Gorky Park

Gorky Park used to be a very strange place in the past: full of some scary fast-food joints, shady people, occasional cafes, and even a replica of the Soviet space shuttle Buran.
This has all changed when the park was renovated a few years ago: a new government official nominated to oversee the development of cultural spaces in Moscow has pushed all the mafia away and simply decided to make something that is more western than weird. His project succeeded (gaining him substantial political capital along the way), while Moscovitans got their first “proper” park, where you could lie on the grass, drink a latte and not be as scared as before that some drunk guy will rob you in daylight.
However, the old ties are hard to get rid of, so there are some occasional days during the year when the park is reclaimed by its former inhabitants. One such example is the end of the school day when the young 18 year olds collectively travel into the alcohol coma and start bathing in dirty fountains producing a huge mess. 
 
Gorky Park in Summer photo by Igor Gromov - flickr.com/photos/gromozzzeka/6143428520
Another special occasion is the day of the Russian Paratroopers. They have a tradition to celebrate it in Gorky park and it’s pretty intense what happens during the feast: suffice it is to say that all the hipsters prefer to be elsewhere.
All this makes Gorky Park super interesting because it manages to combine things that would not normally fit together: a small replica of the larger Russian project. In any case, nowadays Gorky Park is a very comfortable, safe place to chill and hang out. There are many nice outdoors and indoor restaurants inside, Garage contemporary art museum, and during the winter the whole park turns into an ice skating ring. Centrally located on Garden Ring, between metro Oktyabrskaya and Park Kultury. Open 24h.
 

Location

Gorky Park
Krymski Val street, 9 metro Park Kultury
Moscow
Phone: +7 495 995-00-20



 

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