Chistye Prudy and Chistoprudny Boulevard. Chistoprudny Boulevard (passage Chistoprudny Boulevard) Chistoprudny Boulevard

Chistoprudny Boulevard 14 - apartment building of the Trinity Church on Gryazekh, 1908-1909 - a monument of late, national modernism.
House designed by architect. L. L. Kravetsky and P. K. Mikini is decorated with fabulous animals by S. I. Vashkov.
Vashkov’s works are extremely interesting - and above all this is the church in Klyazma (see river architecture parts 11, 12 and 14 and 18)

The highlight of the house is, of course, the figured pattern that carpets the third and fourth floors. The drawings in the form of animals, birds and plants are made of terracotta (fired clay) according to the sketches of the artist Sergei Vashkov, who was involved in this work by the Murava artel.

To a person far from architecture, the bas-reliefs of fairy-tale creatures most likely will not mean anything, but a sophisticated eye will immediately notice the similarity with the decoration of the Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir (12th century). The outside walls of the cathedral are decorated with more than 600 reliefs with images of birds and animals, mythical and real, as well as sculpted faces of saints and seraphim.
Vasnetsov's student, S.I. Vashkov interpreted the ancient images in his own way (enlarged them, which was typical of the Art Nouveau style) and moved them to Moscow on Chistye Prudy.

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Even without knowing anything about the history of the creation of these drawings, you can simply admire them, or even kill time, trying to count how many lions are on the facade, how many griffins, owls, deer and unprecedented animals that are difficult to recognize...
Fortunately, Vashkov’s works have been preserved almost completely over time (by the way, the artist himself settled in this house), but the architectural project (authors - L. Kravetsky and P. Mikini) has undergone changes.
Many - almost all - apartment buildings were built on top, the same thing happened with this house in 1944-45. Initially 4-storey, the house lost the upper side hipped square towers and grew by two more, and from the corners - by three floors (this superstructure looks alien to the Art Nouveau style, which sought to get away from right angles - from the lower part of the building you can still see that the corners “smoothed out” and decorated).

Information taken in part from

Chistoprudny Boulevard on the Yandex panorama

Chistoprudny Boulevard – boulevard in the Basmanny district of Central administrative district Moscow. Located between Myasnitskie Gate Square and Pokrovka. The length of the boulevard is 822 m.

Chistoprudny Boulevard in Moscow - history, name

Once upon a time a river called Rachka flowed through here. It began in Poganaya Luzha, flowed along Kolpachny and Podkopaevsky lanes, crossed Podkokolny lane, Solyanka street and flowed into the Moscow River near the Yauza. In the Census of Households of the Patriarchal Sloboda of 1630, the “puddle” is mentioned as the Pogany Pond: the settlement church was called the Church of “Gabriel the Great, on the Pogany Pond.” After the pond was put in order in 1703 by order of Menshikov, it began to be called Clean. In this form, the pond gave the name to the boulevard - Chistoprudny.

There are several versions regarding the origin of the name Pogany Pond.

The most common one “blames” the settlement of butchers for everything. Allegedly, the butchers dumped waste into the pond, which made it famous throughout the area. But... Firstly, the city did not shine with cleanliness: there were many applicants. However, it is difficult to remember other “unsanitary” names. Secondly, the pond was not the closest place for waste. The current Kostyansky Lane got its name precisely because butchers dumped a lot of things there; it was closer.

The second version reminds us that the word “filthy” comes from the Latin paganus – “rural”. In the process of "introducing" Christianity into ancient Rome the greatest successes were achieved in cities. The villagers remained pagans for a long time. This led to the words "rural" and "pagan" becoming synonymous. Initially, it simply stated religious affiliation. Later, when Christianity began to wage a real religious war against paganism, the word acquired a modern meaning, since everything associated with paganism was outlawed. The second version is that in ancient times there were pagan idols near the pond, which, with the advent of the era of Christianity, found their last refuge in it. But this is ancient history.

Recent research shows that the Pogany Pond was in a different place.

Now about the second part of the name – “boulevard”. Chistoprudny Boulevard was laid out in the 1820s. on the site of the White City fortress wall. The rest of the boulevards have the same “serf” origin. The custom of arranging alleys with flowers, bushes and trees on the site of fortress walls came to us from France, where they were called boulevards. In turn, the French boulevard comes from the German Bolwerk - “fortress wall”. So, while offering to stroll along the boulevard, we suggest walking along the fortress wall. Chistoprudny Boulevard is part of the Boulevard Ring.

In the 1950s there was a boat station on Chistoprudny Boulevard in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter. In the morning, children and junior schoolchildren were allowed into the skating rink; in the evening it was opened for high school students. The skating rink was surrounded by a high fence made of boards, so it was difficult to get into it in the evening without passing the entrance. All that was left was to cling to the crack in the fence and look at the falling snow, garlands of lanterns and, as it seemed then, adults skating. In 1958 the boat station was closed. Instead of boats, they launched swans and ducks. Then the skating rink, which had been a children's skating rink for a short time, was also closed.

Boulevard in the Basmanny district of the Central Administrative District of Moscow. It runs from Myasnitskie Gate Square to Pokrovskie Gate Square, numbering starts from Myasnitskie Gate. On the boulevard there are Chistye Prudy (in fact, there is only one pond). The boulevard faces: from the inside, Arkhangelsky Lane, from the outside, Bolshoi Kharitonyevsky Lane and Makarenko Street.

A granite barrier with lamps and stone benches forms the entrance to the green strip of the boulevard. Behind it is a monument to A. S. Griboyedov, erected in 1959 (sculptor A. A. Manuilov, architect A. A. Zavarzin).

Chistoprudny Boulevard was built in the 1820s, when considerable funds were allocated for the restoration of Moscow after the great fire of 1812.

This is the largest in area among the boulevards of the ring and the second after Tverskoy in length (822 meters). In addition to the wide main alley, there is also a quiet side alley, separated by a lawn, which is planted with groups of trees and bushes. Both alleys open onto a large area near the pond. In January 1966, a two-story glass cafe opened here. In 1982 it was rebuilt for the first time. The modern White Swan complex was built in the 2000s. In 2006, a monument to Abai Kunanbayev was erected nearby and a fountain was built.

Clean ponds were formed thanks to a dam flowing along the wall White City river Rachki. Until the end of the 17th century, local butchers dumped waste from slaughtered cattle into Rachka and the pond; the water spread a stench, which is why the ponds were originally called Pogany (there are other versions of the origin of this name, but the one mentioned above is considered the most common).

The favorite of Peter I, Menshikov, who bought the land now occupied by the post office, cleaned the ponds and strictly forbade polluting them; Since then they have been called Pure.

Since ancient times there were ponds favorite place boating and, in winter, ice skating. The author of a guide to Moscow in 1831 invites the reader to visit the boulevard in order to “admire skating here in the English or St. Petersburg style.”

In 1960, the banks of the pond were reinforced with stone, and in 1966 - with concrete.

The pond, lined with linden trees, is hugged by two narrow alleys that converge at the end of the boulevard.

Chistoprudny Boulevard is repeatedly mentioned in Russian literature, both pre-revolutionary - by Pisemsky, Leskov, Boborykin - and Soviet. You can read about the boulevard during the NEP period in the story “Knives” by V. Kataev, based on which an operetta was written at one time. The boulevard of the 1920-1930s is dedicated to the book “Chistye Prudy” by Yu. Nagibin, who lived in this area, on which a film was made. Many poems by modern poets have been written about the boulevard.

At the Pokrovsky Gate, the boulevard closes with a well-preserved building of a former hotel, built at the beginning of the 19th century according to the design, presumably, of V.P. Stasov, although his authorship has not been documented.

At the beginning of its existence, the development of both sides of the boulevard was predominantly of the nobility. The author of a guidebook in 1831 exudes delight: “On both sides rise such houses that would have seemed to our ancestors to be something extraordinary: their uneducated mind could never have imagined such proportionate stone chambers.” Archival data, however, does not confirm the presence here of either particularly large, even for that time, or architecturally valuable buildings; “proportionality” of buildings for the architecture of the era of classicism was a mandatory condition. In any case, in terms of its development, Chistoprudny Boulevard could not compare with either Tverskoy or Nikitsky.

In the second half of the 19th century, the mansions passed into the hands of the middle merchants, officials and philistines. At the same time, several multi-storey apartment buildings appeared here. The Soviet period also made its own adjustments to the architectural appearance of the boulevard: here you can see buildings from the period of the Soviet avant-garde and the emerging “great Stalinist style”.

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Previously, in the area of Chistoprudny Boulevard there was a slaughterhouse - “Zhivotinny Dvor”, the waste from which was dumped into a pond (there is only one here), called Pogany. In Peter's times, Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov bought land in this area. The corner building at the Myasnitsky 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 be polluted. Since then they have been called Pure. The meat trade at 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 area of Chistoprudny Boulevard. During its restoration, the remains of the White House wall were demolished and the pond was cleared. Two hotel buildings were built. One of them, at the Myasnitskiye 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.
Historically at the walls of the White City; since the 18th century - on Chistoprudny Boulevard. The park area on the boulevard also bears this name.
Known since the 17th century as the Filthy Swamps (waste from nearby butcher shops and slaughterhouses was dumped into it). The Rachka River flowed from the pond, flowing south and flowing into the Moscow River at the future Orphanage. At the beginning of the 18th century it became part of the Moscow estate of A.D. Menshikov, was cleaned out and from that time received the name Chisty Pond or Chistye Prudy.
In 1990, the name “Chistye Prudy” was given to the Moscow metro station (since its opening in 1935, it was called “Kirovskaya”).
Since the 1990s, Chistye Prudy has become famous throughout Russian Federation a cult “party” place in the capital, where bohemians and informal groups, lovers of alternative music, including rockers, metalheads, punks, goths, and sometimes skinheads gather. Usually vacationers meet at the monument to Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov, drink beer and other alcoholic drinks “on the grass,” on benches and at the fountain in the western part of Chistoprudny Boulevard and call this place “ChP,” “Chistaki,” or simply “Chistye.” According to an urban legend, supported by numerous facts, law enforcement agencies turn a blind eye to mass drinking alcoholic drinks in this public place, including minors. Also are permanent place all kinds of political rallies and celebrations of football victories. They often become the venue for all sorts of flash mob events. In winter, the pond is used as a spontaneous ice skating rink.

Estate of E. P. Kashkin - A. A. Durasova
House with mezzanine
Moscow, Chistoprudny Boulevard, 10с2

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Apartment building (1875, architect A.E. Weber)
It was once an outbuilding and was part of the complex of buildings of the Kashkin-Durasova estate.
The building was periodically rebuilt. This happened both in 1817 and in 1859.
The wing underwent the last reconstruction in the period 1875-1876. The work was supervised by the architect Weber. It was then that the house became a separate building.
It was under him that the building was decorated with stucco in the form of miniature rosettes, as well as wreaths. In the center of the latter there were sculptures of flying doves intertwined with ribbons.
The building is given special charm by relief slabs with sitting children and columns with Corinthian capitals.

Charity home for honored elderly members of the postal and telegraph department
Moscow, Chistoprudny Boulevard, 4

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Year of construction 1898,
Architect, sculptor, restorer: A.P. Popov
The two-story building with sharp-angled spiers on the roof was built in late XIX century at the expense of the Russian Postal and Telegraph Department.
Here was the “House of Charity” (as they say now, “Home for the Elderly”), in which people lived out their lives, most have worked in the postal department and have no close relatives.
The building still belongs to the Main Post Office of Russia.
After the revolution, the house was adapted into institutions and apartments. In 1922, the Dry Cleaning Labor Association, the Gamma artel, was located here. In 1929, Alexander Vasilyevich Sveshnikov, who was then the choirmaster of the Second Moscow Art Theater, lived in one of the apartments. Then the departmental clinic of the Moscow Post Office moved into the building.
The building was founded in May 1895 and the first visitors were received here in 1898. Architect A.P. was appointed as the author of the project. Popov.
The façade of the building, facing Chistoprudny Boulevard, was decorated in pseudo-Russian (neo-Russian) style.

Moscow, Chistoprudny Boulevard, 1
The house of the merchant Gusyatnikov, after whom the neighboring Gusyatnikov Lane is named. The house survived the Moscow fire (1812). The second house on the boulevard, under the same number, was built by B.V. Freidenberg in 1886.

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The three-story house on the corner of the boulevard was built in 1806. The facade of the house from Myasnitskaya Street was decorated with a six-column portico, which was removed during the reconstruction of the house in 1876, and shops were opened in the building.

Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture
Moscow, Myasnitskaya street, 21с1

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Yushkov's house. Here, from the pre-revolutionary period until 1946, lived the Russian painter P. I. Kelin, a student of V. A. Serov, a teacher of V. Mayakovsky and B. Ioganson. The house housed the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (now the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture). Built at the turn of the 1780s - 1790s. architect (presumably) V.I. Bazhenov. In the courtyard there are: the House of the Moscow Art Society (1913, architect N. S. Kurdyukov) and an exhibition hall (1910s, architect N. S. Kurdyukov together with V. G. Shukhov).
Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
Founded in 1987 by People's Artist of the USSR Ilya Sergeevich Glazunov. From this year to the present, he has been the rector of the Academy. Ilya Glazunov began his active teaching career at Moscow State Art Institute named after. Surikov, where he headed the portrait workshop. Since June 10, 2009 it has been named after I. S. Glazunov.
The Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture is located in a building designed by the outstanding Russian architect V.I. Bazhenov on Myasnitskaya street, building 21, - historical monument XVIII century.
Built in 1780-1790 for Podnik General I.I. Yushkov's house became a popular high society salon in the capital. After the death of the Yushkovs, the house belonged to P.I. Yushkov, their son. By this time, the financial affairs of this family had fallen into disrepair, which forced the owner to rent out part of the premises for a drawing class to the Moscow Art Society in 1838. Starts from this date new life Yushkov's house, associated with the Moscow Public Art School.
The leaders and organizers of the Moscow (public) art school at that time were M.F. Orlov, A.D. Chertkov, F.Ya. Skaryatin, E.I. Makovsky. In the project they prepared for a “public art class,” it was determined that the Moscow art school being created should provide an opportunity for the development of talents from the people.
General M.F. became the main elected director of the art class and the most active member of the Art Society. Orlov, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.
The artistic class was recognized by government bodies only in 1843. It began to appear in the affairs of the Moscow educational district in 1844, when the Moscow Art Society acquired the entire building.
At the end of the 19th century, the School actually had the status of a higher educational institution, and in 1905 there was an imperial order signed by Nicholas II granting the Moscow Art School the rights of a higher educational institution with complete independence in terms of education.
The Moscow School of Painting differed from other educational institutions in its democratic admission conditions and truly creative atmosphere. This art school united creative youth, for whom the main principle of creativity in art was realism.
Many of the School's teachers became members of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions.
Since 1865, in connection with the annexation of the Moscow architectural school The school became known as the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
The leading class of the School was the full-scale class. It was headed by V.G. Perov, A. Ryabushkin, S. Korovin and many others. The landscape class was taught by academician of painting A.K. Savrasov. Among his students were I.I. Levitan and K.A. Korovin are the greatest masters of Russian landscape. After the death of A.K. Savrasov’s landscape class was taught by P.D. Polenov, and then A.M. Vasnetsov. In the 1870-1890s, V. Pukirev, E. Sorokin, N. Nevrev, S. Korovin, L. Pasternak and others taught at the School.
At this time, exhibitions of famous artists, concerts and charity evenings were held on the premises of the School. The old house on Myasnitskaya Street has always attracted a lot of people. At the end of the 19th century, a four-story educational building was added to the building of the Yushkov house on Bobrov Lane, and at the beginning of the 20th century, two eight-story residential buildings for faculty and students rose in the courtyard.
At the same time, according to the drawings of the architect I.O. Kurdyukov, an exhibition hall was built in the courtyard.
The glazed roof of the hall was designed by the famous Russian designer V.G. Shukhov is the author of the first radio broadcast and television tower in Moscow. After the revolutionary events of 1917, the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture ceased to exist, and the First State Art Workshops were opened in the premises at 21 Myasnitskaya Street (the second were opened on the basis of the Stroganov School). Artists such as Lentulov, Konchalovsky, Mashkov, Rodchenko and others, who were part of the “Jack of Diamonds” association of ARTISTS, as well as Malevich and Kandinsky, who were the founders of abstract art, came to lead the workshops.

Moscow, Frolov lane, 1
The apartment building of the St. Petersburg Insurance Company "Russia" on Sretensky Boulevard (1899-1902, architect N.M. Proskurnin, A.I. von Gauguin) is one of the largest pre-revolutionary residential complexes and one of most beautiful buildings in the city.

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In that legendary house(or rather, a complex of buildings) in one of his apartments (N85) before the revolution the board of the Moscow Football League was located; after 1917 - Russian Telegraph Agency (ROSTA), Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army, People's Commissariat of Education. The building was visited by I.E. Repin, M. Gorky, V.I. Lenin; worked M.A. Bulgakov, N.K. Krupskaya; lived scientists M.I. Averbakh, B.D. Grekov, I.E. There M. At the end of the 1940s, the first Moscow rental office opened in the house. Famous constructivist architect Sh.E. Le Corbusier considered this house the most beautiful in Moscow.

Valeryanova's house
Moscow, Bobrov lane, 6, building 3

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M. Turgenevskaya, Chistye Prudy
Moscow international center translation
(territory of the Turgenev Library)
The house with apartments for rent was built in 1900 according to the design of the architect P.L. Syuzeva. The customer was A.A. Valeryanova.
The house was restored in the 2000s.
Anna Aleksandrovna Valeryanova is the wife of State Councilor Valeryanov Konstantin Nikolaevich, a survey engineer, a member of the Society for Assistance to Students of the Land Survey Institute.

Moscow, Frolov lane, 2
Moscow theater “Et cetera” under the direction of Alexander Kalyagin; restaurant "A'propos".

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It appeared on the site of the old Moscow quarter in 2005, and passions immediately flared up around it. Architects A.V. are listed on the sign located to the right of the entrance. Kuzmin, A.V. Bokov, A.A. Velikanov, M.V. Belitsa. However, Velikanov, who began developing the project, bringing the construction of the building to “concrete”, demanded to be excluded from the list of authors, not wanting to have anything to do with the Frolov house, 2. The rest did not discuss the merits of the building and successful solutions, but explained why this happened.
House 2 not only did not find a common language with the nearby buildings, it did not find harmony with itself. The right side of the puck protrusion resembles the Kazansky railway station, the left is dotted with numerous windows of various styles. Rus' with Gothic, palace portal and column with pedestal. For some reason the portal is duplicated, and the empty pedestal makes one think of Tseretelli. A statue of his work would suitably complete House 2.
numerous windows of different styles are a symbol of multiple realities. Column with an "ear" facing the sky. The double portal is a door in front of you, but if you raise your head, you will see another one. All this can be understood as the ideas of Kalyagin’s theater.
House 2 San Sanycha
But San Sanych is not on the list of architects, and if someday House 2 becomes business card Moscow, just as the Eiffel Tower became a symbol of Paris, the glory will not go to him.

Gerasimov's House
Moscow, Bobrov lane, 6, building 1

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The building was built in 1895 according to the design of the architect Adolf Nikolaevich Knabe on the territory of the estate of the noble family Petrovo-Solovovo. Currently, the building is occupied by the city's oldest public free library-reading room named after I.S. Turgenev.
At the heart of the building at 6 C1 Bobrov Lane is chamber XVII.
The house was reconstructed in 2004.
At the beginning of the 19th century. on this site was the estate of the merchant Vasily Gerasimov with a two-story stone house with its main facade facing the alley. In 1822, it came into the possession of the merchant Kirill Biryukov, and then to his relative Anna Aleksandrovna Valeryanova, the wife of the state councilor Konstantin Nikolaevich Valeryanov, a survey engineer, a member of the Society for Assistance to Students of the Land Survey Institute.
The houses were restored in 1996-2004. Buildings 1 and 2 were transferred to the I.S. Library-Reading Room. Turgenev.

Moscow, Sretensky Boulevard, 6/1с1

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Complex of former buildings insurance company "Russia" (1899-1902, architect N. M. Proskurnin, with the participation of V. A. Velichkin, forged fence - architect O. V. Dessin). After 1917, the building was successively occupied by ROSTA, the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army, and the People's Commissariat for Education. The building is an object cultural heritage federal significance. The architect V. E. Dubovskoy lived in the house. Previously, on the site of the building there was a panorama, built in 1875 by architect V. N. Karneev.

Apartment building of the Trinity Church on Gryazekh
Moscow, Chistoprudny Boulevard, building 14с3

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Built in 1908-1909. according to the design of architect L.L. Kravetsky (plan development) and civil engineer P.K. Mikini (Chistoprudny Boulevard, building 14). The planes of the walls of the second - fourth floors are completely covered with terracotta bas-reliefs of fantastic animals, birds and trees, made by the Murava artel according to the sketches of the artist S.I. Vashkov. The samples were the bas-reliefs of St. Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir.
Very interesting is house No. 14 on Chistoprudny Boulevard - the apartment building of the Trinity Church on Gryazekh, popularly known as the “house with animals”. It was built according to the design of L.L. Kravetsky and P.K. Mikini in 1908-1909. The building is decorated with fabulous animals by S.I. Vashkov in the style of the bas-reliefs of the Dimitrievsky Cathedral in the city of Vladimir. At the same time, Sergey Vashkov was involved not only in the external design of the house, but also in the interior. He himself settled in the same house, where he died in November 1914.
Initially, the house was four-story with two hipped towers at the edges, and in the post-war years it was built up to the current 7 floors by the architect B.L. Topaz. This was a widespread post-war practice. The animals, for the most part, have been preserved.
Now the entire lower floor of the apartment building of the Trinity Church on Gryazekh is occupied by the Marine Aquarium on Chistye Prudy store and the Oceanarium museum. The highlight of " Marine Aquarium» can be considered the circular 25-meter panoramic aquarium “Batiscaphe”, in which 10 sharks swim and a feeding show of sharks and moray eels regularly takes place.
And the Church of the Trinity on Gryazekh itself is located nearby, at the Intercession Gate. The planes of the walls of the second - fourth floors are completely covered with terracotta bas-reliefs of fantastic animals, birds and trees. The bas-reliefs were made by the Murava art studio according to the sketches of the artist S.I. Vashkov. He was involved not only in the exterior design of the house, but also in the design of its interior. Then he himself settled in the same house and lived in it until his death.
The house was originally four stories high, with two hipped towers. But in 1945 it was built with three floors according to the design of the architect B.L. Topaz. At the same time, the second floor balconies and towers were destroyed. True, the house has become more harmonious: the upper part of the house balanced the lower floors, rich in decor.

We continue our cycle of walks along the Boulevard Ring. Today we will walk along Chistoprudny, Pokrovsky and Yauzsky boulevards, get acquainted with their sights and history.

We will see the monument to A.S. Griboyedov, the Church of the Archangel Gabriel, the monument to Abai Kunanbaev and much more, we will visit Chisty Pond, surrounded by a picturesque park, and find out why a tram, designated not by a number, but by the letter “A”, still runs along the Boulevard Ring to this day.

We get off at the station"Chistye Prudy".

If in the metro we strictly follow the signs “To Chistoprudny Boulevard”, then we will find ourselves on Myasnitskie Gate Square, from which it begins.

Chistoprudny Boulevard begins with a monument to A.S. Griboyedov, an outstanding Russian diplomat and playwright, author of the immortal play “Woe from Wit”.

The pedestal of the monument is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Chatsky, Famusov, Molchanov and other heroes of the play.

Behind the monument we have a view of Chistoprudny Boulevard.

But here it is worth making a reservation: since we are interested not only in the sights of the boulevard itself, but also in its surroundings, and the pedestrian part of the boulevard is separated from the roadway by a cast-iron fence, we will move both along the pedestrian part and along the right and left sidewalks, in the right places crossing the road.

Let's start with the even side. Two-story beige building with sharp-angled turrets (house No. 4) - monument architecture of the 19th century century.

A dome is visible above its roof Orthodox Church. To inspect it, after building No. 4 we turn into Arkhangelsky Lane. The temple that opens up to our eyes is the Church of the Archangel Gabriel, an architectural monument of the early 18th century.

This church is the only one in Moscow made in the form of a tower. In the 18th century, it bore the unofficial name “Menshikov Tower” (as it was built by order of Prince Menshikov). Even a sign on the facade of the building has been preserved, on which the name of the Temple is indicated: “Church of the Archangel Gabriel. Menshikov Tower".

Now the tower has four floors. Initially, it was five stories high, and above the fifth floor rose a spire with a clock and the figure of the Archangel Gabriel. At that time, the Menshikov Tower was the tallest church in Moscow, it was 3 meters higher than the Bell Tower of John the Climacus (Ivan the Great) in the Moscow Kremlin.

But in 1723, the spire of the tower was struck by lightning, the wooden fifth floor burned down, and the spire collapsed. Rumors immediately spread among the people that this was heavenly punishment for the prince for allegedly putting himself above the king.

But the Most Serene One had no time for that. At that time, he was already the governor of St. Petersburg and all his Moscow projects cared little for him. G.Z., who lived next door, undertook to restore the half-burnt church. Izmailov, member of the Masonic lodge. For some time, the church was used for meetings of Masons; new bas-reliefs with Masonic symbols even appeared on the facades (erased by order of Metropolitan Philaret in 1860).

A church was built next to the tower at the beginning of the 19th century. Such close proximity of two independent temples was explained by the fact that the tall Menshikov Tower in winter time it was very difficult to heat, and during prayer services it was very difficult for both parishioners and clergy. And the Church of Theodore Stratilates was made very warm, so it began to serve as a winter parish, and the Church of the Archangel Gabriel - a summer one.

It must be said that from an architectural point of view, the combination of these two church buildings looks quite harmonious. Not every passerby will guess that these are two different temples.

Remarkable fact: in architecture Orthodox churches As a rule, the bell tower is the tallest building. In this case, the opposite happened: the role of the belfry is performed by the Church of Fyodor Stratelates. There are no bells on the Menshikov Tower (they were there before the fire described above, but during the reconstruction it was decided not to restore the bell tower).

We return to the boulevard. The next building that deserves attention, house number 10, is the Kashkin-Durasova Estate, an architectural monument of the 19th century.

We will cross the pedestrian crossing to the other side to find ourselves on the pedestrian part of the boulevard. Passing through tram rails, it should be recalled that a rather remarkable tram runs in the Chistye Prudy area - the Annushka tavern on wheels. By paying 100 rubles, you can make an original tram excursion, and at the same time have a snack or drink. And on Fridays and Saturdays “Annushka” goes on a two-hour excursion throughout Moscow. The beginning of the route is at the Chistye Prudy station.

The name “Annushka” itself comes from the fact that until quite recently in the speech of Muscovites one could often hear “Ring A” (Boulevard Ring) and “Ring B” (Garden Ring). To this day, a tram runs along the Boulevard Ring, marked not by a number, but by the letter “A”. This is where the name of the tram-tavern "Annushka" came from.

On the boulevard in summer time Various exhibitions of paintings and photographs are often held.

After walking a little more, we see the next monument. The venerable old man, seated in the pose of a thinker, is Abai Kunanbayev - an outstanding Kazakh poet, the founder of Kazakh writing. The area around the monument is paved with white stone and surrounded by a granite semicircle, the inscription on which reads “Eternal is the creator of the immortal word.”

Here it is worth saying a few words about the origin of the pond and its name. Where Chistoprudny Boulevard now runs, for a long time there were various slaughterhouses and shopping arcades selling meat (it is no coincidence that the name of one of the streets adjacent to the boulevard is Myasnitskaya). And all the waste from slaughterhouses and butcher shops was dumped into the swamp, which was located on the site of the current pond. That is why the swamp was called “Filthy Pond”.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Prince Menshikov bought a significant plot in this area (that’s why the Menshikov Tower was built here). He ordered the slaughterhouses to be moved to another location, and the pond to be cleaned and improved. In contrast to the old name, it was called “Chisty Pond”. The name of the area “Chistye Prudy” was common, since there was always only one pond here. But it has taken root so much that it has survived to this day in exactly this form - in the plural.

Nowneighborhoods Chistye Pond- a favorite place for Muscovites to meet, date and walk. One of the few water-based restaurants in the city, “Shater,” is founded on the pond, catamaran rentals are organized, and sometimes you can even ride a gondola.

Opposite the pond, on the odd side of the boulevard (house no. 19), the building of the Sovremennik Theater is located.

Now on the ground floor of the house there is a Library named after F.M. Dostoevsky.

Having reached the end of the pond, we will move to the even side of the boulevard. House No. 14, Apartment building of the Trinity Church on Gryazi, built at the beginning of the 20th century, a monument of late, “national” Art Nouveau. It is interesting not only from an architectural but also from an artistic point of view. The facade of the first four floors (the three upper floors were built on much later) is decorated with frescoes with images of fairy-tale animals by the artist S.I. Vashkova.

The building at the end of the boulevard is the former hotel “At the Pokrovsky Gate”

Today, the building, unfortunately, is in a very dilapidated condition.

Having gone around the building of the former hotel, we find ourselves on Pokrovsky Gate Square. Many people associate this name with the Soviet film of the same name. The house in one of the communal apartments of which the characters in the film live was located somewhere here. According to the plot, at the end of the film this house is demolished, so it is unknown which house director Mikhail Kozakov had in mind.

Before moving towards Pokrovsky Boulevard, turn left onto Pokrovka Street. House No. 22, a three-story turquoise building - Apraksin-Trubetskoy Estate, monument architecture XVII I century.

A memorial plaque on the facade notifies us that the estate was visited several times by A.S. Pushkin.

Church domes rise above the roofs of Pokrovka houses, so we are heading there. In a small Barashevsky lane is located the Church of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Barashy.

Nearby there is a building that bears little resemblance to an Orthodox church.

Before the revolution, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Barashi was located here. In the 1930s, the bell tower of the temple was destroyed, the domes were demolished, and the iconostasis was eliminated.

Now the building of the former church is occupied by one of the departments of the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate. The Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly tried to return the Temple to parishioners; the police authorities are also not against vacating the building, but for this it is necessary to find suitable premises for moving. Unfortunately, this has not yet been possible.

In a small park paved with stone slabs, there is a monument to N.G. Chernyshevsky, writer and revolutionary philosopher, author of the famous novel “What is to be done?”

Passing the Pokrovsky Gate Square, turn left and turn into Khokhlovsky Lane. Here we will see the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhly, an architectural monument of the 17th century.

We return to Pokrovsky Boulevard. On the odd side is the largest building of the boulevard (more than 100 meters long) - the Pokrovsky Barracks (house No. 3).

The barracks were built at the beginning of the 19th century by order of Emperor Paul I. In front of the barracks, in the place where the boulevard now runs, there was a parade ground. It is noteworthy that the building was used as barracks until 1960, after the revolution it was renamed Dzerzhinsky.

Let's move to the even side. Opposite the Pokrovsky barracks is house No. 10 with the adjacent Milyutinsky Garden. The building contains Child Center aesthetic education, and the garden is a favorite vacation spot for residents of the surrounding area. The park is equipped with several children's playgrounds, a sports ground for playing basketball or football, and along the paths of the garden there are benches for relaxing and leisurely conversations.

The garden is very well maintained and cozy. For example, you rarely see a fruiting apple tree in the center of Moscow.

After a walk in the garden, we return to the boulevard and go to the odd side.

The building next to the Milyutinsky Garden (house No. 12С1), the Krestnikova House, built in the 19th century (rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century), is now occupied by the Prosecutor's Office of the Central Administrative District.

These are the buildings of the former Krestovnikov estate built in the 19th century.

Let's cross to the other side of the boulevard and turn into Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Lane. Here is the Church of the Three Saints on Kulish (after which the lane got its name).

Here it is worth saying a few words about the area of Bolshoi and Maly Trekhsvyatitelskiy lanes, Khitrovsky lane and other surrounding areas. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, “Khitrovka” (as this area was called then) was far from the most welcoming corner of Moscow. "Khitrovka" was the center of the capital's criminal world. Criminals of all stripes lived here, from so-called “businessmen” to petty swindlers, escaped convicts hid from the police here, and there were plenty of ordinary beggars and homeless people at Khitrovka.

Respectable citizens tried to avoid Khitrovka even during the day, and to be here at night meant guaranteed to be left without a wallet, or even lose their life. According to descriptions of contemporaries, even the police tried to appear on Khitrovka as rarely as possible; raids in this area were very risky.

Most Full description The everyday life of “Khitrovka” can be read in the book by V.A. Gilyarovsky "Moscow and Muscovites". Unlike most residents of the city, Gilyarovsky was not afraid to visit Khitrovka; they knew him here and accepted him as “one of their own.”

Later, playwrights K.K. also ventured along Gilyarovsky’s routes. Stanislavsky and V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko with artist V.A. Simov, when they were preparing to stage a play based on Maxim Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” (Gorky himself drew his “nature” from the slums Nizhny Novgorod). The production was a great success, largely due to the fact that its authors saw the “bottom” with their own eyes.

“Khitrovka” is often mentioned in detective stories by Boris Akunin.

Now only the name of Khitrovsky Lane reminds of that dangerous and unpleasant “Khitrovka”.

Let's return to the boulevard. House No. 11 - Durasov House, an architectural monument of the 18th century, is considered one of the best works of mature classicism in Moscow at the end of the 18th century. Now it is shrouded in a construction net, and a major reconstruction is underway.

Let's move to the even side. House No. 16, another architectural monument of the 19th century.

The building that ends the boulevard (house No. 18/15) - the Teleshev House (or the Karzinkin House) is known not only as an architectural monument of the 18th century, but also as a historical monument.

Initially, the house belonged to one of the branches of the Tolstoy counts, then it was bought by the merchant Andrei Karzinkin. At the end of the 19th century, the artist Elena Karzinkina lived here with her husband, writer Nikolai Teleshev. In 1899-1916. the creative Moscow intelligentsia gathered here, as a result of which a literary association arose, called “Wednesdays” by Teleshov. Maxim Gorky, Ivan Bunin, Fyodor Chaliapin, Sergei Rachmaninov and many other famous artists repeatedly took part in “Wednesdays”.

Pokrovsky Boulevard ends, turning into Yauzsky.

The even side of Yauzsky Boulevard begins with a monumental building in the style of post-constructivism, characteristic of the 30s of the 20th century.

The entrance to the building is decorated with two plaster figures - a miner and a collective farmer.

A man holds a jackhammer in one hand and a book in the other,

and the woman is depicted with a rifle and a sheaf of wheat.

Apparently, this should symbolize the comprehensiveness of the Soviet people, who can do everything: work, get an education, and, if necessary, defend their country with arms in hand.

Note that from the intersection where Yauzsky Boulevard begins, there is quite a scenic view: in the distance we see the domes of the Moscow Kremlin, and behind them high-rise buildings.

We are moving along the boulevard.

Its main attraction has recently been the monument to Rasul Gamzatov, an outstanding Soviet poet. The monument was erected quite recently, in the summer of 2013.

The monument represents a full-length figure of the poet sitting on a chair, and the composition is completed by a granite stele, which depicts a flock of cranes and immortal lines written by Gamzatov:

"Sometimes it seems to me that the soldiers
Those who did not come from the bloody fields,
They once did not perish in this earth,
And they turned into white cranes."

are architectural monuments of the 19th century.

House No. 13 - Boldyrevs' apartment building, an architectural monument in the Art Nouveau style of the early 20th century.

Part of the premises of this building is occupied by the Central Border Museum.

Having crossed to the other side of the boulevard, we turn into Petropavlovsky Lane. At its beginning stands the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul at the Yauz Gate, an architectural monument of the early 18th century (1700-1702).

This church is worth not only viewing from the outside, but also visiting its courtyard. Such a cozy arrangement of a church yard is rarely seen in Moscow. On the platform, paved with granite tiles, there is a rotunda with a small fountain in the form of an Orthodox cross, on both sides of it there are plaster figures of praying women.

To the left of the rotunda we see a wooden cross in memory of all those buried in the graveyard of the Peter and Paul Church.

Solyanka street.

Coming out of the park and crossing the road, we turn left. The seemingly inconspicuous building of house No. 14, however, is an architectural monument of the 18th century; the Institute of Obstetrics was located here, as stated by the memorial plaque on the facade of the building.

The building that follows is much more monumental. This is a classic example of the Russian Empire style of the 19th century.

Until 1917, the Moscow Council of Guardians was located here. It is now occupied by the Academy of Medical Sciences.

The memorial plaque on the facade tells us that the outstanding scientist surgeon N.N. worked here. Burdenko.

Walking a little further, we will see two granite pylons with sculptural compositions crowning them. This is the Gate of the orphanage. The sculptures on the pylons are called “Education” and “Mercy”.

The Imperial Orphanage occupied an entire block between Solyanka and Moskvoretskaya embankment. The building itself is clearly visible from the embankment or from the Bolshoi Ustinsky Bridge, but the gate, which is an architectural monument in itself, faces Solyanka.

On the opposite side of the street we see the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Kulishki. Now it is “chained” in scaffolding, but judging by the elements that have already been restored, it is obvious that upon completion of the work it will look very beautiful.

At the entrance to the church there is a monument reminding us of one of the tragic pages of our modern history. This is a Monument in memory of the victims of the tragedy in Beslan. Figures of defenseless children, scattered children's toys... everyone passing by should understand that this should never happen again.

It is also worth paying attention to the complex of houses (No. 1 building 1 and No. 1 building 2). Monumental gray buildings at the end of Solyanka occupy an entire block. At the beginning of the twentieth century, they belonged to the Moscow Merchant Society and were used as apartment buildings (that is, the apartments in them were rented out). After the revolution they were nationalized and have been residential buildings ever since.

Located right in front of us, next to the Church on Kulishki.

This concludes our walk.