Presnya - Moscow - page 205

Neighbourhood Walk
Presnya Past & Present
START PUSHKINSKAYA PL
END KRASNOPRESNENSKAYA NAB
LENGTH 4KM, TWO HOURS

Walk from the previous century into the present (and beyond). From Pushkinskaya pl,
stroll south along 1 Tversskoy b y buul. This is the loveliest stretch, lined with grand archi-

tecture and colourful blooms. At the end, sneak a peak at 2 Ryabushinsky Mansion ,
an art-nouveau beauty where Maxim Gorky lived.
The 3 Church of the Grand Ascension looming over the intersection hosted the
wedding of Alexander Pushkin and Natalya Goncharova, and a sculpture of the love-
birds graces the fountain out front. Walk up Bolshaya Nikitskaya ul, which is studded
with mansions. Some of the most striking include the elaborate facade at 4 No 51 No 51

and the tiled edifice of 5 Lopatiina B uilding at No 54.

At the end of Bolshaya Nikitskaya, use the underground crosswalk to reach Kudrin-
skaya pl, dominated by a massive skyscraper (one of Stalin's Seven Sisters). Just
south is one of Moscow's last and best examples of modernist architecture,
6 Narkomfin . Amid talk of reconstruction, legal barriers and lack of financing mean
the building continues to crumble.
Turn right into Bolshoy Devyatinsky per, then left into Konyushkovskaya ul, continu-
ing south to Krasnopresnenskaya nab. On the banks of the Moscow River is the
massive facade of the 7 White House , home of the Russian parliament and site of
several decisive events in recent history. The Radisson Royal, another of Stalin's
Seven Sisters, stands on the opposite side of the river.
In the distance, the International Business Centre sprouts up along the Moscow
River. Note the double-pronged City of Capitals building, representing Moscow and St
Petersburg. Mercury City Tower, the tallest building in Europe, towers some 340m
above the city.

a Buildin