Sights of Zvenigorod

One frosty February I wanted to go to some small town in the Moscow region. The choice fell on Zvenigorod , located 30 km west of Moscow. Despite its miniature size (population of only 20 thousand people and an area of about 50 km²), Zvenigorod has enough attractions, historical values and good landscapes to keep a curious tourist busy for the day.

Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery in Zvenigorod

Zvenigorod is the oldest city in the Moscow region; According to archaeological data, already in the 12th century there was a settlement on this site, and according to chronicles the city was mentioned since 1382. Initially, Zvenigorod served Moscow as a defensive point; it is no coincidence that two fortresses were built here: a monastery and a Kremlin. Now it is a tourist city, also famous for its sanatoriums and clean air.

How to get to Zvenigorod

Several types of public transport run regularly to Zvenigorod and back.

Buses: Kuntsevskaya metro station - bus No. 452 Tushinskaya metro station - bus No. 455 Strogino metro station - bus No. 881

Electric trains: Electric trains depart every hour from Belorussky and Savelovsky railway stations.

You can also go with a transfer through the village of Golitsyno. Golitsyno is connected to Moscow by even more frequent trains, and from Golitsyno to Zvenigorod and back it is easy to get by regular bus No. 22.

Railway station in Golitsyno

The most inconvenient thing is that the railway station and the bus station are located in completely different places.

Railway station in Zvenigorod

Our journey around Zvenigorod begins from the railway station, which is located on the outskirts of the city. The entire station area is one big construction site! Seriously, everywhere you look, it's been excavated and fenced off.

From the station we decide to go straight to the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery - the main attraction of Zvenigorod. Despite the fact that the monastery is located outside the city, buses 23 and 51 go to it from the railway station.

How to get there from Moscow?

Zvenigorod is a popular weekend route from Moscow. From there you can get to the city by bus or train.

Buses to Zvenigorod depart from several Moscow metro stations:

“Kuntsevskaya” - No. 452 (from 7 to 22 hours);
“Tushinskaya” - No. 455, reaching the Zvenigorod quarter “Ruza” (from 7 to 19 hours);
“Strogino” – No. 881 – to the Mayakovsky quarter (from 6:30 to 22 hours).

The cost of travel on buses is approximately 150 rubles, and the travel time is 1 hour 15 minutes in the absence of traffic jams. The exact bus schedule is available on the website.

Electric trains to Zvenigorod regularly depart from the Belorussky and Savelovsky stations of the capital from 10 to almost 23 hours. The fare is about the same, and the travel time is 1 hour 40 minutes, which corresponds to the bus option with traffic jams. Every day at 18:06 the high-speed Express train departs from the Belorussky Station, spending only an hour on the journey. The ticket, of course, costs more - 180 rubles.

Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery

The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was founded on Mount Storozhe in 1398 by one of the first and closest disciples of Sergius of Radonezh - the Monk Savva. Then it was one small wooden church and cell; The monastery acquired a stone temple, chambers and walls a little later in the 16th century.

The stop is called “Rest House of the Ministry of Defense”, the buses go further straight, and we go to the monastery to the right following the signs.

In front of the northern entrance to the monastery, in the park there is a monument to Savva Storozhevsky.

Monument to Savva Storozhevsky

The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery is the third most popular among pilgrims, after the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery.

During its existence, the monastery has undergone many changes: from complete decline to the construction of a new architectural ensemble. Let's see what the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery is like now.

Walls and towers of the monastery

The territory of the monastery is surrounded by 760-meter stone walls 9 meters high and 3 meters wide with loophole windows located in three rows: for long-range combat, close combat and cannon attacks. The camps rest on seven military towers, one of which was dismantled in the 18th century. So, on the eve of the Russian-Polish War, the monastery turned into a military shield of Zvenigorod and Moscow.

The central Red Tower (or Gate Tower ) is decorated with remains from the 17th century. images of the Mother of God and the Venerables Sergius and Savva. Under the Red Tower there is the main entrance - the Holy Gate , which has now been closed. In 1883, a church was installed above the Red Tower in the name of Alexy, the Man of God .

Red Tower

The northeast tower is to the right of the Red Tower. The spiers of the towers are decorated with a trumpeting angel; we saw a very similar Siberian angel during our trip to the Tobolsk Kremlin.

Northeast Tower

The provision tower was presumably named so because of the food for the army that was stored in it.

Provisions Tower

Now in the Provision Tower there is a store with monastery baked goods and a small refectory for visitors on the second floor.

Provisions Tower

Here you can buy bread, cakes, gingerbreads, cakes, rolls, cookies, straws, etc.

It can be seen that the inside of the tower was put in order not so long ago, the walls were painted by hand, even the air conditioners were disguised, trying to convey the spirit of the past as much as possible.

The cafeteria on the second floor is quite cozy: small tables in wall niches, illuminated stained glass windows. The food here is delicious, although all the dishes are Lenten (it’s a monastery), and the prices are Moscow prices: a portion of borscht without meat costs 120 rubles. And pay attention to the full rack with alcohol; by the way, we never found alcohol-free mead in the monastery. But we enjoyed sbiten and delicious pastries!

Zhitnaya Tower , which served as a grain warehouse.

Zhitnaya Tower

South Tower (or Usova Tower )

South Tower

The southeast tower is for household needs.

Southeast Tower

Inside the walls of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery

The refectory , built in 1652-1654, originally had four floors (including one basement) and a large dining room. At that time, the refectory was simply a miracle of construction: in the basement of the building there was an icehouse and a well, glass was inserted into the windows instead of mica, and the room was heated with warm air rising through special pipes. The monastery treasury was located on the top floor of the building. After reconstruction in the 19th century, the refectory decreased in height and lost its cross vaults.

Refectory of the Savvino-Storozhesky Monastery

Opposite the refectory, since 1998, on the site of the altar of the Church of St. John Climacus, dismantled in 1782, there has been a chapel-gazebo . For some reason it is forbidden to enter it.

Chapel on the site of the Church of St. John Climacus

From the side of the cathedral square, the belfry and the Church of the Transfiguration are closely adjacent to the refectory. In the photo below you can see the beautiful entrance to the refectory through the bell tower.

The four-tiered belfry was built in the 17th century. From 1671 to 1941 The belfry was decorated with the main symbol of Zvenigorod - the 35-ton Annunciation Bell, cast in the same monastery on the cathedral square in 1668. For three years the bell waited in the wings when it would finally be raised and fixed on the bell tower. In 1941, during the war, the bell was broken. In 2003, a new 37-ton bell was cast in Voronezh, which now adorns the middle tier of the belfry.

The Church of the Transfiguration was added to the refectory in 1693.

Church of the Transfiguration

The Gate Church of the Life-Giving Trinity is considered one of the first buildings of the 17th century (1651). In 1807, at the expense of Natalia Vladimirovna Sheremeteva, a refectory with a chapel in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was added to the church. It turns out that there are two refectories in the monastery: one for monks, the second for nobles?

The lower part of the tongue of the large Annunciation Bell lies here.

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected in 1405 during the life of St. Sava on the site of the first wooden church. In December 1406, the Monk Savva died. In front of the temple, under a layer of snow, the ruins of the gate church of St. Sergius of Radonezh are preserved. In the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos there is a shrine with the relics of Savva Storozhevsky.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

To the right of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the very modest Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov with separate chambers for each member of the royal family. Construction of the palace began in 1652 and dragged on for almost 20 years, during which the building was rebuilt several times. The monastery has long been a favorite place of prayer for many Russian tsars, but it was under Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov that the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was given the status of the first Lavra in Russia, and it began to be considered the residence of Russian sovereigns. The Tsar’s Road, now known as “Rublyovka,” was built from Moscow to the monastery, along which pilgrimages were made to the relics of Savva Storozhevsky.

Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

At the southern wall of the monastery there are fraternal buildings: a small cell building and a large fraternal building . Initially, it was one large building, built in the 17th century, at a time when the number of monks reached 300 people.

Small cell and large fraternal corps

In the 19th century, part of the large fraternal building was dismantled and a small cell building was built in its place.

Small cell building

An upper floor was built over the remaining part of the large fraternal building, in which there was a hospital, a pharmacy and a fraternal almshouse. Currently, the buildings are occupied as cells for the brethren of the monastery.

Large fraternal corps

The final building around the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Tsarina's Chambers . The elegant white and red building was built in the middle of the 17th century for the wife of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya.

Tsarina's Chambers

The queen's chambers were located in the central part.

Tsarina's Chambers

For the queen’s convenience, the chambers were connected by a passage to the Trinity Gate Church, which became the home church of Maria Ilyinichna. Now the chambers house exhibitions of the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum , as well as boyar chambers restored by restorers.

The last building that we approached on the territory of the monastery was the Treasury building , which stood at the eastern wall not far from the exit. It was built in the middle of the 17th century for the residence of those accompanying the king. The management of the monastery's economy was also carried out from this building, hence the name. Now it is also a museum building.

Treasury Corps

“Building here means closing the last window of fresh air.”

Governor Vorobyov not only reduced the protective zones of rivers, but also during the pandemic canceled the 1948 decision to protect the green spaces of Moscow’s forest park protective belt. In other words, green areas were left unprotected before development. The struggle for forests is taking place throughout the Moscow region: in Solnechnogorsk, Korolev and other areas. It is believed that the protective forest belt is Moscow’s life support system. “To start building here, in the upper reaches of the Moscow River, means closing the last window of fresh air for the capital. It is from here that the still fresh air of the western Moscow region, the so-called western wind rose, comes to Moscow,” says activist Suvorov.

Natural reserves in the Odintsovo district pose a threat to the development of nine valuable natural areas on an area of more than 500 hectares. Some forests fell under the “forest amnesty”, where the construction of private villages is planned. Thus, the Brekhovsky forest in the Odintsovo district is being given over for housing development, but officials claim that the forest does not legally exist. The total area of the territory free for development in the “forest amnesty” is about 750 hectares.

"Savvinskaya Sloboda near Zvenigorod." Isaac Levitan, 1884

Photo: wikipedia.org

In the valley of the Storozhka River from the mouth to the Korallovo holiday home, it is planned to develop more than 200 hectares of valuable floodplain meadows and forests. The development will take away 55 hectares of forests from the Maslovskaya Forest Dacha. “Our forest, due to its area and impenetrability, has preserved the landscapes of the 16th century, with ancient villages, burial mounds, roads and ponds. Residents walked from one village to another, grazed livestock, and stopped at midday to water the animals. The forest with archaeological sites is an open book. You just need to be able to read it: it turns out that a clearing that has not been overgrown with forest for 400 years is a settlement that is not overgrown due to a rich cultural layer, and a forest lake is a man-made pond for watering,” says Ilyina.

“In the Maslovskaya Forest Dacha there is a raised bog, unique for the near Moscow region, with a mirror - an open surface of water. Here live Scheichzeria marsh and bladderwort - very rare plants for the Moscow region, included in the Red Book,” adds Maxim Bogomolov, coordinator of the MSU nature conservation team. Here is the only known habitat in the Moscow region of the ground beetle Agonum munsteri. The forests are home to white-backed woodpeckers, nutcrackers, and meadow pipits—birds also listed in the Red Book.

Development of the Odintsovo district will inevitably worsen the situation on the roads. Parking spaces are already being built at the expense of specially protected areas - last year they began construction of a parking lot for almost a thousand cars in the Forests of Serebryanoborsky Forestry reserve.

Other buildings around the Savva-Storozhevsky Monastery

Near the Savva-Storozhevsky Monastery there are several points of interest to visit. Directly opposite the northern gate and the monument to Sava you can see four multi-colored houses - the monastery hotel . True, now only the green building on the far right plays the role of a hotel.

Monastery Hotel

This building is now occupied by the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum

It is unclear who received the far left building. It was built almost on a slope, next to the observation deck.

And here is the observation deck itself. The view is so-so, probably better in summer. But now, through the bare birches, the fence of the well of St. Savva of Storozhevsky is clearly visible.

Lookout at the walls of the Savvo-Storozhevsky Monastery

The well was dug by Savva Storozhevsky in 1400. Later, a spring opened at this place, the water in which is considered healing.

Descent to the well of Savva Storozhevsky

To the north, about a kilometer from the monastery are the Skete , the temple of St. Savva Storozhevsky , the holy cave of St. Savva Storozhevsky and the bathhouse .

The PZZ did not provide for schools, hospitals and kindergartens?

According to Rosstat, Odintsovo ranks first in Russia in terms of population density. There are 7,170 people per square kilometer, which is more than in Shanghai. Thousands more people will move to new houses in the Moscow region. At the same time, according to the new development rules, schools, hospitals, kindergartens and other infrastructure are not provided for in residential areas.

Thus, in Zvenigorod, only one hospital from the time of the writer Chekhov serves the city and surrounding villages within a radius of 20 kilometers. One substation with three teams - for children, for pregnant women and general - works for tens of thousands of people. “The former governor Gromov and the former mayor of Zvenigorod Stavitsky tried to build a new hospital at the expense of the regional budget, but then the building was sold to the Pension Fund for the archive. Instead of building hospitals in the fields, you can at least put people in this building for the duration of the pandemic,” Uranova is indignant.

Zvenigorod Kremlin (Gorodok) and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From the monastery we return to Zvenigorod: one stop back along the Ratekhinskoe highway, and now we see a strange crowd of people. It turns out that they were drawing water from a spring.

From this moment the territory of the ancient Zvenigorod Kremlin begins. The Zvenigorod Kremlin is a unique historical monument of the 12th century; it was at this time that the first settlement with earthen and wooden fortifications arose here. Now the Kremlin is called “The Town”.

Town. Zvenigorod

During the reign of Prince Yuri Dmitrievich Zvenigorodsky (son of Dmitry Donskoy), who inherited Zvenigorod according to his father’s will, the city was fortified with a system of earthen ramparts up to 8 m high. The outer side of the ramparts was covered with clay, and the angle of inclination was up to 70 degrees. It was enough to lightly pour water on this side to make it impregnable to the enemy. Along the crest of the shaft, powerful wooden walls with towers were installed.

There are signs everywhere prohibiting skiing and walking on earthen slopes, so as not to roll them out, but it seems that nothing can stop a Russian person. These magnificent reliefs beckon! Moscow could long ago have dug up similar hills on some suburban wasteland and built a ski slope there.

In 1395, in the very center of the Kremlin, at the direction of the prince, a wooden tower-palace was erected, and about four years later, next to it, the stone Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary , which has survived to this day almost in its original form. Unfortunately, it was not possible to capture the cathedral in all its glory - the roof was being repaired.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Church of the Epiphany was built next to it , which was burned in the 30s of the 20th century. In 2003, construction of the current church was completed on the same site.

Church of the Epiphany

Right there on Gorodok we saw several private houses and administrative buildings. Some people are lucky to live in such a place rich in history.

Seasonality of tourism in Zvenigorod

The close distance from Moscow allows you to visit Zvenigorod at any time of the year. New Year, Maslenitsa and major religious holidays are also celebrated here. During school holidays, numerous children's groups come to the city. The Miracle Park entertainment complex is closed from October to early May. But for lovers of outdoor activities, ski slopes and gentle mountain slopes await you.

The low hills of Zvenigorod near Moscow are suitable for children and beginner ski lovers

In the picturesque surroundings of the city, wealthy Muscovites built houses for summer living, many of which became sanatoriums and boarding houses during the Soviet era. For example, the Zvenigorod sanatorium is located in the former Sheremetyev estate. It is located a few minutes drive from the Zvenigorod station, is equipped with modern equipment for recreation and health promotion, has a mineral water source, a swimming pool, a beach, a ski slope on its territory and welcomes everyone all year round.

The first building of the Zvenigorod sanatorium was the historical estate of the Sheremetyev counts

Video: recreation and recreation opportunities in the vicinity of Zvenigorod

House and linden tree of A.P. Chekhov

Coming out of Gorodok onto Krasnaya Gora Street, we immediately come across the former house of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov . I think everyone is familiar with his stories, which are interesting to read at any age, but not everyone knows that Anton Pavlovich worked as a doctor in Zvenigorod. This happened in 1884, when the local doctor Uspensky was forced to take a vacation for a month, and in return he asked Anton Pavlovich to work for himself. At that time, Chekhov graduated from Moscow University and was just beginning his writing career. This is what he wrote to a friend about his life in Zvenigorod:

● from a letter to N.A. Leikin dated June 25, 1884: “...They offered me a position as a zemstvo doctor in Zvenigorod - I refused...”

● from a letter to N.A. Leikin dated July 14, 1884: “Currently I am in the city of Zvenigorod, where, by the will of fate, I am filling the position of a zemstvo doctor, who asked me to replace him for 2 weeks. Half the day I am busy receiving patients (30–40 people a day), the rest of the time I relax or am terribly bored, sitting by the window and looking at the dark sky, which has been pouring for the 3rd day now, bad, non-stop rain... In front of my window there is a mountain with pine trees, to the right the house of the police officer, even to the right a lousy little town that was once a capital city... To the left is an abandoned rampart, to the left is a small forest, and from behind the latter the consecrated Savva peeks out. The back porch, or rather the back door, near which it smells like a toilet and a pig grunts, looks out onto the river.”

● from a letter to N.A. Leikin dated mid-July 1884: “...Or do this: go to the second station of the Smolensk road, Golitsyn. From here to Zvenigorod (15 versts) on horseback. In Zvenigorod we will see the consecrated Savva and drive from here to New Jerusalem (20 versts). All this will take you no more than a day. Grab Palmin. I warn you in advance: you will not find any amenities along the way... The roads and cities are worse than the worst, but there is a lot of fictional material. If you spend the night with me, I’ll take you to the hospital for an appointment (story in 300 lines). On Elijah, the 20th, I will have 60 sick people, on the 22nd 40 people. You will do better if you start your journey in Zvenigorod. The roads are bumpy, but picturesque..."

Chekhov's house in Zvenigorod

Rounding the house of A.P. Chekhov, we came across two brand new multi-colored buildings still under construction. First thought: “Probably a museum!” But no, it’s not at all clear what kind of buildings these are, for what purpose they were built and why one of them wants to push Chekhov’s house into a ravine?

Across Krasnaya Gora Street, on Oktyabrskaya Street, we found a stump with a memorial plaque. This is a former linden tree under which Anton Pavlovich loved to relax with his new acquaintance, the paramedic, Sergei Vasilyevich Barmintsev. The Chekhov linden tree a stump in 2013, when the old tree was first damaged by strong winds, and then completely broke due to snowfall.

Lipa Chekhova

Nearby, the house of the Barmintsev family has been preserved (one-story with carved platbands), where the descendants of paramedic Sergei Vasilyevich continue to live.

House of paramedic Barmintsev

Alexander Nevsky Church

In 1895, Zvenigorod residents decided to honor the memory of the emperor - peacemaker Alexander III, who died a year earlier at the age of 49. For this purpose, fundraising began for the construction of the Alexander Nevsky Church. At the very beginning of the 20th century. Services began in the new church and continued until 1938, when the church was closed. The building was given over first to a women's dormitory, and then to a city communications center. The dome of the church was replaced by a radio antenna.

After the return of the church to the Russian Orthodox Church, services resumed there, and in parallel, restoration was carried out, completed in 2002.

Alexander Nevsky Church

The temple was built in pseudo-Russian style. The single gilded dome rests on an octagonal drum with narrow windows. The second dome in the background belongs to the bell tower, connected by the refectory to the main building.

Address: st. Moskovskaya, 35.

Red Mountain Street

After visiting Chekhov's places, we go to the center of Zvenigorod. On the way up, Red Mountain Street is filled with private houses. I am glad that some modern houses fit well into the ancient Russian buildings. For example, the houses opposite Chekhov's house.

There are some(!) houses that are well looked after and maintained in appearance. Nice houses, but the fence ruins everything. I don’t even know which of these fences is worse.

Literally five meters later, a low-rise residential complex rises in front of us.

On the other side of the road is just some kind of golden palace of an Indian Raja.

I wonder if it’s normal for residents of a golden new building to see this from their window every day?

Or that?

Or this? By the way, in this terrible house from 1922 to 1941. the Zvenigorod planetary school was located , and then the flying club , whose cadets became pilots during the Great Patriotic War. Zvenigorod, aren't you ashamed?

The water will become undrinkable

Moscow receives more than 60% of its drinking water from the Moskvoretsk system, the Moskva River and its tributaries in the western Moscow region. The rest is through the Moscow Canal from the Ivankovo Reservoir on the upper Volga and a little from the Vazuz system. “Now Mosvodokanal copes with the mud that flows into the Moscow River and with Moskvoretsk water to the Rublevskaya and Western water treatment stations. But if ecosystems are oppressed under human influence and eventually die, then the water quality will be sharply worse,” says hydrologist, scientific director of the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences Viktor Danilov-Danilyan.

According to him, there are few healthy ecosystems left in the western and northwestern valley of the Moscow River. “A huge role as purifiers is played by benthic organisms on the bottom and higher aquatic vegetation, which are destroyed first. In an ecosystem, all species are connected to each other, and if you harm one, the entire system can degrade,” explains the scientist.

If this happens, the costs of treatment facilities will first increase in order to maintain water quality at the same level, and then this will not help either. “The water in the Moscow water supply will become unfit for drinking, and you see such situations in the world more than once or twice... For example, the city of Brasilia (the capital of Brazil - TD's note), being surrounded on all sides by water sources, managed to spoil all the water so that they don’t drink from the water supply there at all, even with home filters and boiling. They only drink bottled bottles. To be deprived of drinking water from the water supply is a severe blow for the population,” Danilov-Danilyan is sure.

Museum of Russian Dessert

This garage cooperative, opposite the Golden House, houses the Museum of Russian Dessert and the Artist Feina's Workshop . To be honest, after reading conflicting reviews, we did not dare to go in: some were satisfied and want to come again, others complain about high prices and small portions. In any case, this place is on everyone’s lips in Zvenigorod.

Travel tips

The sights and museums of Zvenigorod can be explored in one day. Even an inexperienced tourist can use a city map to find its memorable places. Parents with children are advised to plan a visit to Miracle Park separately from the excursion route around the city and its environs - the entertainment capabilities of the complex require considerable time.

A city map will help tourists find their way around Zvenigorod

Some tips for travelers:

The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery is a functioning monastery. When visiting it, follow the internal rules, dress modestly, do not make noise or litter.
Drink healing water from the holy spring of the Savvinsky monastery, swim in its bath and take a walk through the picturesque surroundings of the city. This heals and restores spiritual harmony.
Independent tourists should sign up in advance for master classes at the Museum of Russian Dessert. This is especially important for parents with children.
Buy small ringing bells in souvenir shops. This symbol of the city, depicted on the coat of arms of Zvenigorod, will help you preserve the impressions of your trip for a long time.
For a more comfortable acquaintance with the sights of Zvenigorod, join a one-day bus trip using the services of Moscow travel agencies. You will not need to plan time to explore memorable places, buy entrance tickets to museums and worry about food.

Video: Zvenigorod from a bird's eye view

I've been to Zvenigorod twice. The first time was in 1982, while vacationing with my husband at the Svyazist boarding house, which was a 10-minute walk from the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Having independently examined its territory, we went into the museum and climbed the fortress wall. The place was almost deserted and very neglected. The surrounding area was enlivened by urban skiers who actively took advantage of the hilly terrain of “Switzerland near Moscow.” We had a great rest and regained our strength on ski trips after difficult college exams. I didn’t notice anything remarkable in the city itself - it seemed almost like a village to me. Last year’s trip to Zvenigorod greatly changed my opinion about it: the monastery and churches were restored, new museums were created. I was surprised by the beautifully planned development of one-story blocks of elite housing. The city has turned into a real Moscow region “pearl” and “paradise” for living, excursions and recreation. The streets have become well-groomed, clean and spacious. The surrounding area of the city has been enriched with resort opportunities. For example, on the territory of the old “Svyazist” they built a colorful complex “Taiga Dachas”, consisting of several cottages stylized as Russian huts. For independent tourists, there are many signs and plaques with historical information, which allows them to obtain information without the help of a guide. And in the museum-estate of M. M. Prishvin they can organize a tour of the house even for two visitors.

City Park

It's surprising that such a small town as Zvenigorod has its own city park.

This place is hardly suitable for a full-fledged park. The park has two illuminated alleys with benches, a children's playground can be seen in the distance, the Foundation Stone of the Memorial to Internationalist Soldiers , and a bust of V. I. Lenin . It is interesting to look at this park in summer.

Zvenigorod city park

Church of the Ascension of the Lord

The Church of the Ascension of the Lord proudly rises on the hill. Since the 16th century, churches were built on this hill, which were later destroyed during times of fierce battles and unrest.

Church of the Ascension of the Lord. Zvenigorod

The first known description of the Ascension Church was found in scribe books for 1624. In 1792, a stone temple was built on this site, but it was destroyed by the French army in 1812. The temple was restored, but was completely closed in 1922; later it was used as a place for grain storage and bus parking. In May 1941, the temple was completely dismantled. In 1998, a small memorial chapel was erected here.

Church of the Ascension of the Lord. Zvenigorod

The current Ascension Cathedral was built in 2007 - on the 600th anniversary of the death of St. Savva Storozhevsky. The church building is a four-pillar, five-domed brick building in the neo-Byzantine style.

Church of the Ascension of the Lord. Zvenigorod

Moskovskaya street:

The center of Zvenigorod is defined by two main parallel streets, closed in a one-way traffic ring: Moskovskaya and Vasily Fabrichny (which turns into Ukrainian). The length of these streets is no more than two blocks, on which 1/3 of all the attractions of Zvenigorod are concentrated.

Due to the large congestion of cars, it is difficult to photograph historical houses.

And here it is not clear: either a new building, or a well-restored house.

Unexpectedly, in the dining room they bought Vyatka kvass, which had been advertised throughout the country. Not bad, but nothing more.

Geese and a snowman ride in a semi-barrel on wheels, harnessed by small reindeer. You can't just pass by.

Memorial to the Eternal Flame

Monument to the fallen Zvenigorod residents and soldiers of the Fifth Army of the Western Front and the eternal flame . In 1941, Zvenigorod defended the western part of the country and the approaches to Moscow: anti-tank ditches were dug, anti-personnel barriers were installed, and a fighter battalion was formed. When the Germans approached Zvenigorod at a critical distance and were practically celebrating victory, the Zvenigorod residents were able to stop the enemy at the northern gates of the city.

Monument to the fallen Zvenigorod residents and soldiers of the Fifth Army of the Western Front and the eternal flame

Monument to A.P. Chekhov

Across the road there is a wonderful monument to A.P. Chekhov - an exact copy of a photograph of Chekhov in Melikhovo with his dachshund Khina from 1897.

Cultural Center named after. L. P. Orlova

Lyubov Petrovna Orlova (1902 - 1975) is a domestic film star of Hollywood proportions. She played on the stage of the theater and starred in films: “Jolly Fellows”, “Circus”, “Volga, Volga”, “Spring”, etc. Orlova for many years was the prima donna of the Soviet film screen, distinguished by her exquisite aristocratic appearance and well-groomed appearance. This talented woman was born and raised in Zvenigorod, it is not surprising that an entire cultural complex was built in her honor.

Cultural Center named after. L. P. Orlova

Monument to L.P. Orlova

Purchase yard

An interesting modern place in Zvenigorod is Kupchiy Dvor . This is a row of houses in the spirit of the 19th century, which sell various designer items, fashionable clothes in the Russian style, and host master classes. In general, you can come here just like visiting a museum and have a pleasant time!

Merchant's yard. Zvenigorod

Alexander Nevsky Church

The church was built in 1902 by decision of the Zvenigorod assembly in honor of Emperor Alexander III. In 1938, the temple closed, but its fate was not as sad as that of the Ascension Church: the building was rebuilt to meet the needs of other institutions, but was not destroyed. After the return of the church building in 1991, several stages of restoration and restoration work were carried out to return to its original appearance.

Church of Alexander Nevsky. Zvenigorod

It was strange to see a children's playground in the churchyard. This is probably due to the fact that there is a children's Sunday school and library on the church premises.

Church of Alexander Nevsky. Zvenigorod

Monument to Prince Yuri Zvenigorodsky and Savva Storozhevsky

The final attraction on Moskovskaya Street for us was the monument to the Russian prince Yuri Dmitrievich Zvenigorodsky and Savva Storozhevsky , about whom much has already been written. The monument was erected in 2005 on the 853rd day of the city.

Monument to Prince Yuri Zvenigorodsky and Savva Storozhevsky

So we walked from end to beginning all of Zvenigorod. It was a good walk and not at all tiring. Construction is in full swing next to the monument and the church; Zvenigorod is being built up with Moscow High-Rise buildings, and very chaotically and unceremoniously on historical sites.

Cultural sites of Zvenigorod

Zvenigorod is interesting not only for its churches and monasteries.

Cultural Center of Lyubov Orlova

Soviet film actress No. 1 is a native of Zvenigorod, where she spent her childhood years. In 2007, on the 105th anniversary of her birth, the Orlova Cultural Center was opened in the city.

Entrance to the cultural center of Lyubov Orlova

It includes a concert hall, exhibition spaces and a small memorial museum for the film actress. In 2021, the only monument in the country to the People's Artist of the USSR and two-time winner of the Stalin Prize was unveiled in front of the center. The original monument to Lyubov Orlova is truly national: it was erected with funds from citizens and organizations.

Monument to Lyubov Orlova

The Center regularly organizes meetings with many famous actors and musicians who have visited here, educational concerts of classical music for children and adults, opening days, humor evenings, and other cultural events. The Center hosts an annual summer theater school for young Russian actors, with classes taught by leading artists.

Orlova Cultural Center at st. Moskovskaya, 11, can be visited on Tuesday – Saturday from 10 to 18 hours. A regular ticket costs 100 rubles, and for an hour-long excursion in a group of 5–25 people - 150. You should sign up for the excursion in advance by calling 8 (495) 642-07-50.

Museum "Back to the USSR"

You can continue your immersion in the Soviet past on the same street. The “Back to the USSR” museum is a reflection of nostalgia for Soviet times, characteristic of a significant part of Russian society, especially those who managed to live in them. The museum's exposition represents Soviet life - decoration, appliances, objects, books, toys, clothes.

Museum exposition “Back to the USSR”

The half-hour excursion “Back to the USSR” is designed for adult visitors. An apartment building in a typical Soviet room is accompanied by Soviet-era music playing from a gramophone or radio. “Half an hour without gadgets” is the name of an excursion for modern schoolchildren with viewing filmstrips through a slide projector. There are also master classes for them with training in wood burning, paper crafts, and gingerbread painting.

The museum buffet offers adults and children ice cream, lemonade, dumplings and cakes that claim to be made according to Soviet GOST standards, which excluded the use of preservatives and non-natural ingredients. And the souvenir shop sells “Red Moscow” perfume and “Chypre” cologne.

Address: st. Moskovskaya, 18. “Return to the USSR” is possible daily from 10 to 20 hours. The cost of the excursion for adults and schoolchildren is 300 and 250 rubles. respectively. A separate fee is charged for apartment housing - 1000 rubles, viewing filmstrips - 100 rubles, and master classes - 200-450 rubles.

Prishvin House-Museum

Mikhail Prishvin was called the singer of Russian nature. He was an unsurpassed master of her colorful descriptions. The natural beauty of Zvenigorod and its surroundings did not pass the writer’s attention. In 1946, he purchased a dacha in the village of Dunino not far from the city. The area reminded Prishvin of his native Lipetsk region, but the dacha clearly did not resemble local suburban buildings. This shouldn’t be surprising: after all, the first owner of the dacha was Finnish Maria Oswald, who built it at the turn of the 19th and 20th years.

Prishvin House-Museum

The house is surrounded by an apple grove and a linden alley. For about a decade, Prishvin and his wife lived in the country from May to October. Here he was visited by friends, among whom were famous people - conductor Mravinsky, physicist Kapitsa, writer Fedin. After Prishvin’s death in 1954, Valeria Dmitrievna achieved the creation of a museum at the dacha, where she herself worked as a caretaker and guide. The exhibition includes an office, a library, a veranda and a dining room, furnished with antique furniture and household items of the first half of the 20th century.

The Prishvin House Museum is open Wednesday – Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A regular ticket costs 250 rubles, and an excursion ticket costs 350. A city bus runs from Zvenigorod to the Museum, passing through Nikolina Mountain.

Zakharovo Estate

This estate is part of the structure of the Odintsovo State Museum-Reserve of A. S. Pushkin. The fact is that the estate belonged to the grandmother of the poet M.A. Hannibal. In early childhood, he was brought to his grandmother’s estate every summer. Its original building was lost, and the current building was recreated for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Sergeevich.

Zakharovo Estate

The estate is surrounded by an old park with a pond and trees - linden and birch trees, some of which “remember” the young poet. A ticket to Zakharovo costs 250 rubles. On Pushkin Memorial Day - February 10, admission is free. The cost of the excursion for groups of up to 20 people is 1960 rubles.

Big Vyazemy Estate

The aforementioned Odintsovo Pushkin Museum was created in 1987 on the basis of the palace and park ensemble of the Vyazema estate near Zvenigorod. This area was a royal possession, it belonged to Boris Godunov, then to the princes Golitsyn. The main building of the ensemble, a stone mansion that has survived to this day, was erected by them in the 18th century. At the same time, another surviving structure was built - the Transfiguration Cathedral.

The palace was visited by many famous people, including Pushkin. Some researchers believe that the owner of the palace, Natalya Petrovna Golitsyna, served as the poet’s prototype for the character in “The Queen of Spades,” and the Golitsyn estate is described in “Eugene Onegin.” In Soviet times, successive shelters for homeless people, a military school, a parachute school, and institutes were based here.

The current museum complex consists of a palace with outbuildings, a horse yard, outbuildings, a park with a monument to Pushkin, ponds and the Transfiguration Cathedral. In the Golitsyn Palace there is an exhibition about noble life during the time of Pushkin.

Big Vyazemy Estate

The estate is open to visitors every day, except Mondays, from 10 to 17 (on Friday - until 16) hours. The conditions for excursions conducted not only in Vyazemy, but also in Zakharovo, can be found on the museum’s website.

Taneyev Museum in Dyutkovo

The famous Russian composer Sergei Taneyev spent the last years of his life and died in his village house in the village of Dyutkovo. Now there is a museum in it, in which the life of the composer is recreated. There is a monument to Taneyev in front of the hut.

Taneyev Museum in Dyutkovo

The Taneyev Museum can be viewed on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Classical music concerts are held there periodically.

The museum is located near the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. From Zvenigorod you can get there by the same buses No. 23 and 51. You need to get off at the stop of the same name.

Museum of Russian Dessert

This museum brings together many types of Russian dessert. Here you can taste Tula gingerbread, Guryev porridge, Belyov pastila, bagels, and pies. They are prepared according to traditional recipes in a Russian oven or lamb bakery. Visitors can take part in thematic excursions:

“Fat Meal” – about the traditions of receiving guests, the culture of tea drinking (with tasting of honey gingerbread!);
“Sweet stories of old buffets” - about Ivan tea, cranberry sbitna with cinnamon and forgotten Russian desserts;
“Lakomka” – tasting of mint tea with bagels prepared in a samovar;
“Self-assembled tablecloth” is a folklore performance with stories and riddles on the theme of Russian desserts.

After the tour, you can purchase gingerbread cookies, marshmallows, honey, dandelion jam and other sweets displayed in the old buffet.

Museum of Russian Dessert

Address: st. Frunze, 23/2., opening hours: 10–20. Regular admission is free, but for one of the excursions with tea you need to pre-register by phone or Their cost for adults/children is 400/350 rubles. Those interested can participate in master classes:

painting on gingerbread cookies and making sugar flowers for 400 rubles, lasting 40 minutes;
baking bread for 2000 rubles. within 3 hours.

Monuments of Zvenigorod

In addition to the Orlova monument, there are two more memorable monuments in Zvenigorod. In 2005, opposite the Alexander Nevsky Church, a monument was erected to two personalities who played a major role in the history of the city. Prince Yuri Zvenigorodsky in military armor, having removed his helmet, respectfully listens to the instructions of the monk Sava, holding a book on his knees. The gaze of the founders of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery is fixed on their distant descendants.

Monument to the founders of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery

The outstanding Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov began his medical career in Zvenigorod. In 1884, after graduating from Moscow University, he replaced the zemstvo doctor Uspensky.

In 2010, on the 150th anniversary of the writer’s birth, the townspeople perpetuated the memory of this. The sculptor Kurochkin depicted the writer sitting on a city bench at the address: st. Moskovskaya, 12. In his right hand he holds a cane, and in his left hand he hugs a dog, information about which history has not preserved. Perhaps this is Kashtanka?

Monument to A.P. Chekhov

Vvedenskoye Estate

The last point that we really wanted to visit before leaving for Moscow was the Vvedenskoye estate . Photos on the Internet promised us a whole estate ensemble, but in reality we were only expected to have a short conversation with the security guard: “by appointment only.” Complete disappointment!

Gate to the Vvedenskoye Estate

Now there is a sanatorium on the territory of the estate, and on the gate there is a sign with the rules of visiting: the excursion is conducted by a specialist from the sanatorium upon prior request by phone or email.

Rules for visiting the Vvedenskoye estate

There was nothing left to do but go to the station.

Zvenigorod. Entrance to the city

During our walk, we shot a short video about Zvenigorod: all the most interesting things about the city in two minutes. Enjoy watching and have a nice trip everyone!

How does it all happen?

Everyday and unnoticed. So you walk the dog, as usual, in the evening, come home, feed it and, if the dog lives on the street, forget about it until the morning. But this evening you notice strange sounds - objects rattling on the veranda, something falling and then rhythmic thuds on the floor. When you look out, you can see your beloved dog lying on his back and beating his head on the floor in convulsions. The thought (and the correct one) is poisoning? Yes, it’s an ass, but this is life and the dog’s countdown is already ticking. You go to the computer (the clock says 22:00, the nearest veterinarian in Posad is already closed) and open the Internet in search of information on what and how to save. You type in “dog poisoning” and the second link goes to the forum, quickly read the information and understand - yes, there is useful information and an important sequence of actions. You send it to print, get dressed and at the same time call two or three people who, in your opinion, may know exactly more than you.

Of the three, you get feedback from one, the paper with instructions in your pocket, and you are on the street. There is no dog, but here it appears, wiping the corner of the house with its back on crooked legs, foaming at the mouth, growling and baring its teeth and running past deeper into the plot.

You are in the car, you are in the duty pharmacy A5 (on Moskovskaya in the Svyaznoy building), you are second in line and read three sheets of paper, and when it’s your turn, you dictate in a row everything that comes across from the text, plus you add saline solution, an IV and syringes. You are driving home, it’s -16 degrees and cold outside, there is no dog. A flashlight in your hand, in the second bag from the pharmacy, and you yourself are on your hands and knees in the underground floor of the veranda - no, to the barn - no, in the underground floor of a house under construction (it’s easy for a dog to get into the underground here, but not for you) - again no. This doesn’t happen, let’s start again in a circle.

The underfloor of the veranda - now there is a lying back, still breathing. I crawl on my belly towards the dog - but then the dog scoops it up and runs away growling into the darkness. Damn, how do you catch a growling dog in a fit!? Bang, a thud on the fence and legs twitching out of the snowdrift - CHANCE! Running with a bag of a bunch of everything and kneeling on the dog - the first thing on the list is B6, 5 mg intramuscularly (that’s how it was deposited). You split the ampoule, fill it with a syringe (all in the cold) and into the dog where people have a shoulder (in general, it’s better to go into the thigh - this is the shoulder on the hind legs).

Then, suddenly, out of the darkness, an alarmed female help appears in a down jacket over her naked body, she is handed a package from the pharmacy, and the animal, twitching in convulsions, drags onto the veranda - it is impossible to go into the house, the children have not yet fallen asleep. While you’re dragging it, you start to remember whether you injected the right dosage - on the box there is a large number 50, which means 50 ml in one ampoule... but somehow the ampoule is too small for 50 ml (since 50 ml is a glass), I reach the veranda, my bare knees are unexpected help is placed on the dog, which in convulsions clenches its jaw so that there is a feeling that the dog is about to eat itself.

I read the box again - it’s true - 50 is the concentration, and ampoules are 1 ml. You split the ampoule and try to draw the syringe, but the liquid in the needle has frozen (you realize this on the fourth attempt to pull back the piston). A new syringe, 9 ampoules with frozen fingers (actually 8, I lost one on the way and found it in the morning, instead of liquid there was salt in it - it burned in my hands while I was walking into the house (cool) and injected to the heap, but this was in the morning), and again in left shoulder.

The cramps either subside a little, then again with renewed vigor, but you have to wait about 10 minutes. If the cramps don’t go away after 10 minutes, you need to inject magnesium, but this is already a serious matter, I wouldn’t want to. In between convulsions, the dog vomited, although I don’t remember the process, I remember the result. The cramps are over, the unexpected help with bare knees is already freaking out from the cold (you can see it in the eyes) and the whole team moves into the corridor of the house. Next on the list is an injection of cocarboxylase (I didn’t buy it, so I went to the pharmacy one more time), then a glucose drip with added vitamin C subcutaneously. Putting a catheter, especially for the first time, didn’t even occur to me (although this is always more useful and effective).

After 200 ml of 5% glucose, the dog began to get up and try to walk, but with a slightly plaguey look. She even started running around in the street, then yelling in a strange voice - the roof was clearly not in place yet. After about 10 minutes I was freezing and generally wanted to sleep and forget about it all, but the dog didn’t want to come into the house, and he didn’t want to go back to his place either, he walked around chaotically. Well, with the thought “I did everything I could” you go to sleep.

Early in the morning (the frost was just under 20 then), you take a flashlight and look for the dog in a third circle. Not anywhere. FAC. I don’t want to find a stiff corpse at all, but not finding anything is somehow closer to the option with a corpse than the other way around.

You have breakfast and go look again. The child is with you. He crawls into places where you can’t get through and sees the dog. She’s not scared, which means maybe she’s alive. You crawl into places where you wouldn’t have climbed before and theoretically shouldn’t have crawled through - a dog with narrow pupils lies, or rather tries to lie with its head raised, but it is constantly blown to the side. The dog doesn’t look good, you crawl towards it on your belly, grab it and, in a nose-to-nose position, back away, drag it home in your arms, wondering how the hell these 25 kg are heavy.

You call the veterinarian and for some reason they tell you that they start at 10! Well, yes, today is a day off (February 25), but the hours seem to be from 9 to 18 every day, but the voice on the phone is extremely stubborn (the security guard definitely answered the phone, and the clinic was open from 9 that’s for sure!). To hell with you, the dog needs another injection of cocarboxylase and glucose subcutaneously, just in time to get dressed and have a good time. The dog has come to his senses a little and is already sitting in the trunk. At the veterinarian, an anamnesis, blood tests, a catheter, three droppers of Ringer's solution and one of glucose, a couple of additional liquids in the dropper and an injection of baralgin. The dog passed out from a sleepless night and only moaned occasionally. 3 hours of IV and home.

The worst is over. Then there were three more days of drips, but they took place in a purely technical format. The dog fully returned to its life on the 5th day after poisoning.

I want and hope that you, an inanimate schmuck in the form of a man who threw an infection that my dog ate with gusto, will read this. Well, it will be a little universally honest for you to understand in detail all the consequences of your cowardly act. It would be nice if you still had a little empathy so that you could even feel all this for yourself.