Close location to Moscow dictates to the city of Lyubertsy the metropolitan rhythm of life. Often a typical day of a typical city dweller turns into a cycle: work - home - work. There is no time for rest, the beauty of the surrounding is not noticed at all. Meanwhile, there are many places in the city where you can relax, where the soul can enjoy peace, and the eye can enjoy beautiful landscapes. One of these places is Natasha's Ponds and the park of the same name.
Creation of human hands: a hundred-year history
The history of Natasha's Ponds in Lyubertsy is simple and uncomplicated. A little over a century ago, one of the local nobles came up with the idea that it would be nice to buy a fairly large plot of land, ennoble it and turn it into a summer cottage.
It is worth noting that initially the lands in question belonged to Konstantin Vladimirovich Tretyakov, a hereditary merchant of the 1st guild, a manufacturer and manufactory adviser. The site itself was valuable only from the point of view of extracting peat for heating manufacturing enterprises.
In 1901, Evgeny Alexandrovich Skalsky, being a fairly successful businessman andindustrialist, finally decided to implement his project, and bought a fairly large plot. Its area was just over 423 acres (almost 700 hectares). These were quite fertile lands with areas of forest and land, reservoirs and swamps, there were various kinds of buildings.
The new owner had to invest a lot of money in draining swamps, cutting down plantings, dividing the territory into separate plots. Since 1905, he began to lease and sell the latter on fairly favorable terms to everyone. The settlement formed from such separate plots was named Natashino (in honor of the beloved daughter of the industrialist). By 1910, it already had more than 130 dachas.
Between 1905 and 1910, a park was laid out on the territory of the site, and ponds were also created. And then the nobleman immortalized the name of his daughter. This is how the Natasha Ponds with the park of the same name arose.
Creating Ponds
Because the place under the ponds was previously a swamp, the bottom turned out to be muddy. In order to dig three foundations for reservoirs, an artel of lorrymen and carpenters was hired. The latter reinforced the bed and banks with logs. The Natasha Ponds themselves were divided between themselves by lintels made of stone, and only after that they were covered with soil and tamped down. In such structures, special dampers were arranged, with the help of which the water level in individual reservoirs was regulated and the general flow of water into a small stream. So, in fact, the reservoirs were not conceived as local ones. Yes, and they are constantly replenished with groundwater.
There were originally three ponds. They were located next to each other. Each next was not only smaller in area, but also lower by a meter relative to the previous one. Immediately after the completion of work on the construction of reservoirs, an embankment with benches was equipped. In addition, a couple of baths appeared. Right behind the embankment stretched alleys of a shady park.
In order to please summer residents - lovers of sitting on the shore with a fishing rod, fish were launched into the ponds. The largest reservoir was inhabited by white crucian carp, the middle one - by its red variety, and the small one received several species at once - minnows, chards and loaches. After that, the pond and the park became, without a doubt, the favorite vacation spot for summer residents. In 1911, the population in the village ranged from 1,000 people in winter to three thousand in summer. In 1934, it became part of Lyubertsy, and, accordingly, the ponds with the park began to belong to this city.
Further fate and reconstruction
In the post-revolutionary period, the park and Natasha's Ponds changed heads several times. The smallest of the ponds was filled up. Despite everything, the territory was maintained in a satisfactory condition.
The entire park complex had a particularly hard time during the Great Patriotic War. All the trees were used to heat the housing of local residents, instead of alleys and clearings, vegetable gardens were planted for planting potatoes, and fish were caught in ponds. Thus, the land helped the inhabitants of Lyubertsy to survive in difficult times of war.
After the end of the war,despite the general devastation, the park complex was gradually restored. The work was carried out within the framework of the state restoration program, and by volunteer activists, and students of local schools, and Moscow students, and workers of Lyubertsy factories and large enterprises.
The park has been completely restored, but the ponds are only slightly cleared of silt. Therefore, all subsequent years they were heavily overgrown with algae. In summer, the depth of clear water was not less than 30 cm.
Ponds today
The last reconstruction of reservoirs was carried out in the period from 2013 to 2014. The silting was completely eliminated, the broken wooden formwork of the banks and the bed was restored. A fountain was built on one of the ponds, which works in the summer. A boat station has been set up.
Periodically, fish are launched into the ponds. This is done, as a rule, on the eve of holidays or regularly held fishing competitions. On the shores, fishing fans stay up late every day with fishing rods.
Today it is a favorite place for newlyweds' photo shoots. In the collection of many families there are photos from the Natasha Ponds in Lyubertsy. Alleys are laid along the banks - a place for morning jogging of people leading a he althy lifestyle. On benches under shady trees, you can simply enjoy the silence and please the tired eye with pleasant landscapes.
How to get to Natasha Ponds in Lyubertsy?
Getting to the ponds, as well as to the entire park complex, is not difficult. A large number of citizens are at the serviceoptions for urban public transport routes.
You can get to the Natashinsky Ponds stop:
- on buses – 726, 453, 723;
- by fixed-route taxis - 8, 10, 18, 539, 573, 888k.
You can also go to the ponds from the Shevlyakova Street stop. There comes the minibus number 18.
