🌳 Patriarch's Ponds (Patriarshiye Prudy)

A square pond surrounded by old lime trees and benches, a calm park amid quiet lanes and the setting of The Master and Margarita.

In 1683 Patriarch Joachim ordered the local Goat Marsh drained and three fish ponds dug.
After the fire of 1812 two ponds were filled in and one remained; Trekhprudny Lane recalls the three.
From 1932 to 1992 the pond was officially called Pionersky ("Pioneer").
The 1976 Krylov monument (sculptors Andrei Drevin and Daniel Mitlyansky) is surrounded by scenes from 12 fables.
The stone pavilion by the water was built in 1986 on the site of a wooden one from 1938.
The Master and Margarita begins here; the sign banning talking to strangers refers to the novel's first chapter.
A skating rink has been flooded on the pond since 1900, with an area of about 12,000 m².

Part of these routes