Chistye Prudy history. Clean ponds in a filthy place

Chistye Prudy in Moscow... The mention of them evokes positive emotions associated with some memories and bright feelings. For some it's a walk Chistoprudny Boulevard or the name of the metro station, for others it is a song by David Tukhmanov performed by Igor Talkov. In any case, this is one of the few places in the capital that has a unique atmosphere.

Chistye Prudy in Moscow - history

Previously, in the area of ​​​​Chistoprudny Boulevard there was a slaughterhouse - "Animal Yard", the waste from which was dumped into a pond (there is only one here), called Pogany. In the time of Peter the Great, Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov bought land in the area. The corner building at the Butcher's Gate began to belong to him in 1699. The prince built a church in the depths of the courtyard, which was nicknamed the Menshikov Tower, cleaned the ponds and forbade them to pollute. Since then they are called Pure. The meat trade in this place was curtailed. When A. Menshikov was sent into exile, his house passed to Prince Kurakin, then to the Armenian Lazarev. In 1783, the Moscow Post Office opened in this building. The fire of 1812 did not spare the Chistoprudny Boulevard area either. During its restoration, the remains of the wall of the White House were demolished, the pond was cleaned. Two hotel buildings were built. One of them, at the Butcher's Gate, stood until the construction of the Kirovskaya metro station, which in 1990 was renamed the Chistye Prudy station. And the hotel at the Pokrovsky Gate has survived to this day.

Chistye Prudy in Moscow - Attractions

In 1918, on Chistoprudny Boulevard there was a monument to the ideologist of Russian anarchism Mikhail Bakunin, designed by the sculptor M. Kovalev in an abstract futuristic manner. It is believed that the monument turned out unsuccessful. At the request of the anarchists and workers, the "effigy" was removed. In 1959, a monument to the author of the poem "Woe from Wit" A.S. was erected at this place. Griboedov, made by the sculptor A.A. Manuilov. A great playwright lived in this area, on Myasnitskaya Street. In 2006, a monument was erected to Abai Kunanbaev, a Kazakh poet and thinker. (The work of sculptor M. Ainekov and architect V. Romanenko). Abay Kunanbaev was not only the creator of the Kazakh literary language, he opened Russian culture for the Kazakhs and translated about 50 works of great Russian writers into Kazakh.

From Chistoprudny Boulevard, the Church of the Archangel Gabriel - the Menshikov Tower, located in Arkhangelsky Lane, is very clearly visible. It was built in 1705-1707. architect I. Zarudny. But there is a version that the author of the building was the Italian master Trezzini, who built the cathedral Peter and Paul Fortress In Petersburg. Archangel Gabriel was depicted above the southern entrance, Archangel Michael above the northern one, above the main western entrance- composition "Ascension of Christ". The original church was much taller than the one we see now. Menshikov wanted the church to be taller than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. Therefore, a high wooden tent topped with a cross was built over its stone top. The church became more than three meters taller than Ivan the Great. It began to be called the Menshikov Tower. In 1708, a striking clock, brought from London, was installed on the tower, playing bell music at noon, and 50 bells were hung.

Soon A. Menshikov was appointed to the post of governor of St. Petersburg. Therefore, the internal work in the temple was not completed and the church was not consecrated. Only in 1787 the church was restored by the famous Moscow freemason Gavriil Izmailov, but now without a wooden top. A dome with a spire was installed. The church of Theodore Stratilat was built nearby - a warm temple "under the bells". After repairs in 1838-1840. the church became a parish. In 1923 the temple was closed. After restoration in
In 1947, the courtyard of the Patriarchate of Antioch was located in the temple. The church became active. The iconostasis in the Church of the Archangel Gabriel was moved from the dismantled in the 1960s. Churches of Peter and Paul in Preobrazhenskaya Sloboda.

Chistye Prudy in Moscow and Modernity

IN last years the Chistoprudny Boulevard area became a gathering place for rockers and punks, metalheads and various other informal groups. Usually, the place of their meeting is the site near the monument to A. Griboyedov. Unfortunately, there were cases when gatherings of drunken people ended in fights. Political rallies are also held in this area, victories in football matches are celebrated.

Chistye Prudy in Moscow - information for tourists

In addition to visiting the monuments and the Church of the Archangel Gabriel, walking along Chistoprudny Boulevard, you can see ancient buildings built in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. This is the house of the merchant Gusyatnikov and a residential building with chambers of P. V. Makulov - M. Z. Shamzarov, Tenement houses and other interesting historical buildings.

IN Lately there were people saying that it is time to rename the ponds dirty, that the water in them is not so clean. Yuri Nagibin wrote about fishing in these places: “... we continued to fish, we drank handfuls of cold water that broke our teeth, and people on the shore spat and predicted illness for us. But we were sure that our reservoir was clean, that the fish in it lived freely and satisfyingly ... ".

Despite these conversations, both Muscovites and guests of the capital like to walk along the green island in the center of the capital, where the expanse of water, the square and the ancient architecture of houses are perfectly combined. IN winter period Chistye Prudy in Moscow are used as a spontaneous ice skating rink.

The current Chistye Prudy are located on the top of a gentle hill. Such places were characterized by swamps and small rivers flowing from them. On the “clean” everything was like that - the streams formed the Rachka River, which was a tributary of the Yauza. With the growth of Moscow, the reservoir was drained, and the wall built in the 16th century white city cut Rachka. Since it was forbidden to build houses in the lowland in front of the wall, a famous pond appeared at this place at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries.

The reservoir was called Pogany Pond, and there are several versions about the appearance of such a dissonant name. According to one of them, in this area the pagans worshiped their gods, and the word “filthy”, which came from the Latin “paganus” (pagan), characterized not something dirty, but a pagan. According to another version, the place of the future Moscow was previously occupied by the possessions of the boyar Stepan Kuchka, who inappropriately received Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. For this, the prince ordered the boyar to be killed and his body to be drowned in a pond, after which the reservoir received the name "Bad".

However, according to the most famous version,

the pond began to be called Pogany, as merchants from butcher shops on Myasnitskaya Street dumped production waste into it. In the summer, when an incredible heat hung over the capital, fetid odors hovered over the reservoir, and people tried to avoid it.

Prince Alexander Menshikov put an end to the dirty past of the pond. After the favorite of Peter I bought a mansion near Pogany Pond, he decided to clear the reservoir, strictly forbidding it to be polluted. And the butchers left Myasnitskaya Street. Since then, the ponds have been called Clean. However, historians claim that Menshikov cleared the ponds that were not known to us, located behind the White Wall, but those that were located in the depths of the quarter. Now in their place is Chistoprudny Boulevard and a pedestrian zone.

Familiar to every Muscovite, Chistye Prudy appeared later. Their first mention is in the documents of the Catherine era, devoted to plans for the destruction of the walls of the White City and the construction of the boulevard. Three ponds were noted there, but they were equipped after Patriotic War 1812, only one. Despite this, in the popular memory the name was preserved in the plural.

In 1820, Chistoprudny Boulevard was built near the ponds. It became the second longest after Tverskoy: its length was 822 meters. The boulevard was inhabited by people of different social strata: from the Moscow nobility, who built luxurious mansions along the inner side of the street, to the townspeople and merchants, who built up the outer side with their yards. At the same time, the tradition of festivities along Chistoprudny Boulevard has remained since the time of Griboyedov and Pushkin.

Until 1958, a boat station worked at Chistye Prudy: in the summer it was possible to ride a boat. In winter, when the ice froze, everyone who wanted to take them on "clean" skates. In 1960, the banks of the ponds were reinforced with stones and then with concrete.

Fortunately, the transformations of the Soviet era did not affect Chistoprudny Boulevard:

buildings have not changed their appearance since the end of the 19th century. For example, the Coliseum cinema, designed by architect Roman Klein, is still located at 19A Chistoprudny Boulevard, only now it houses the Sovremennik Drama Theatre.

Chistye Prudy may have become one of the most mentioned Moscow reservoirs in Russian literature. So, for example, Yuri Nagibin called the ponds "the focus of the most beautiful", which filled his childhood, "the most joyful and saddest, because the sadness of childhood was also beautiful." He called the famous ponds a school of nature: “We fished here, and it happened that not just a black leech wriggled on a hook, but a real silver bait. And it was a miracle to catch a fish in the city center.”

The writer also noted that in his time

among the boys there was the title of "chistoprudnye". It gave the right to fish, ride a boat, climb ice boulders in winter and build snow fortresses.

Only those who lived on the boulevard could earn it: the inhabitants of the nearby lanes were denied the title. “Not only could we not approach the pond, but simply crossing the boulevard on the way to school was fraught with considerable risk. A broken nose, a purple bruise under the eye, a hat torn from the head is the usual retribution for insolence, ”wrote Nagibin.

Patriarch's Ponds

Patriarch's Ponds is not only the name of the famous reservoir itself, but also the surrounding square and residential microdistrict, on the territory of which there are three churches, a synagogue and more than 15 embassies.

In place of the "patricks" there used to be a goat swamp. It got its name either because of the goats grazing here in huge numbers, or because of the proximity to the place where goat wool was processed and delivered to the royal and patriarchal courts. However, there is also a conspiracy theory, according to which it was not the goats, but the intrigues that the evil spirits repaired by the inhabitants of these places.

Allegedly, on the site of a swamp in ancient times, pagan priests drowned their victims, and before that they often cut off their heads. Patriarch's ponds, an hour of an unprecedentedly hot sunset, a severed head - it reminds me of something ...

At the beginning of the 17th century, Patriarch Hermogenes decided to build his residence on the Goat Bog. So, in its place, the Patriarchal Sloboda appeared, which included several churches. In 1683, the clergy ordered to dig three ponds for breeding fish for the patriarchal table: two on Presnya, where expensive varieties of fish were bred, and one on the Goat swamp, where cheaper livestock were launched.

Subsequently, the Patriarchal Sloboda fell into decay. The ponds were started up, and the area became swampy again. They were remembered only in the first half of the 19th century: then it was decided to bury the old reservoirs and leave one decorative pond. A square was laid out around it and began to be called "Boulevard of the Patriarch's Pond".

The spring flood of 1897, which seriously polluted the pond, made the Moscow authorities seriously think about the "perfect filling" of the reservoir.

The City Duma argued that the existence of a pond in "a densely populated area does not cause any real need." The story ended well: the "patricks" were spared and decided to fill it with fresh Mytishchi water.

The skating rink on the Patriarch's Ponds, built on the frozen surface of the reservoir and so beloved by Muscovites today, gained its popularity at the end of the 19th century. It is known that, for example, the writer Leo Tolstoy took his daughters there to skate in winter.

It is noteworthy that the Soviet authorities, as part of the fight against religion, renamed the Patriarch's Pond into Pionersky, and with it the Patriarch's Lane, located in the neighborhood. However, despite the renaming, the people continued to call the pond Patriarchal.

Golitsyn pond

Today Golitsynsky Pond can rightly be called the heart of Gorky Park. The reservoir consists of the Big and Small ponds, which are connected by a narrow isthmus. Work on its creation began in 1954.

During the entire period of its existence, the reservoir changed its name several times: in Soviet times, the pond was called Pioneer, but after the collapse of the USSR, its historical name was returned to it, and the pond at the main entrance to the park was called Pioneer. The pond retained the name of Prince Dmitry Golitsyn, who created the Golitsyn Hospital for the Poor in 1802 (today the First City Hospital).

In the 30s of the 20th century, waterfowl were brought into the pond: among them were two swans with black necks of a rare breed. Currently, the birds delight visitors to the park only in summer: in winter they are carefully moved to special houses. Until recently, the Golitsyn reservoir was completely covered with algae. This problem was solved by 400 kg of fish released into the water by the management of the park. It was she who cleared the pond of silt and algae. Today, silver carp, carp, crucian carp, perch and white carp live in the pond. Reeds, reeds and water lilies are planted along the shore.

Nearby is the so-called "Island of Dance". Now it is not used for its intended purpose, but in the 1930s one of the most beautiful stages in the park was located here.

On the shore, on the site of the modern Ostrovok cafe, there was an amphitheater for spectators (about 700 seats). There one could watch a performance, a ballet, an opera, and artists from the Bolshoi Theater often performed on stage.

Today big square reservoir gives citizens the opportunity to rent catamarans on boat station. The main thing is not to disturb the peace of graceful swans and ducks, the real owners Golitsyn pond. Near the pond there are sun loungers and benches: feel free to land on them and have a picnic. Park Wi-Fi and sockets located next to the sunbeds will help you stay connected. In the evenings, lamps will create a romantic atmosphere, slightly illuminating the water surface of the pond.

Ostankino pond

Ostankino pond dug at the beginning of the 17th century in the floodplain of the Ostankino stream. He has two more names - Palace and Akterkin. He received the second during the time of Count Sheremetev, who in the middle of the 18th century built a fortress theater near the pond. According to legend, actresses, tired of a hard life, illness and oppression, committed suicide by drowning in a pond.

However, some historians note that notoriety swept the Ostankino pond long before the sad fate of serf artists. According to some reports,

on the site of the reservoir in the past there was a suicide cemetery, and later - a German Protestant one. From this, historians conclude that the name of the area comes from the word "remains".

It was also emphasized that in ancient times the pagans performed sacrificial rituals at the same place. And, according to one of the mystical versions, restless souls are allegedly pushing the inhabitants of the Ostankino district to commit suicide at the present time.

On the site of the cemetery today there is a small building of the television center. This arrangement gave rise to legends about the ghost of an old woman who was allegedly buried alive near the pond. The sorceress lived in the 18th century, during the reign of Emperor Paul I. It was she who, according to legend, predicted the death of the autocrat during his visit to the estate of Count Sheremetev. Since then, she allegedly walks around Ostankino and portends trouble. At the same time, it was noted that after the death of the old woman, the peak of suicides began in the serf theater of the count.

If we omit all mysticism, then we can say that in the 18th century the pond was popular among the townspeople. People walked along the shore, rode boats, and also launched fireworks at night near the reservoir. Alleys led Muscovites into the depths woodland which used to be a hunting ground. Today, on the pond, you can sit on comfortable benches, feed the ducks, and also try your luck and meet famous TV presenters rushing to work at the Ostankino television center.

Lefortovo ponds

Lefortovo ponds are the main water area of ​​the park of the same name, located in Izmailovo. It appeared in the 18th century as a garden at the palace of Admiral Fyodor Golovin, close associate of Peter I. The park was built by Dutch architects, whom the emperor personally invited to Russia. They installed many dams, red brick terraces and dug ponds, which they later called "Lefortovo".

Each reservoir has its own name: Boot, Northern, Bathhouse, Square, Guitar and Island. Sapozhok Pond is named after its unusual shape, and Gitar Pond used to resemble a church cross, but after the banks “floated” it became like an extended part of a guitar.

Interestingly, the Lefortovo ponds and reservoirs in Izmailovo acted as Chistye Prudy in film of the same name 1965 directed by Alexei Sakharov based on the works of Yuri Nagibin.

Unfortunately, it is forbidden to swim in the ponds (why disturb the rest of the ducks?), but no one will prevent sunbathing. On warm days, all the banks are filled with sunbathing Muscovites. In summer, in the park, you can see elderly citizens throwing fishing rods: they hunt hybrids of crucian carp and carp. However, Rospotrebnadzor experts argue that fish caught in the pond should not be fed even to a domestic cat.

Historical and, frankly, atmospheric place for a walk in the center of Moscow - Chistye Prudy. A labyrinth of streets with old houses and signs on them with the names of people who were born, created masterpieces or simply stayed here for a while, form a kind of museum under open sky. So everything here is permeated with the spirit of history and creativity. Well, go ahead: we reach the Chistye Prudy metro station and here they are, protected spiritual places, stretching from Myasnitskaya to Pokrovskaya Square.

History of Chistye Prudy

There are several versions of the history of the origin of Chistye Prudy. A more well-known version is that in the 17th century there was a slaughterhouse in the area, and the sewage merged into local reservoirs, then there were three such ponds, called filthy ones. After the order of Peter I, these lands were granted to his favorite, Prince Menshikov. Part of the reservoirs, by order of the prince, was drained, and the largest of them was cleaned, at the same time a ban was imposed on water pollution. From that moment on, Chistye Prudy became historical name places, retaining in the name, as a tribute to the past, the plural form.

Today it is a walking area and a cultural and historical park. Chistoprudny Boulevard is a wide park alley for walks, which extends to the Chistye Prudy health-improving center, and behind this building, to Pokrovsky Gate Square, there is the pond itself. Bicycles can be rented to tour the nearby historical places or take a walk along the pond, feed the ducks living on it and admire the swans.

Cultural and historical places of the Chistye Prudy park

Let's go through the most iconic places favorite route for tour guides. The beginning of the park zone of Chistoprudny Boulevard begins at the monument to Griboyedov, the author of the classic work Woe from Wit. On the pedestal you can see a high relief depicting the heroes of comedy. The monument was created by sculptor Apollon Manuilov and installed in 1959 on the site of an abstract sculpture by Russian anarchist Mikhail Bunin. The latter was dismantled at the request of members of the public for an incomprehensible futuristic approach to its creation. Griboyedov himself lived for some time on Myasnitskaya Street, at number 42, where he completed the well-known comedy, and therefore the place was chosen logically.

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A walk along Chistoprudny Boulevard, on the left side, will lead us to house 19. The historic building, created by the architect Roman Klein in the early twentieth century in the neoclassical style, was the premises of the previously famous cinema "Coliseum". And in 1974, the building housed and now houses the Sovremennik Theater. One of the founders and the first artistic director of the theater was Oleg Efremov, who largely determined style feature theater - to talk with the audience about the eternal truths in the language of contemporary art.

Moving along Chistoprudny in the direction of the Pokrovsky Gates, geographically completing the Chistye Prudy district, you can go to the Church of the Trinity on Gryazakh, which is located on Pokrovka Street. Next to her is another architectural masterpiece- formerly owned by the church tenement house built in the early twentieth century. Its design is curious: bas-reliefs on the levels from the 2nd to the 4th floor depicting fantastic animals, birds and trees. Designed by S. Vashkov and P. Mikini. Thanks to these images, the building received the name "House with animals." The upper floors were added in 1945, so the building looks fragmentary unfinished. Partially, this house is visible in the frames of the film "The meeting place cannot be changed."

"House with animals" is adjacent to the modern cinema "Rolan", located in the house number 12. It bears the name of the talented actor Rolan Bykov. Previously, the Borodino Panorama was located here, now it has been moved to Kutuzovsky Prospekt.

Further - along Chistoprudny we go to Arkhangelsky Lane, turning onto which we will see the Menshikov Tower. Alexander Menshikov, “a childless minion of happiness,” ordered the construction of a huge stone church near his farmstead on the site of a dilapidated church. The construction of this building was carried out with the participation of Italian architects. The temple tower, built in the Baroque style, surpassed the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in height. But the “semi-powerful ruler,” as Pushkin called Menshikov, did not calm down on this. Alexander Danilovich bought a chiming clock in London for a fabulous sum, which they installed on the temple. The clock chimed the hour, half an hour and a quarter - which was not the case on the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower. The celebration was complete, but short-lived. Lightning cut down the spire, and the clock - their age turned out to be short - was dismantled and brought to the Cannon Yard.

Modernity of Chistye Prudy Park

A walk along Chistoprudny Boulevard is not only historical monuments and tribute to the past. This is an active recreation area that attracts different generations and representatives of cultures to the alleys. Representatives of the modern underground like to gather here. "At Griboyedov's" is a favorite place for romantic meetings. Both native Muscovites and guests of the capital want to come here to see with their own eyes the stories inspired by the touching melody performed by Igor Talkov, illustrations by masters of painting and works of art.

There are many places in Moscow that are perceived ambiguously. One of them is Chistye Prudy. In the middle of the wide Chistoprudny Boulevard, there is a clear pond, surrounded by old lindens, chestnuts, well-groomed bushes and neat lawns. Informal youth like to gather here, fans of some football teams, just fans of hanging out, singing along with the guitar and laughing out loud. The pond is surrounded old quarters and a few modern buildings that organically fit into the urban landscape. Above the pond and the small park adjacent to it, the energy of the old Moscow place reigns, filled with a bright and unique history.

The emergence of the pond dates back to the end of the 16th century. Moscow grew, new squares were built up and populated. The buildings erected at that time cut the small river Rachka, which previously flowed in the area of ​​the pond. As a result, part of the river simply dried up. And the swampy part of the area, left by the former river and fed by numerous streams, gradually formed a pond.

It was originally called Pogany. Not far from it was (and is now in the same place) Myasnitskaya street. The butchers who lived on it, who fed the whole of Moscow with meat, were engaged in slaughtering and butchering the carcasses of livestock. They dumped all the waste from their activities into the pond. The water there was always a dirty brown color and exuded a fetid smell, which was especially unbearable in the summer heat. The townspeople tried to avoid this place.

Everything changed during the time of Peter I, when his associate Alexander Menshikov acquired a luxurious mansion not far from Pogany Pond. The view of the pond and the stinking smell coming from it did not please the royal favorite, and he ordered to clear the pond. After the bottom and banks of the reservoir were cleaned, Menshikov forbade the use of the pond for dumping waste from Myasnitskaya Street, and the pond itself was renamed Chistye Prudy (although there was always one pond).

Over time, Chistye Prudy became a place of rest for the townspeople. In the summer it was possible to go boating and swimming here, in the winter ice skating was arranged. From the middle of the 20th century, boating was banned, and swans and ducks settled on the calm surface of the pond, whose offspring still live there.

Now Chistye Prudy is called not only the reservoir itself, but also the adjacent park zone. The nearby metro station bears the same name. This place, like no other, keeps the memory of the old days.

Despite the seeming tranquility, this place keeps the memory of the terrible events of history that it witnessed. It was here that during the time of Ivan the Terrible, more than 100 boyars, accused of treason, suffered a painful death. This happened on the banks of the Rachka River, long before the appearance of the pond. Even earlier, on the banks of the Rachka, there was an ancient temple of pagans, which was destroyed during the time of Christianity. Like any other, this temple possessed powerful power and its destroyers, who threw the sacred attributes of pagan worship into the water of Rachka and set fire to everything that burned, were severely punished for their deeds.

All these events could not but leave a trace on the long-suffering land of this place. Subtle natures feel anxiety, fear here, try not to linger in the vicinity of the pond. In addition, natural water sources have dried up. Now the pond is being filled with tap water, which also does not have the best effect on the energy emitted by this place.

But for those who just want to be near the water and enjoy beautiful view, Chistye Prudy is a real oasis in the center of a noisy metropolis.

And I managed to take a leisurely stroll along Chistoprudny Boulevard.

How he has improved since my student days!

Park "Chistye Prudy" is a recreation area in the very center of the capital. Here you can sit in relative silence.

The boulevard starts from Myasnitsky Gate Square, where the Chistye Prudy metro station is located. In the film "I'm walking around Moscow" the characters call the station "Kirovskaya", as it was called in our childhood.

In general, getting to Chistye Prudy is easy. The metro station "Chistye Prudy" is connected to the stations "Turgenevskaya" and "Sretensky Boulevard".

The territory of the park also consists of two parts. "Watershed" can be conditionally called the building of the wellness center (in a simple health center) "Chistye Prudy". If you walk from the Chistye Prudy metro station, then the pond itself will be just BEHIND this building.

In the 17th century, in this area of ​​​​the city there was an "Animal Yard": slaughterhouses, the waste of which polluted the pond. Meat was also traded here, hence the name of Myasnitskaya Street and Butcher's Gate.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Alexander Menshikov, an associate of Peter I, bought a house on Myasnitskaya Street. By his order, the pond was cleaned.

Since 1914, the Coliseum cinema has been operating in this building for almost 60 years.

By the way, part of this house can be seen in the film "The meeting place cannot be changed" in the sad episode of the murder of operative Vasya Vekshin.

Compositions on rafts next photo- these are installations of the "Circle of Light" festival.

In the next photo, pay attention to the yellow building opposite the Shater cafe. There is a cinema "Rolan", named in memory of the actor and film director Rolan Bykov.

The first floors of the buildings were occupied by shops and shops, the second floors were hotel rooms.

Here you can choose your instrument, play it before buying. You can listen to music, sit for a cup of coffee, tea.

This is how our walk along Chistoprudny Boulevard turned out - one of our favorite places to relax in the center of the capital.

But, by the way, they are not allowed to lie down.