Moscow recently opened four new parks — three are completely new, built on unused or underused land, and one is vast improvement on a park and some abandoned ponds. Stroll around while the weather is still autumnal. They should be fun during much of the winter, too, and then perfect for sunbathing, swimming, and sports in spring and summer.
Tyufeleva roshcha
Tyufeleva roshcha is a new park next to the sprawling ZIL Art complex. After a fifteen minute walk from Metro station Avtozavodskaya through industrial wasteland you come upon this oasis of a park, surrounded by half constructed or abandoned buildings with gaping windows and a huge banner saying “Krasota Spasyot” (Beauty Will Save [You]).
No one knows what Tyufeleva roshcha actually means, but the toponym has been around for centuries. Eighteenth-century historian Nikolai Karamzin used to take walks here, and the pond described in his story “Poor Liza” was located in Tyufeleva roshcha.
The park has been designed by a well-known American architect Jerry Van Eyck, founder of the New York design and landscape architecture firm !melk. The main attraction is the long pergola that zigzags through the whole park and reminds you of a conveyor belt taken from the ZIL car factory that used to occupy this space. It’s a public art object, a conglomeration of various kiosks, and a convenient place to hide from bad weather all in one.
Jerry Van Eyck called his pergola the “caterpillar” and made it from COR-TEN steel, aka “weathering” steel, which, once installed outside, gets a permanent rusty color.
Visitors also love the pool with bright, azure-colored water due to special multi-stage filtering system. You can take one of the beach chairs next to it and enjoy the fall.