Clean Ponds is quite a famous place in Moscow. It’s in the center of the city, located near a number of famous cafes and restaurants, shops and office buildings. Despite its popularity and noisiness, I can call it my favorite green oasis in the megalopolis.

Every time I get to Clean Ponds and I draw in a breath of fresh air in the trees’ shade, I am carried back several centuries and remember the history of this place. Actually, now there is only one pond. Before there were more of them and, according to one of the versions, there used to be a slaughterhouse nearby and waste from it would be dumped in the ponds.

Over time they were cleaned and from “nasty ponds” they were turned into Clean Ponds. However, there is the opinion that the ponds have every chance to become dirty again.

Walking on the Chistoprudny boulevard, I am reminded of scenes from famous films which were shot near the ponds: “Walking the Streets of Moscow ” (1963) and “The Meeting Place Can’t Be Changed” (1979).

By the way, there is a cozy restaurant exactly next to the pond. You can sense the smells from the kitchen around it, and in the warm season it is possible to ride on a catamaran in the pond.