The Zamoskvorechye neighbourhood is a mix of antiquity and modernity.

Steeped in tsarist history, Zamoskvorechye also retains the patina of old-school, Stalinist glamour with its imposing facades and embankments. Despite its dramatic architecture, most of Zamoskvorechye is fairly quiet, with many of its streets providing a kind of «eye of the storm»-like atmosphere in the heart of Moscow.

An ancient district

In the days of Ivan the Terrible, royal archers were stationed here with their families – and legend has it that Moscow’s first proper tavern was located here as well, serving the needs of both military men and the large numbers of artisans who lived in the area. Later, the Tsar’s gardens were cultivated here.

Zamoskvorechye’s overall look has been formed over the last 700 years or so. The first recorded texts on Zarechye (which literally means «beyond the river») date back to the 14th century, but it is known that the area was populated long before that.

Historically, Zamoskvorechye served as a sloboda in the Moscow princedom – a settlement free from taxation or conscription. The people who lived there provided the Tsar with goods and food. That is why many streets in Zamoskvorechye have food or craft-related names, like Sadovnichevskaya Naberezhnaya (Garden Embankment) or Novokuznetskaya Ulitsa (Blacksmith Street).

Bohemian haunts

The modern history of Zamoskvorechye begins in the 19th century, when the intelligentsia started to move here in droves. Russian writers like Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Ostrovsky, Alexander Fet and even Fyodor Dostoevsky all lived or stayed in Zamoskvorechye.

Today, Zamoskvorechye is known for the museum of Igor Talkov, a popular Russian singer tragically murdered in 1991, and a museum dedicated to poet Sergei Yesenin. And if you’re walking down Bolshaya Ordynka, take a peek into the back yard of building number 17 – there is a monument dedicated to poet Anna Akhmatova there. The building is colloquially known as «Anna Akhmatova’s house», because she used to stay there regularly.

The lower depths of Paveletsky

While Zamoskvorechye is known for its intellectual history, it also has inhabitants like those Maxim Gorky described in his play The Lower Depths.

Homeless people tend to congregate around Paveletsky railway station and spread out from there to Paveletskaya metro and the surrounding areas.

According to non-profit organization Spravedlivaya Pomoshch, almost a thousand of them regularly seek shelter in the vicinity.

«It’s nicer here, the police are never interested in us», said Natalia, 65, a homeless woman who resides near the railway station. She said she lost her apartment in the 1990s when her daughter sold it against her wishes. «I got used living on the streets, it’s tough, but we have civil society organizations helping us», Natalia said, pointing out that she and her fellow homeless people had been previously driven out of a former haunt – Kursky railway station.

A policeman stationed at Paveletsky confirmed Natalia’s statements regarding the lack of police interest in the homeless. «We look after the station, not the neighbourhood», he said.

No breaking the bank

Zamoskvorechye is cheaper when compared to similar neighbourhoods in Moscow, said Maxim Mokeyev of Evans Property.

The cheapest real estate sale price per square meter in Zamoskvorechye is between $3,400 and $6,200 according to the Evans Property and Penny Lane Realty real estate agencies. The most expensive square meter comes to $30 000, Mokeyev said.

Renting an apartment in Zamoskvorechye is within reach of anyone with an income over $3,000 – the cheapest flat costs $1,760 per month.

According to Mokeyev, the most popular addresses for buying or renting an apartment in Zamoskvorechye are 53 Pyatnitskaya Ulitsa, 17 Lavrushinsky Pereulok, and 17 Bolshaya Ordynka.

Zamoskvorechye is also situated in close proximity to the Kremlin.

«It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the Kremlin from Zamoskvorechye», said Denis, 27, a financial adviser who lives in the area.

Shops, students and hipsters

According to the district’s official website, there are 73 streets in Zamoskvorechye, connected by six metro stations: Dobryninskaya, Paveletskaya, Novokuznetskaya, Tretya¬kovskaya, and Serpukhovskaya. There are ten schools and 10 kindergartens in the area. A total of 67 shops of all kinds serve the 40,000 people who live in Zamoskvorechye, which doesn’t strike the residents as nearly enough.

What it lacks in shopping options, Zamoskvorechye makes up in industrial and scientific potential. Rot-Front candy factory, the Parizhskaya Kommuna shoe factory and the Pervaya Obraztsovaya press make up the industrial part of the district.

The Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics, Moscow State University of Design and Technology, Modern University for the Humanities, the Orthodox St. Tikhon Theological Institute, the Construction Univer sity, and the Institute of Electronics and Mathematics are also all located in Zamo¬skvo¬re¬chye.

There are a few small parks in Zamoskvorechye, but according to Maxim Mokeyev of Evans Property, the embankments serve the residents’ recreational needs, «providing a cool breeze, especially during hot summers».

Every night, you can see hipsters drinking wine and listening to music at Prichal, a small pier on the Moscow River, located a 10 minute walk away from Novokuznetskaya metro. Prichal is next to Bolshoi Ustinsky Bridge, with views on the Kremlin and the gargantuan Stalinist masterpiece known as Dom na Kotelnicheskoi.

«A beautiful district for professionals with access to the heart of Moscow», is how Victoria, a local resident in her 30s, sums up Zamoskvorechye – a neighbourhood that exudes grandeur and yet allows its residents a more laid-back lifestyle.

Addresses of note:

17 Bolshaya Ordynka – Anna Akhmatova’s building

1 Paveletskaya square – Paveletsky railway station

24 Bolshoi Strochenovsky Pereulok, structure number 2 – Sergei Yesenin’s Museum

36 Stremyanny Pereulok – Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics

33 Sadovnichevskaya Ulitsa – Moscow State University of Design and Technology

The apartment question

Yekaterina Yemisheva has lived in a Stalin-era building at No. 36 Kosmodamianskaya Naberezhnaya for 32 years – practically a lifetime. Her family moved here after her husband got a job in Moscow.

«I like the quietness of my neighbourhood. Of course, there are more cars nowadays, but still this embankment is very peaceful», Yekaterina said.

She did complain about the lack of infrastructure, saying that there are few shops around her building and that it is «easier to go to Auchan once a week» rather than spend time «wandering about to find a decent shop to buy food at».

Yekaterina pointed out that there are at least are enough laundries, beauty salons and other conveniences nearby. «But there are too many banks and offices – they’re everywhere», she said.

Yekaterina longs to see more children in Zamoskvorechye: «We rarely hear kids’ voices around here, only when they come to play at a playground in our backyard», she said. Many of the residents in her building are generals’ widows «because this is a 1947 building – many generals moved in here after the Great Patriotic War».

«There are no hooligans or bandits near my home», Yekaterina said, pointing out that Zamoskvorechye tends to be quite safe. She said that she is looking forward to seeing more young people in the area. «We need them for sure, because sometimes it gets too quiet», she said.

Still, despite the quiet and the long years already spent here, Yekaterina remains charmed by the area. «There are pros and cons to any neighbourhood, but once you become a local resident, you will love Zamoskvorechye just like I do».

Source: The Moscow News