Zamoskvorechye District () is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of the

Central Administrative Okrug Central Administrative Okrug, or Tsentralny Administrativny Okrug (, ''Tsentralny administrativny okrug''), is one of the administrative divisions of Moscow, twelve administrative okrugs of Moscow, Russia. Population: . It is the core of the city ...

of the

federal city The term federal city is a title for certain cities in Germany, Switzerland, Russia, and several national capitals. Germany In Germany, the former West German capital Bonn has been designated with the title of federal city (''Bundesstadt''), ma ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It has a population of up from The district contains the eastern half of the historical Zamoskvorechye District, its western half administered by the

Yakimanka District Yakimanka District () is a administrative divisions of Moscow, district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Moscow, Russia. Population: It is named after the former church of Saint Joachim and Sain ...

, and the territories of Zatsepa Street and

Paveletsky Rail Terminal Moscow Paveletsky station () is one of Moscow's ten main railway stations. Originally called Saratovsky Railway Station, it was renamed after the settlement of Pavelets, when the railroad heading southeast from Moscow reached that point in 1899 ...

south of the

Garden Ring The Garden Ring, also known as the "B" Ring (; transliteration: ''Sadovoye Koltso''), is a circular ring road avenue around central Moscow, its course corresponding to what used to be the city ramparts surrounding Zemlyanoy Gorod in the 17th ...

. The boundary between Yakimanka District and Zamoskvorechye District follows

Balchug Island (or Zamoskvorechye) is an area in Moscow. It is made up of an artificial island and is located right across from the Kremlin between the Moskva River and its old riverbed, which was turned into the Vodootvodny Canal in 1786. It does not h ...

Street and Bolshaya Ordynka Street (north of

), and Korovy Val Street and Mytnaya Street (south of Garden Ring).

History

Old Muscovy

Territories on the right (southern) bank of

Moskva River The Moskva (, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river that flows through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through central Moscow. About southeast of Moscow, at the cit ...

, now known as Zamoskvorechye, were first colonized in the 14th century. Two river crossings, west and east of the

Moscow Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall along with the K ...

's walls, provide access to roads which originally continued south to

Kaluga Kaluga (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia. It stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Its population was 337,058 at the 2021 census. Kaluga's most famous residen ...

and

Serpukhov Serpukhov ( rus, Серпухов, p=ˈsʲerpʊxəf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Oka River, Oka and the Nara (Oka), Nara Rivers, 99 kilometers (62 miles) south fro ...

and served as main axes of settlement. Bolshaya Ordynka Street (Serpukhov road), currently the western boundary of the district, is named after ''Orda'',

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

, and was initially home to the

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

community. Regular floods and the north–south migration of Moskva river bed limited construction to a narrow, 500–700 meter wide strip of land between the Ordynka and Tatarskaya streets. The development of Zamoskvorechye followed the eastward expansion of the city on the northern bank; thus, eastern Zamoskvorechye is younger than the western Yakimanka District. For example, present-day Pyatnitskaya Street emerged early in the 15th century, when the expansion of the

moved the wooden

Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge The Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge () is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Moskva River in Moscow, Russia, immediately east of the Moscow Kremlin, Kremlin. The bridge connects Red Square with Bolshaya Ordynka Street in Zamoskvorechye. Built in 1 ...

one block eastward. The fortified line on the site of the present-day Garden Ring was built between 1591 and 1592 during the reign of

Feodor I Feodor I Ioannovich () or Fyodor I Ivanovich (; 31 May 1557 – 17 January 1598), nicknamed the Blessed (), was Tsar of all Russia from 1584 until his death in 1598. Feodor's mother died when he was three, and he grew up in the shadow of his ...

. Within the fortress wall, life was organized in a patchwork

sloboda A sloboda was a type of settlement in the history of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for 'freedom' and may be loosely translated as 'free settlement'.

system. Soldiers, craftsmen and foreigners settled in clearly defined communities, with some degree of personal liberty and independence from the

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

's authorities. Some of them included: * Royal garden attendants (садовники, ''sadovniki'') settled around

Street in the beginning of present-day

Sadovnicheskaya Street Sadovnicheskaya street (, lit. ''Gardener's Street'') is a street in the historical Zamoskvorechye District of Moscow, Russia, on a narrow Balchug, island between Moskva River and the parallel old river bed (Vodootvodny Canal). The street runs f ...

, from 1495 until the fire of 1701 * Tanners specializing in sheepskin (, ''ovchinniki'') settled the beginning of Pyatnitskaya Street, and gave their name to Ovchinnikovsky Lanes * Royal mint workers (, ''monetchiki'') settled in the southern end of the neighborhood on Pyatnitskaya Street (Monetchikovsky Lanes) *

Streltsy The streltsy (, ; , ) were the units of Russian firearm infantry from the 16th century to the early 18th century and also a social stratum, from which personnel for streltsy troops were traditionally recruited. They are also collectively kno ...

troops under the command of colonel Veshniakov gave rise to the name Vishnyakovsky Lane * The

community, which is still present in Tatarskaya Street's population * Court translators (, ''tolmachi'', German: ''Dolmetscher'') in Tolmachevsky Lanes

18th century

The sloboda system eventually fell apart as a result of Petrine reforms. The century was preceded by mass executions of

(September 30, 1698); all Streltsy troops were disbanded by 1720. Craftsmen lost their businesses when the royal court relocated to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 1713; the territories were slowly re-settled by farmers and merchants. The wealthier class concentrated in Pyatnitskaya and Ordynka streets; Zamoskvorechye became a quiet, country-like land of single-story houses and conservative businessmen. They gradually improved the area with new churches. For example, in 1755, the

Church of the Savior on Bolvany Church of Transfiguration of Savior in Bolvanovka (), also abbreviated to ''Saviour in Bolvanovka'' (Спас на Болвановке), is an Orthodox church in Zamoskvorechye District of Moscow. The neighborhood, Bolvanovka (rus. ''Болв� ...

was established. Administratively, Zamoskvorechye and Yakimanka were separated in 1782, when

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

divided the territory of Moscow into 20 police districts. Wiki Raushsky Baroque

In 1783, Moscow was hit by a disastrous flood. As a consequence, the city cleared the old river bed, building a canal that separated Sadovniki from the mainland (see

Vodootvodny Canal Vodootvodny Canal () is a 4 kilometre long, 30-60 metre wide canal in downtown Moscow, Russia. It was built in the 1780s on the old Stream bed, riverbed of the Moskva River to control floods and support shipping. Canal construction created an Is ...

for details and maps of the 1780s canal). Large areas east of Tatarskaya streets were flooded with the intention of building a river harbour and a fortified grain port on the eastern tip of the new

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

. These plans did not materialize; flooded lands were reclaimed in the 1820s, and were used as pastures and gardens. Sadovniki Fort was built on a different site, closer to the city center, as the

New Kriegskomissariat New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

(1778–1780), a neoclassical castle housing military offices and depots. Since that time, the military has continuous presence in Sadovniki East.

19th century

Construction of Babiegorodskaya Dam and the clearing of the

in the 1830s reduced the flood hazard, but the land remained cheap. This led to steady industrialization of Zamoskvorechye, starting with small home-based factories continuing the old sloboda traditions. Soon after the

Emancipation reform of 1861 The emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia, also known as the Edict of Emancipation of Russia, ( – "peasants' reform of 1861") was the first and most important of the liberal reforms enacted during the reign of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. T ...

, vacant lots in Sadovniki and Tatarskaya Streets became an industrialized, working-class area. These factories, from textile to turbine blades, were recently torn down or rebuilt into office space
Sparkling Wine Bottlery
on

, still operates). Construction of Pererva and

Kolomna Kolomna (, ) is a historic types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Moskva River, Moskva and Oka Rivers, (by rail) southeast of Moscow. Population: History Mentioned for the fir ...

dams between 1874 and 1877 attempted to improve shipping, but by this point, shipping had already lost out to the railroads. In 1857, English brothers Theodore and Edward Bromley set up a mechanical plant south from the Garden Ring, producing small hand tools. The Bromley brothers' business rapidly expanded, and by 1917 it controlled numerous metallurgical and mechanical plants around Paveletsky railroad, essentially creating a monopoly of plumbing supplies and railroad tooling. Another well-known business still has its headquarters on the corner of Pyatnitskaya and canal:

Smirnoff Smirnoff (; ) is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov (1831–1898), but its modern incarnation traces back to the ...

distillery, established on this site in 1862. Wiki Moscow Sadovnicheskaya 48 46

Moscow's first electrical powerplant was built in 1886 in

Tverskoy District Tverskoy District ( rus, Тверской район, p=tvʲɪrˈskoj, a=Ru-Тверской.ogg) is a administrative divisions of Moscow, district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Moscow, Russia. P ...

; the oldest extant powerplant, MOGES-1 (1896) still operates in Sadovniki. Railroads came to Zamoskvorechye in 1900 with the completion of

(then, Ryazan-Ural Railroad Terminal or Saratov terminal), causing rapid industrial construction south of The Garden Ring. The builders planned to extend this mainline railroad north towards the canal, terminating in Boloto square, just across from the Kremlin. This plan did not materialize.

Modern history

In 1922,

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

administration closed and looted 22 churches in Zamoskvorechye and Yakimanka; more destruction followed, leaving only one operational church in each district. 17 religious buildings survived to date, including a church of Novozybkov

Bespopovtsy Bespopovtsy ( rus, беспоповцы, p=bʲɪspɐˈpoftsɨ, t=priestless ones), often called Priestless Old Believers in English, are one of the two major groups of Old Believers. Unlike the Popovtsy ("priested"), the Bespopovtsy reject pries ...

(an

Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists ( Russian: староверы, ''starovery'' or старообрядцы, ''staroobryadtsy'') is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian ...

denomination) and the Historical Mosque (est. 1823
www.tatarmoscow.ru
). Housing construction in the 1920s proceeded slowly, with some examples surviving (a big constructivist block by

Bolshoy Ustinsky Bridge Bolshoy Ustinsky Bridge () is a steel arch bridge that spans Moskva River near the mouth of Yauza River, connecting the Boulevard Ring with Zamoskvorechye district in Moscow, Russia. It was completed in May 1938 by V.M.Vakhurkin (structural enginee ...

was razed in the 1990s, citing imminent hazards; as of 2024 the lot is still vacant). The 1935 Master Plan of Moscow called for completing the

Boulevard Ring The Boulevard Ring (; transliteration: ''Bulvarnoye Koltso'') is Moscow's second innermost ring road (the first is formed by the Central Squares of Moscow running along the former walls of Kitai-gorod). Boulevards form a semicircular chain along ...

through Zamoskvorechye, which had not yet been finished. However, a thin line of

stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

buildings, starting from Komissariatsky Bridge, indicates the path of this failed project. More Stalinist buildings were built on the perimeter of Zamoskvorechye (Garden Ring and embankments). Flood hazard was eradicated with the construction of the

Moscow Canal The Moscow Canal (), named the Moskva–Volga Canal until 1947, is a canal in Russia that connects the Moskva (river) with the Volga. It is located in Moscow itself and in the Moscow Oblast. The canal connects to the Moskva River in Tushino (an ...

(1932–1938). River banks that used to change every season were firmly set in granite; downtown

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...

were rebuilt to capacitate up to 6, 7, or 8 lanes of traffic. Wiki chugunny bridge

In 1941, residents of Zamoskvorechye formed the Twelfth Militia Division of Kirovsky District (). Later renamed the 139th Rifle Division, this unit fought at Yelnya Offensive and at the Mozhaisk Defense Line. Few survived. Zamoskvorechye was dramatically altered in the 1960s-1970s by inserting standardized concrete buildings into the middle of the historical century area, especially on Novokuznetskaya Street. One of these

plattenbau A large-panel-system building is a building constructed of large, prefabricated concrete slabs. Such buildings are often found in housing developments. Although large-panel-system buildings are often considered to be typical of Eastern Bloc c ...

projects starred as the site of the 1973 film '' Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future''. Destruction continues throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with façadist the insertion of highrise office blocks behind "restored" two-story façades. The population growth plateaus as the city begins to condemn historical buildings, opting instead for office redevelopment, resulting in many residents being forced to relocate. One example is the large 1900s block at Sadovnicheskaya. 80 were evicted in 2003 - it is now part of a modern business park.Official site
Recent publications in the Moscow Development plan for the District has called for a restoration and modernisation of many of the older buildings which is gradually happening from the Garden Ring, towards the Kremlin.

Notable buildings, cultural and educational facilities

Museums

*The

Bakhrushin Museum A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum (abbreviated as SCTM. A. A. Bakhrushin, the Bakhrushin Museum, the former Literary-Theatrical Museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences , also known as ГЦТМ им. А.А.Бахрушина) is a m ...

of theater (built in 1896, on the corner of Bakhrushina Street and Garden Ring) *

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

memorial train at

Tretyakov Gallery The State Tretyakov Gallery (; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world. The gallery's history starts in 1856 when the Muscovite merchant Pavel ...

and all its affiliate halls are actually located in

, two blocks west from the boundary between two districts

Churches

*Church of Beheading of

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

(18th century), Pyatnitskaya,

*Church of St. George in Yendova (1653),

,

*Church of Resurrection behind

Gates (1762), Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya, 2

*Church of Iberian

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' ( Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are or (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-beare ...

in Vspolye (1791–1802), Bolshaya Ordynka, 3

*Church of Icon of Theotokos the Mother of the Dead, Zatsepa, 41 *Church of Icon of Theotokos the Mother of Joy in Sorrow, Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya, 31-4 *Church of

Intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of prayer, praying on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy speci ...

of Theotokos, Novokuznetskayam 38-1, of

Russian Old-Orthodox Church The Russian Old Orthodox Church () is an Eastern Orthodox Church of the Old Believers tradition, born of a schism within the Russian Orthodox Church ('' raskol'') during the 17th century (Old Believers). This jurisdiction incorporated those Old Be ...

*Church of life-giving

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

in Vishnyaki (1824–1826, architect:

Afanasy Grigoriev Afanasy Grigorievich Grigoriev (; 21 January 1782 – 13 May 1868) was a Russian Neoclassical architect, who worked in Moscow and its suburbs. Grigoriev is remembered for his refined Empire style mansions, completion of Great Ascension Church ( ...

), Pyatnitskaya, 5

*Church of Michael (archangel), Archangel Michael in Ovchinniki, Sredny Ovchinnikovsky,

* St. Clement's Church in Moscow, Church of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, Pyatnitskaya, 26/7 *Church of Saints Mikhail and Fyodor, Martyrs of Chernigov (1675), Chernigovsky, 3. Named for two martyrs slain when they would not renounce their Christian faith *Church of Saint Martyrs Frol and Lavr in Zatsepa (1778), Dubininskaya, 9/

*Church of

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

in Zayaitskoye (1741–1759, attributed to architect Ivan Michurin, Second Raushsky, 1-

*Church of Saint Nicholas in Kuznetskaya and Church of Vladimir I of Kiev, Saint Vladimir, Vishnyakovsky, 1

*Church of Saint Nicholas in Pyzhi, Bolshaya Ordynka, 2

* Church of the Savior on Bolvany, Church of Transfiguration of Savior in Bolvanovka (1755, disputed), Second Novokuznetsky, 10

Theaters

Moscow International House of Music The Moscow International Performing Arts Centre was officially opened on September 28, 2003 with the debut of a new orchestra, the National Philharmonic of Russia under musical director Vladimir Spivakov. Also known as the Moscow International ...

in Red Hills * Maly Theater, second stage (built in 1915 as ''Struisky Theater''), Bolshaya Ordynka, 69 *''Teatr Luny'' (), Malaya Ordynka, 31

Listed memorial buildings

*18th - early 19th century buildings in Pyatnitskaya Street (Nn. 18, 19, 31, 44, 46, 67 etc.) *18th - early 19th century buildings in Bolshaya Ordynka Street (Nn. 21, 41, 45 etc.) *19th century housing and military institutions in

(Nn. 57, 59 etc.) *19th century buildings in Novokuznetskaya Street (Nn. 28, 29, 31 etc.) *

, Kosmodamianskaya, 24-26 and adjacent historical buildings (Nn. 28) *

School 518 School 518 is a high school in the historical Balchug area of Moscow, Russia. Designed by Ivan Zvezdin and completed in 1935, it is the only listed postconstructivist memorial building in the city. It was reconstructed between 1999 and 2003 to ...

(1935), the only listed

postconstructivism Postconstructivism was a transitional architectural style that existed in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, typical of early Stalinist architecture before World War II. The term ''postconstructivism'' was coined by Selim Khan-Magomedov, a historian ...

memorial building

Public transportation access

Moscow Metro The Moscow Metro) is a rapid transit system in the Moscow Oblast of Russia. It serves the capital city of Moscow and the neighbouring cities of Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Krasnogorsk, Reutov, Lyubertsy, and Kotelniki. Opened in 1935 with one l ...

: *

Novokuznetskaya Novokuznetskaya () is a Moscow Metro station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line. The station was opened on 20 November 1943. History Construction of the station began shortly after the launch of the second stage in 1938. Despite World War II the st ...

, Tretyakovskaya - north and center *

Dobryninskaya Dobryninskaya () is a station on the Koltsevaya Line of the Moscow Metro. Opened on 1 January 1950 it was part of the first segment of the fourth stage of the system. It was originally named Serpukhovskaya (), after the Serpukhovskaya Square. ...

Serpukhovskaya Serpukhovskaya () is a Moscow Metro station in the Zamoskvorechye District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, Russia. It is on the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line. The station opened on November 8, 1983. Serpukhovskaya is 43 metres (141&nb ...

- south-west *

Paveletskaya-Radialnaya Paveletskaya () is a Moscow Metro station on the Zamoskvoretskaya line, located in the Zamoskvorechye District, Central Administrative Okrug. The station has entrances to the Moscow Paveletsky railway station, Paveletsky rail terminal and the Gard ...

, Paveletskaya-Koltsevaya - south-east * Tulskaya - southern extremity

References

External links

www.zmsk.ru Official website of Zamoskvorechye District

* ttps://www.moscovery.com/zamoskvorechye-district/ Zamoskvorechye is a vast and exceptionally interesting district south of the Kremlin {{Coord, 55, 44, 23, N, 37, 37, 30, E, display=title, region:RU-MOW_type:city_source:dewiki Central Administrative Okrug Tatar culture Tourist attractions in Moscow