Zaryadye: here history meets innovation

Zaryadye is a historical district of Moscow right behind the Moscow Kremlin. Starting from the 14th century, the Lower Trade Rows were located here, stretching from the Moskva River to Varvarka along Moskvoretskaya Street.

Now Zaryadye is the main panoramic point of Moscow. The innovative Zaryadye Park, where the historical center can be seen as in the palm of your hand, took place on the birthday of the capital - September 9, 2017.

The park was created by the American bureau Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the winner of an international architectural competition. Zaryadye is in fact not very big and occupies only 10 hectares, but 15 thousand people can stay here at the same time. Now it is the only point in Moscow covering its key sights: the Kremlin, St. Basil's Cathedral, Christ the Savior Cathedral, St. George the Victorious. The landscape in the park is multi-level, and a botanical collection and media complexes, unparalleled in Russia, complement the park's exposition.

The territory of Zaryadya is divided into several climatic zones: northern landscape, meadows, steppe, middle zone (mixed, coniferous and coastal forest, birch grove). Rare plants here include waddles, arctic raspberry, dwarf birch, as well as thyme, bluebell, and carnation-grass, which are listed in the Red Book of Moscow.

One of the most interesting places in Zaryadya is the Soaring Bridge. It is a viewing platform over the Moskva River, which resembles the palm of a hand, located at a height of 15 meters above the water. This is the most favorite place of holidaymakers - getting to Zaryadye, everyone first of all goes here. Thanks to the glass barriers of the bridge, the sensation of floating above the water is created. The floor is paved with planks like on a yacht, there is an "endless" bench. But the main thing is the view of the city, which opens from this point, you can admire it for hours, watching the flight of birds over the river, and how leisurely boats float along it.

The key point of the park is the media center, which occupies almost 9 thousand square meters. It houses the "Flight" and "Time Machine" pavilions, as well as the main park tourist information center, an exhibition hall, and a bar-café.

"Flight" is an unusual movie hall with a high screen and a special platform with seating. The short films "Flight over Moscow" and "Flight over Russia" are shown here. Additional special effects are waiting for guests: water splashes, wind, smoke and even aromas.

Another remarkable object on the territory of the park is the thawing "Ice Cave. The temperature here is minus. Guests of the cave can wander through labyrinths, pass through arches and past huge columns covered with ice. The temperature here is as low as minus five degrees. About 70 tons of water were frozen to create such a unique glacier.

The park also has a concert venue with a capacity of nearly 4,000 people.

The Zaryadye Café, where you can taste dishes based on recipes from various Russian regions, and the Voskhod restaurant, the main theme of which is space exploration, are located on the park's territory, and there is a small children's playground for kids. There will be something for kids to do in Zaryadye: for example, an educational film and TV studio has been opened here.

We hope that both Muscovites and guests of the capital will like the new observation deck, which competes with Vorobyovy Gory and Moscow City.

Elena Karneeva, founder of artPR KG
Photo by the author