Patriarch's Ponds — Attraction in Presnensky District

The history of the Patriarch's Pond in Moscow begins with the Goat Bog, which existed on this site until the 17th century. The swamp was the source of the Chertory River, and the area was not considered the most prestigious. At the beginning of the 17th century, when the Patriarchal See was established in Moscow, Patriarch Hermogenes chose this area for his residence. The Patriarchal Court with a wooden palace and a house church was built here. In 1683-1684, under Patriarch Joachim, three ponds were dug for economic needs and to drain the swamp, which were called the Patriarch's Goat Ponds. After the abolition of the Patriarchate by Peter I in 1721, the land passed to the treasury, and the ponds began to decline. By 1806, two of the three ponds were filled in due to poor sanitary conditions, only one remained - the one that is now known as the Patriarch's. Despite the singularity of the pond, the name has been preserved in the plural — Patriarch's Ponds. In the 19th century, the area began to be built up with mansions, and the pond turned into a place for walks. In Soviet times, in 1924, the pond was renamed Pionersky, but the old name remained in use. In the 1930s, the area was improved: the banks were strengthened, a park was laid out, a fence and a stage were erected. In the 1950s, the stage was replaced with a fountain, and in the 1970s, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out. In 1986, the pond was given back its historical name, and in 2003 and 2020, new improvements were made. Today it is a cozy park with a pond, alleys, benches and monuments. In the summer, people walk and feed the ducks here, and in the winter, an ice rink is flooded. Despite its small size, this place has a rich history and a special atmosphere, where the past and the present are intertwined.

Literary Immortality: Mikhail Bulgakov Patriarch's Ponds have forever entered world literature thanks to Mikhail Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita". It is here, "one spring, at the hour of an unusually hot sunset", that the action of the novel begins - the meeting of Berlioz and Bezdomny with Woland and his retinue. A monument to Bulgakov and a sculptural composition based on the novel are installed nearby, dedicated to Woland, Koroviev, Behemoth and Azazello.... No less iconic sculptures: a monument to I. A. Krylov (1976), a sculpture "Ostriches" by A. Mitlyansky (based on Krylov's fables) at the entrance from...

A quiet historical microdistrict of Moscow, located in the central part of the city, not far from the Garden Ring. This is a comfortable recreation area, where there is a pond and a picturesque square surrounding the pond. Shady alleys stretch along the coast, which are adjoined by old alleys with cozy Moscow courtyards. Historical sights are located on the streets and lanes adjacent to the park complex. These are mansions, estates, tenement houses built by prominent Moscow architects.

Patriarch's Ponds are well known not only to Muscovites, but also to all admirers of M. A. Bulgakov's work, including those who have never been to the capital. It was at the Patriarch's that the mystical events of the novel "The Master and Margarita" took place, which, thanks to the talent of the author, brought an atmosphere of mysterious mystery into the real life of...

Awesome place to walk, and also a place where one of the famous Russian mystic books called "Master and Margaret" starts. The book is about the yearly Devil's ball that he decided to hold in Stalin's Moscow. Patriarshiye ponds is the place where in the first chapter devil himself is talking to the two soviet writers being seriously surprised that they are atheists and don't believe in the devil as well. A place with history with nice houses around, full of light at...