Chisty Prudy– Kitay-gorod

Chisty Prudy is one of the oldest Moscow districts, located to the North-West from Kremlin, between metro stations Chisty Prudy, Turgenevskaya, Kurskaya, Kitay-Gorod, Lubyanka, Krasnye Vorota and Sukharevskaya.

According to the legend  here was the very first settlement of Moscovites, when Moskva was a village belonging to Stefan Ivanovich Kuchka, the noble who ‘didn’t survive’ a quarrel with the first Price and the founder of the city, Yuriy Dolgorukiy.  Prince killed Kuchka and ordered to throw the body to the pond, and it  started to be named Pogany (Nasty).

There is also supposition that name “Pogany Prud” goes to the moreancient times when  Christianity was entered and destroyed Pagan idols  throwing them in the water.

The third most widespread version that the pond has received its name because of dumped garbage from the meat slaughter-houses standing nearby in Myasnitskaya street. But this version was not approved by some sientists as the  village of butchers was on considerable distance from a pond.

It is owed to the best friend of Peter the Great, Duke Menshikov that the area got its new image and second life as Chistye Ponds site, when he purchased the land, cleaned the ponds and started a building development in the area at about 1703. Since then it got only better and better.

In 1820 the order was issued by the Tsar to make Moscow streets cozier and more comfortable for recreation purposes. And just in that times the biggest and one of the longest Chistoprudny Bulevard (822m) was started to build

This was the impulse to build rich mansions on both sides of the Boulevard ring in the neighbourhood of the ponds.

 Later in the beginning of 20th century the area was developed with beautiful buildings of roman style, such as  theatre ‘Colliseum’ (now the famous ‘Sovremennik’ theatre) and others of the type.

More than half of all buildings in the area are of the pre-revolutionary era. The soviet buildings here are not as many: only 20%.

The new elite buildings are mostly concentrated around Chaplygina and Mashkova streets area as well as in Zhukovskogo streets, Haritonyevsky lane and some others.

Newest elite developments and old mansions of de luxe class take up only 10% yet, but are actively growing.

There are a lot of restaurants, famous theater “Sovremennik”, theater of Oleg  Tabakov “Tabakerka”, modern theater of Alexander Kalyagin «Et Cetera», cinema theaters, boutiqs, shops.

The district is very popular among the french-speaking foreiners  as the French school is located in Milyutinsky lane.