - Ermolaevsky Lane, from the south they are limited by the Bolshoi Patriarchal Lane, in the west - Maly, and in the east passes Malaya Bronnaya Street.
The main question that arises for those wishing to visit the Patriarch Ponds is: "How to get there?" To find yourself here, you should go to the Mayakovskaya metro station and move towards Bolshaya Sadovaya Street. At the intersection of the Aquarium Garden and Malaya Bronnaya, turn left.
If you go to the Tverskaya metro station, then the direction of movement is Bolshaya Bronnaya Street. On it go down to Malaya Bronnaya, and then to the right. Even if you get lost, passers-by will instantly tell you the direction you need.
Reconstruction of the Patriarch Ponds
In 1986, it was decided to restore the famous pavilion, which was built in 1938 and decorated the Patriarch's Ponds. Photos will not convey all its beauty with a unique stucco molding of the old building, reliefs and modules. All architectural features of the appearance were recreated.
In 2003, the last and largest reconstruction of the ponds and the park itself was carried out. The shores were strengthened, the reservoir was cleaned and fish were launched. Now it is also a favorite place for those who like to sit with a fishing rod in silence in the shade of trees. New trees were planted in the square, the paths were paved with tiles and paving stones. Shops and lanterns updated. Now the Patriarch's Ponds in all its glory delight the guests of the capital and local residents.
And no matter what they call it: a mystical place, a Bulgakov's place or the most romantic one - love for it will not become less from this, and each visitor will discover something new and unique here.