Moscow Gorky Park is located between Pushkinskaya embankment and Leninsky Avenue in the central part of the city. During Soviet times, part of the modern park’s territory was selected to host Agricultural exhibition.
Later, the exhibition territory was merged with Neskuchny Sad (Neskuchny Garden) and part of Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) parks. Gorky Park was constructed on this new merged territory.
Two of the park’s entrances from Leninsky Avenue and Krymsky Val Street were decorated with Soviet style Triumphal Gates.
During the 1990s and 2000s the park’s territory looked quite unfriendly and included many outdated rides, low end cafes and 2 dirty ponds.
In 2011 new Moscow city government started a major reconstruction project of Gorky Park. This has resulted in tremendous changes.
The park was turned into a world class recreational area. Today it has lots of modern facilities that attract locals and tourists both in winter and summer:
- The whole area of the park is covered with free WiFi
- Gorky Park has several modern playgrounds for the kids
- The whole area of the park is covered with bicycle and jogging lanes
- In summer Gorky Park hosts multiple sports facilities setup by world class brands like Nike and Adidas
- There is about a dozen restaurants and snack bars located all over the park
- During winter Gorky Park hosts the largest skating rink in the city
- Summer is great for various sports activities here that included free dance and yoga classes
- Garage Museum of Contemporary Art is located at the premises of Gorky Park
Local ponds have been cleaned and are now inhabited by several kinds of fish and swans. There is also an ongoing reconstruction of the monuments located at the park that include fountains and sculptures.
Right now this is a safe area located in the downtown of Moscow that has a lot to offer throughout the whole year.
During winter Gorky Park hosts one of the most popular skating rinks in the city that ususally opens at the end of November. There is a high tech freezing system deployed at the park that makes it possible to skate in the temperatures above 0 degrees Celcius (32 degrees Fahrenheit (°F)).
The skating area covers several lanes and squares of the park and includes a skating school, a dedicated hockery rink and several equipment rental facilities. There are heaters that they usually deploy around the skating area where you can warm up during colder weather. Also there are several cafes that can be easily accessed without taking off the skates.
It's nice to spend a day here enjoying some fresh air in the central part of the city. Thats a great alternative to visiting a dacha for those that get stuck in the city during summer!
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