Gorky Park to get second makeover

Just two years after Moscow’s Gorky Park underwent a multi-million dollar makeover, plans are afoot for a further renovation. This time, Moscow City Hall will pedestrianise 50km of roads, including those around Gorky Park, by 1 September — just a week before the mayoral election in which current mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, will be running. Over the longer term, the grounds within the park will also be radically redesigned.

In 2011, Gorky Park received a facelift courtesy of the Moscow city administration, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and restaurant group Ginza Project. Out went the grubby kiosks and decaying fun fair rides and in came the Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture, ping pong tables, and a plethora of restaurants and bars.

The Stalin-era recreation ground was originally designed to celebrate the hard-working proletariat and was to inspire rather than entertain. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the park fell into a state of disrepair. The renovation was part of wider plans to restore all of Moscow’s parks by 2016.

On 24 August, Gorky Park will celebrate its 85th anniversary with a parade and a rich programme of events including circus performances, art projects, DJs, bands and theatre.

Source: The Moscow Times