Moscow is not only museums, numerous monuments of architecture and high-rise buildings. The city is also famous for its abundance of green areas, gardens and squares. In this article, we suggest you make an absentee tour to Petrovsky Park. You can see photos of this wonderful corner of the Russian capital below.
Briefly about the park
Petrovsky Park (Moscow) is considered a monument of landscape gardening art of the XIX century and is protected by the state. It is located in the northwestern part of the capital and adjoins one of its sides to Leningradsky Prospekt. On the opposite side, the recreational urban zone is bordered by the Petrovsko-Razumovskaya alley.
The park has preserved several architectural masterpieces. We are talking about the Travel Palace, the Annunciation Church, the villa "Black Swan". All of these attractions will be discussed later.
Petrovsky Park today occupies an area of 22 hectares. The nearest metro station is Dynamo. How and when did this park appear on the map of Moscow?
The emergence of the park
It all started back in 1774, when Tsarina Catherine II ordered the construction of a chic stone palace on this place (preserved to this day). During the reconstruction of Moscow after the Patriotic War of 1812, it was decided to surround this building with a landscape garden.
Thus, Petrovsky Park (Moscow) was founded in 1827. The architect Ivan Tamansky was planning the future green oasis of the city. Under his leadership, the restoration of the palace itself, which was badly damaged in the war, was carried out. A pond was dug in the park, and three radial alleys from the palace were laid.
The park immediately became the center of city festivities, and the wealthy aristocrats gladly built their summer houses and villas here. In the XIX century, a number of restaurants appeared here, in particular - "Yar" and "Eldorado". By the way, it was Petrovsky Park that connected the first electric tram line in the city with Strastnoy Boulevard .
Black pages in the history of the park
After the coup in October 1917, the Bolsheviks came to power. The first years of their reign were marked by brutal repressions, which went down in history under the name "Red Terror." And it was Petrovsky Park that became one of the places of exponential execution of objectionable to the new government.
So, in September 1918, in the park, the Bolsheviks shot at least 80 people. Among them were priests, former ministers and officials of the Russian Empire. According to eyewitnesses, the execution was public, and after executions all those executed were also robbed.
In the first years of Soviet power, Petrovsky Park was substantially transformed: the pond was filled up, and Dynamo stadium was built on most of it .
Peter's Palace
While in the park, one can not help but notice the huge chic building of red color, built either in Turkish or in neo-Gothic style. This is the Petroff Palace.
It was built in 1780 and served as a place (residence) for stops of high-ranking persons who traveled from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Catherine II (in 1787) also stayed here. And after that all Russian monarchs called in before their coronation. Today, the palace serves as the venue for receptions of various delegations by the Moscow government.
In 1812, Napoleon’s headquarters was in this building. The French emperor stayed here for four days, and from the windows of the palace contemplated burning Moscow. Alexander Pushkin devoted several lines to this event in his work Eugene Onegin.
The Petroff Palace is depicted on a jubilee coin in denomination of 25 rubles, issued in 2015.
Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Annunciation Church in Petrovsky Park was erected in the middle of the XIX century according to the design of Fedor Richter. The church building was built in the Russian style and has two tiers. A quadrangular bell tower with a porch and two stairs adjoins the temple.
In the 1930s, the temple was closed by Soviet authorities. It housed the warehouse of the Zhukovsky Academy. During this time, the bell tower, dome, and also the porch of the building were badly damaged. In 1990, the church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Villa "Black Swan"
Another architectural decoration of Petrovsky Park in Moscow is the Black Swan Villa. She impresses with her beauty, grace and exoticism. The villa belonged to the famous Russian philanthropist Nikolai Ryabushinsky. He was a great connoisseur of art, published the Golden Fleece magazine for his money, and also organized many art exhibitions in Moscow.
The villa was built at the beginning of the twentieth century by the rather famous architect Adamovich in the neoclassical style. Among the townspeople there were many different rumors and speculations about her. It should be noted that most of them were initiated by the owner of the building.
The villa received the name "Black Swan" not by chance, since all the furniture in the house, as well as dishes and even napkins, were marked with a special sign with the image of this bird.
Thus, Petrovsky Park is not just a monument of landscape gardening art, but also a place with a rich history and several beautiful architectural masterpieces.