Before talking about Ostankino and VDNK, I will show you some photos of hiking done with a Russian group : 3 in North-East of Moscow (50 km far away), and another in the south, not far from Domodievo airport (below).
First Leninskaya - Volodarskovo (and yes, it goes up the hill !)
Then Friazino-Tavarnaya with a Russian guy who went swimming in a small lake ! (Outside temperature around 0 ° C)
And Yaroma - Morozki with the channel and the mountain environment : there was even a small ski resort !
And to complete these hikes, Valentinovka - Balashikha :
These rides are often at a quick pace, like that from October 24th where the GPS watch recorded an average speed of 5.8 km / h (this count down time, meal breaks, fire breaks, ...) .
Now, we will discover Ostankino and VDNK parks.
Ostankino Park is located in northern Moscow near the VDNK subway (take a tram in front of VDNK park entrance). Ostankino Palace (18th century) is located near the Trinity church (17th century) and from there you can see the television tower.
In the park there is a small lake with paddleboats, a dance terrace, attractions for adults and games for children, and some dining areas.
In the years 1791-1799, Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev, a great lover of theater and music, began construction of Ostankino Palace. This palace was built entirely of wood, but it seems plaster with stone walls.
The particularity of this palace is to have a theater (eighteenth century).
Nicolai Sheremetev was passionate about theater and had formed a band with a vast repertoire : it was his summer residence and he preferred to Kuskovo park.
For faithful readers, they will remember the post on Kuskovo Palace which indicated that the son of Piotr Sheremetev (Nikolai) spent summers at Ostankino palace instead of the family one at Kuskovo... and those 2 palaces are made of wood !
And then is even a small Egyptian house !
Outside is a landscaped garden with trees, including a large cedar tree and an artificial hill with a temple.
Not far from the Ostankino Palace is the VDNK exhibition park (over 230 ha).
From Ostankino, there are 2 ways to go there :
- Take the tram towards VDNK and walking in the park
- Or use rollers and cross the Ostankino park and then VDNK park which is quite large.
Of course, we tested the 2 options !
The opening ceremony of the VDNK exhibition park held on August 1, 1939 : the show lasted two months and a half and there were over 3.5 million visitors. The organization was very important with 2000 guides, including 200 dedicated to foreign visitors. The exhibition was originally conceived as a unique event, but it was decided to continue to use the buildings. In 1940, the show lasted five months, with over 4.5 million visitors. During the Second World War, the exhibition was no longer used.
This site was originally a large agricultural fair grounds. Above the entrance arch, one can see a statue of two peasants raising a sheaf of wheat.
Various pavilions have been erected as those of the Baltic Republics, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and those of Soviet republics : in total, there were over 250 buildings.
Three years after the war ended, it was decided to reopen the exhibition. Reconstruction of some buildings was necessary because most were expected not to last long (the duration of the exhibition !)
In 1954 the "friendship of peoples" fountain was built. It represents the farmers of the 16 republics of the former USSR, dancing with traditional costumes. The sculptures are in bronze, with golden parts and a wreath of gilded copper .
VDNK subway station was opened on 1st of May 1958 and it does not seem to have changed much.
In 1959, the park was transformed by Nikita Khrushchev in a large park to the glory of economic achievements, scientific and technological country. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the various pavilions were taken over by private companies. More than 70 of them are now exhibition stands for industrial products.
Now, the VDNK park became an amusement park where families come with their children and access is free ... but the attractions are not free of charge ! We can eat brochette (shashlik), walking on foot, run bicycle or rollerblades (there are spaces for rentals).
Attention to the brochette price ! It is sold by weight and they have a strong tendency to put a good weight for foreigners ... and in addition, all additives such as salad, sauce, etc. ... are charged ...
Some buildings are a bit rundown but all invite us back in time to the days of the Soviet Union ... It should be seen because it is part of Russian cultural heritage.
And do not forget to go to the bottom of the park to see the small Orthodox church ... more than a half hour walk ... that's why rollers is an interesting option!
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