The list of Moscow attractions is huge. Each guest of the capital of Russia, referring to the information indicated in the tourist guide, along with world-famous museums, temples and parks, will find there a brief description of the square on the embankment of the Moscow River, called Bolotnaya Square.
What is remarkable about this area? Why is the square called “bolotnaya” and what is its history? Today it is a green area planted with park trees, landscaped with benches, fountains, flower beds, playgrounds for children. After the reconstruction of the square in the late forties of the last century, a large light and music fountain appeared, the jets of which rise from the Vodootvodny canal. Walking along the embankment, you can see the monument to I. E. Repin, installed here in 1958. Already in our century, in 2001, attention was drawn to the sculptural composition "Children - Victims of the Vices of Adults", the work of M. Shemyakina, which still surprises with its frankness. The youth are not left out either. On the Luzhkov Bridge there are “trees of love”, on which a huge number of padlocks are hung. Thisthe attraction does not leave indifferent representatives of the younger generation and guests of the city. Bolotnaya Square, a photo of which is in any tourist brochure, is very popular with guests of the city.
For lovers of antiquity, a little history. The very name of the square comes from the features of the natural landscape. For a long time, the lowland on the other side of the Kremlin was filled with spring floods, then a swamp formed. In winter, the place of the flooded meadow was covered with ice, and the inhabitants of Moscow arranged a big market. After the construction of the Vodootvodny Canal and the drainage of the swamp in the fifteenth century, Ivan the Terrible ordered a huge orchard to be planted here, which existed until the beginning of the eighteenth century. The fire of 1701 destroyed the "sovereign's garden". During this period, the people there staged mass festivities, fisticuffs.
In honor of the victory in the Azov campaign of Emperor Peter the Great, Bolotnaya Square was lit up with fireworks and lights, and in the 20s of the eighteenth century, the victory of the Russians in the Swedish company and the coronation of Empress Catherine the First were celebrated here. It was then that this place was called the Tsaritsyn Meadow.
Starting from the reign of Catherine the First, merchants selling grain settled here. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, Tsaritsyn meadow, or, as the merchants called it, Labaznaya Square, was a whole area with city buildings, trading shops and warehouses. It became especially popular during Lent, the merchants of thismarketplaces set prices for all markets in Moscow. Already at this time, the name Bolotnaya Square was assigned to the area. In the 60s of the last century, the name was changed to Repin Square, but in the late nineties the former one returned.
There are bloody facts in history. This is where the mass executions took place. Rebels such as Nikita Pustosvyat, Andryushka Bezobrazov, Stepan Razin lost their lives, Emelyan Pugachev was beheaded.
It was in the distant past. Bolotnaya Square acquired its modern look after reconstruction in 1938. Today it is a favorite meeting place for young people, representatives of different subcultures. The performances of firemen and street artists are especially popular. Recently, youth rallies have been held here in support of the opposition.
Tourists who want to visit the famous square, find out where Bolotnaya Square is located, how to get there, we advise you to go from the Tretyakovskaya or Polyanka metro station. The path along the picturesque bridges is short and aesthetically pleasing.
