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TransportSights in Yakimanka District
Around Bolotnaya Naberezhnaya
"Children - the Victims of Adult Vices" Sculpture Composition
- Bolotnaya Ploschad
- Tretyakovskaya
A more unusual monument on Bolotnaya Ploschad is the composition of sculptures entitled Children - the Victims of Adult Vices, which is the work of the controversial sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin. In the centre of the compositions are statues of two blindfolded children playing and they are surrounded by 13 monstrous statues representing: drug abuse, prostitution, theft, alcoholism, ignorance, irresponsible science, indifference, the propaganda of violence, sadism, those without… Read more »
House on the Embankment
- 20 Bersenyovskaya Naberezhnaya
- Kropotkinskaya, Borovitskaya
The massive building located on the embankment on Balchug Island is known as the House of the Embankment. The house was built between 1927 and 1931 and was then known as the Government Building as it was built specifically as a residence for Soviet government officials, including a theatre and a cinema. As such, at the height of Stalin's purges in the late 1930s, many of its residents "disappeared" and the whole building was heavily bugged. Today the house contains residential… Read more »
Ilia Repin Monument
- Bolotnaya Ploschad
- Kropotkinskaya, Tretyakovskaya
Situated on Bolotnaya Ploschad opposite the pedestrian bridge across the Vodootvodny Canal is a statue of one of Russian's finest painters - Ilia Repin. Repin was famous for his paintings of historical scenes and for his portraits, many of which can be seen in the nearby State Tretyakov Gallery. The statue, which depicts Repin with paint brushes in his hand, was unveiled in 1958 and is the work of the famous sculptor Matvey Manizer. Read more »
Peter the Great Monument
- western tip of Balchug Island
- Kropotkinskaya, Polyanka
One of the most controversial sculptures in Moscow is the massive statue of Peter the Great by the sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. The statue was unveiled in 1997 on the tip of the western end of Balchug Island where the Vodootvodny Canal and River Moskva meet. In total the whole structure is 98 metres high and depicts Peter the Great standing on a ship. There is a persistent rumour that the statue was originally intended as a statue of Columbus which was then adapted to Peter the Great,… Read more »
St George's Church in Yendovo
- 6 Ulitsa Sadovnicheskaya
- Novokuznetskaya
The ornate St George's Church in Yendovo is an example of the beautiful architectural style known as Russian Uzorochye. It dates from 1653 although an earlier version stood here since at least 1588. In the 1670s and 1680s the church was extended to include a tent-dome bell tower and a refectory. However this original bell tower was destroyed in a flood in 1786 and a simpler replacement was built in 1806. In 1935 the church was closed and used by various organisations, but… Read more »
St Nicholas' Church at Bersenevka and Averki Kirillov's Chambers
- 18 Bersenyovskaya Naberezhnaya
- Kropotkinskaya
The area where St Nicholas' Church at Bersenevka and the neighbouring Averki Kirillov's Chambers now stand was once occupied by the Nikolsky na Bolote Monastery. The monastery had been dissolved by the mid-17th century and the merchant and clerk Averki Kirillov commissioned the building of the church and the chambers in its place. The church represents a beautiful example of the Russian architectural style known as Uzorochy and features colourful kokoshniks and window frames. The… Read more »
St Nicholas' Church at Zayanitskoy
- 1-3/26c8 2-y Raushsky Pereulok
- Novokuznetskaya
The area on Balchug Island known as Zayanitskoy may get its name from either the Zayatsky (Ural) Cossacks or Tatars who lived here in the early 17th century. It is believed a church dedicated to St Nicholas has existed here since the end of the 15th century but the current turquoise version was built between 1741 and 1759. During the Soviet years the church was closed. During this period its bell tower was destroyed and many of its relics were transferred to the State Tretyakov… Read more »
St Sophia's Church at Srednye Sadovniki
- 32 Sofiyskaya Naberezhnaya
- Borovitskaya
- http://hram-sofia.ru/
There has been a church dedicated to St Sophia in the area historically known as Srednye Sadovniki since at least 1493. The name Sadovniki comes from the fact that the area was developed as gardens for the royal household, 'sad' is Russian for garden. The current version of the church dates from the 17th centre, but the churches most striking feature is its separate bell tower on the embankment which was built in the Russian Revival style between 1862 and 1868. In 1930 the church… Read more »
Around Oktyabrskaya Metro Station
Gorky Park
- 9 Ulitsa Krymsky Val
- Oktyabrskaya
- http://www.park-gorkogo.com/eng/
- 24 hours.
Gorky Park, or the Maksim Gorky Central Park of Culture and Rest to give it its full name, was established along the bank of the River Moskva in 1928 and named in honour of the author Maksim Gorky in 1932. The park's main architect was Konstantin Melnikov who was responsible for much of the park's avant-garde architecture. In 2011 the park was given a new lease of life with large-scale renovation. Many of its tacky out-dated amusement rides were removed and the park was transformed… Read more »
Muzeon Art Park
- 2 Ulitsa Krymsky Val
- Oktyabrskaya
- http://www.muzeon.ru/
- 08:00-22:00 (until 23:00 in summer).
The Muzeon Art Park was established in 1991 in the park on Krymskaya Naberezhnaya behind the State Tretyakov Gallery at Krymsky Val. The park has many sculptures but is most famous for the Soviet-era statues which were moved here after the fall of the USSR: statues of Lenin, Stalin, Dzerzhinsky and other revolutionaries and high-ranking communists. The statue of Stalin here, which is now missing a nose, is a scaled-down model of the giant statue which once stood in Dubna on the… Read more »
Neskuchny Gardens
- Right bank of the River Moskva
- Oktyabrskaya
- http://www.park-gorkogo.com/eng/
On the other side of Titovsky Proezd, Gorky Park becomes Neskuchny Gardens which run all the way along the bank of the River Moskva to the Third Ring Road. Today the gardens are run as part of Gorky Park. The word Neskuchny translates into English as Not Boring, and true enough the gardens are pleasant and an interesting place to visit. The gardens were established during the reign of Nicholas I from three estates belonging to the Trubetsky, Golitsyn and Orlov noble families. In… Read more »
St John the Warrior's Church on Yakimanka
- 46 Ulitsa Bolshaya Yakimanka
- Oktyabrskaya
- http://www.hram-ioanna-voina.ru/
The beautiful St John the Warrior's Church on Yakimanka was built between 1704 and 1713 on the orders of Peter the Great to commemorate the Russian victory over Sweden at the battle of Poltava. The church was designed by the architect Ivan Zarudny and is an example of the standard 'octagon-on-cube' structure, but yellow, red and green in colour. The church remained open through the Soviet years. Read more »
St Nicholas' Church at Golutvin
- 14 1-y Golutvinsky Pereulok
- Oktyabrskaya
Just north of the Muzeon Culture Park is the pretty St Nicholas' Church at Golutvin which was built between 1687 and 1692, although a church has existed here since the 15th century. In 1823 a bell tower in the empire style was built on. In 1923 the church was closed and its bell tower was destroyed in the 1930s. Some of its icons were also removed and transferred to a museum. In 1992 the church was returned to the Orthodox Church and restored. In 2011 the Chinese Patriarchal… Read more »
State Tretyakov Gallery at Krymsky Val
- 10 Ulitsa Krymsky Val
- Oktyabrskaya
- http://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/
- 10:00 - 19:30. Closed on Mondays.
The State Tretyakov Gallery at Krymsky Val was established in 1986 and is dedicated to 20th Century Russian/Soviet art. The gallery displays early-20th century examples of the avant-garde work of Kazimir Malevich, the cubist and surreal work of Marc Chagall, and the expressionist work of Wassily Kandinsky. Also represented here are examples of Socialist Realism and Underground Art. In addition the gallery regularly holds temporary exhibits of both Russian and international modern… Read more »
Vladimir Lenin Monument
- Kaluzhskaya Ploschad
- Oktyabrskaya
Kaluzhskaya Ploschad (Kaluga Square) is dominated by both the Soviet-style headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin. The monument was unveiled in 1985, making it one of the last Lenin statues to be erected in the country, and is the work of the sculptor Lev Kerbel. It depicts Lenin on a pedestal with his coat blowing in the wind. The base of the pedestal is decorated with sculptures of revolutionaries flying banners. Read more »
Around Polyanka Metro Station
Dormition Church at Kazachya Sloboda
- 37 Ulitsa Bolshaya Polyanka
- Polyanka
Around halfway down Ulitsa Bolshaya Polyanka is the Dormition Church at Kazachya Sloboda. The current version of the church was built between 1695 and 1697 as a traditional 'octagon-on-cube' structure in the Moscow baroque style. The church was enlarged between 1797 and 1798 with the construction of a vestibule and a classical-style bell tower. In 1922 the church was closed and used as an archive, it was eventually returned to the Orthodox Church in 1994 and services began being… Read more »
Georgi Dimitrov Monument
- Yakimansky Skver
- Polyanka
In the small gardens where Ulitsa Bolshaya Yakimanka branches off from Ulitsa Bolshaya Polyana is a statue of Georgi Dimitrov. Dimitrov was a Bulgarian communist who served as both the head of Comintern and the first Communist leader of Bulgaria. Throughout his political career Dimitrov remains a staunch ally of Stalin, however when he died in 1949 in a sanatorium outside Moscow, there were nevertheless rumours he was poisoned on the orders of the Soviet leader. This statue was… Read more »
St Gregory of Neocaesarea's Church at Derbitsy
- 29A Ulitsa Bolshaya Polyanka
- Polyanka
- http://ieronim-polyanka.ru
Further down Ulitsa Bolshaya Polyana is one of the most colourful churches in Moscow - St Gregory of Neocaesarea's Church at Derbitsy. The current stone version of the church was built between 1668 and 1679 and is an example of the decorative Russian barque style known as Uzorochye. The church has five grey domes which stand on turquoise tholobates whose bases are decorated with orange and green kokoshniks. The attached tent-dome bell tower is painted in the same colours. In 1938… Read more »
Around Shabolovskaya Metro Station
Deposition of the Robe Church on Donskaya
- 20/6 Ulitsa Donskaya
- Shabolovskaya
- http://hram.riza.su/
Located at the crossroads of Ulitsa Donskaya and Ulitsa Akademika Petrovskogo, just off Ulitsa Shabolovka, is the beautiful red-brick Deposition of the Robe Church on Donskaya. The church was built between 1701 and 1716 in the baroque style, featuring five black domes with decorative window frames and a bell tower. The church was never closed during the Soviet years. Read more »
Donskoy Monastery
- 1 Donskaya Ploschad
- Shabolovskaya
- http://www.donskoi.org
Donskoy Monastery is one of the best surviving examples of a fortified monastery and as it is located a little away from the centre you will find a lot less tourists here than, for example, Novodevichy Convent. The monastery was founded on the order of Tsar Feodor I between 1591 and 1593 on the spot where the Russians were able to repel an invasion by Khan Ğazı II Giray of Crimea in 1591. The victory was also credited to the Our Lady of the Don Icon which subsequently became the… Read more »
Monument to Muscovites killed in Air Raids
- Ulitsa Khavskaya
- Shabolovskaya
In the small park located on Ulitsa Khavskaya, at the end of Konny Pereulok which runs off Ulitsa Shabolovska, is an unusual statue dedicated to Muscovites who died during air raids in the Second World War. This area was heavily bombed due to the location here of the Shukhov Tower and a ball bearing factory. The monument was unveiled in 1960 in the small park which itself was developed on the site of a crater caused by an air raid. It depicts a woman who has been made homeless in a… Read more »
New Donskoe Cemetery
- 1 Donskaya Ploschad
- Shabolovskaya
In addition to Donskoy Monastery's necropolis there is also a newer cemetery just outside the monastery's walls. The New Donskoe Cemetery was opened in the late 19th century and holds the graves of several notable figures. On a darker note, the cemetery was also used to bury the victims of political purges of the 1930s in a mass grave on which there is now a memorial. The cemetery's church is St Serafim of Sarov's Church which was built between 1904 and 1914. The church was later… Read more »
Shukhov Tower
- 37 Ulitsa Shabolovka
- Shabolovskaya
The most famous sight on Ulitsa Shabolovka is the Shukhov Tower which is also sometimes called the Shabolovskaya Tower. The 148-metre hyperboloid broadcasting tower was built between 1920 and 1922 and was highly innovative for its time and subsequently considered an engineering design classic as the tower is only minimally affected by the wind. It was designed by the engineer Vladimir Shukhov, after whom it is named, and is the tallest of the several hyperboloid towers designed by… Read more »
Trinity Church on Shabolovka
- 21 Ulitsa Shabolovka
- Shabolovskaya
Near the top of Ulitsa Shabolovka is the Trinity Church and a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity has stood here since 1722 back when Ulitsa Shabolovka was the village of Shabolovo. The current version of the church was built between 1885 and 1896. In 1930 the church was closed and most of the bell tower and the church's dome was demolished. It was returned to the Orthodox Church in 1993 and restored to its former appearance. Read more »
Around Tretyakovskaya Metro Station
St Nicholas' Museum-Church in Tolmachy
- 9 Maly Tolmachevsky Pereulok
- Tretyakovskaya
- http://hramvtolmachah.ru (church)
- http://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/ (museum)
- As a museum: 12:00 - 16:00. Closed on Mondays.
St Nicholas' Church in Tolmachy is located immediately next to the State Tretyakov Gallery and its oldest part dates from 1697. The yellow vestibule and bell tower were built on later in 1834. However it is not the appearance of the church which generates the most interest but what the church holds inside: the revered Our Lady of Vladimir Icon, which is said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke and is believed to have come to Rus as a present to Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Over the… Read more »
State Tretyakov Gallery
- 10 Lavrushinsky Pereulok
- Tretyakovskaya
- http://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en
- 10:00 - 18:00 (Thursdays and Fridays: 10:00 - 21:00). Closed on Mondays.
The State Tretyakov Gallery is one of the foremost art galleries in the world which exhibits some of the masterpieces of Russian art and annually attracts over one million visitors. The gallery bears the name of its founder Pavel Tretyakov who began collecting works of art in the mid-19th century and donated his collection to the city of Moscow in 1892. The building was purchased by the Tretyakov family in 1851 and it has been extended as the art collection grows. Just outside the… Read more »