The age of Friendship Park near the Rechnoy Vokzal metro station in Moscow has passed 50 years. During this time, the townspeople remembered it as a green oasis around the Festival Ponds in the north of the capital, filled with monuments in honor of the friendship of peoples, erected in Soviet times. In 2021, a large-scale reconstruction took place, the concept of which was centered around three accents: more sports, playgrounds and flowers. The park has undergone significant changes. For lovers of active recreation, there are sports grounds, and for children - several play areas with a variety of entertainment. The work also affected the amphitheater and the Friendship monument: the area around was put in order, the amphitheater itself was restored and the monument was restored.
The station will remain historical
Photo: portal of the mayor and government of Moscow/Sergey Bystrov
Background
Construction of the Northern River Station was completed in 1937. It was opened simultaneously with the filling of the Moscow-Volga canal, which was built in four years and eight months. A tall spire topped with a star and a wide central staircase are the building's distinctive features.
Since the beginning of the 90s, river transportation began to decline, so the station fell into disrepair. And in 2009 it was completely closed due to its disrepair: there had been no major repairs here for 70 years.
Ultimately, in 2021, the station was transferred to the ownership of the city, after which they began to prepare for restoration. The project included the reconstruction of the embankment, piers and square near the main building, as well as the adjacent park area.
The main goal of the restoration was to preserve the original appearance of the station. At the same time, they decided to use modern technologies and materials in the design of the park spaces. Visitors to the renovated river station will find a lot of familiar details both inside and on the façade of the station.
For example, 24 large porcelain dishes that decorated the central part of the station were restored. The damaged medallions, each 1.5 meters in diameter, were removed and sent for restoration, during which the original shape was recreated and then painted according to the original design.
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However, not all elements could be recovered. For example, the famous concrete sculptures “Southern Woman”, “Red Armyman”, “Northerner” and “Red Navy Man” were in such poor condition that it was decided to make copies of them rather than restore them. After completion of the work, they were returned to their usual place - where the station tower connects with its central part.
The station building itself underwent a major renovation. Despite the fact that modern materials were used in the decoration, it resembles the original. Inside, the architects recreated the historical appearance of the walls, made copies of the surviving windows and doors and created new ones, exactly the same and always wooden, and restored the lighting.
Thus, the rich decoration and echoes of palace architecture have not gone away - all the historical advantages of the station can already be appreciated.
Star
The restoration of the star that was on the spire of the Northern River Station attracted the most attention during the restoration. The work lasted for a whole year.
The star is made of stainless steel and covered with gold plated copper sheets. There is a legend that it migrated to the spire from the Spasskaya Tower. However, this is not so: the star was made at the Moscow Molotov plant in 1935, and the star was removed from the Kremlin tower six months after the opening of the station.
Specialists manually sorted and restored semi-precious stones, and there are almost seven and a half hundred of them. The famous star with the hammer and sickle returned to the spire of the Northern River Station in August. And this was a good sign - the opening of the historical place was approaching.
Multifunctionality
Photo: portal of the mayor and government of Moscow/Sergey Bystrov
Despite the fact that the Northern River Station - the symbol of the Khimki Reservoir - has long become an architectural monument, it will retain its original functions.
First of all, the river station will regain its status as an important transport hub. The building has ticket offices selling tickets for pleasure boats, as well as long-distance flights.
The Volga-Volga restaurant opened in the river building - a restaurant with historical interiors, where visitors can try Soviet cuisine, naturally, in a modern interpretation.
Park "Vagonoremont"
In the heart of the Dmitrovsky district, between Sofya Kovalevskaya, Angarskaya and Lobnenskaya streets, there is the Vagonoremont park (its second historical name is “Veteran”). This recreation area was formed back in the 60s of the last century, and received its name from the workers’ village and factory that were once located here.
In recent years, the park has required comprehensive landscaping and landscaping. It was necessary to update pedestrian paths, replace benches and lamps, and organize new functional areas for recreation and sports.
Work to improve the park took place in 2021, taking into account the opinions of residents. Since this place is popular with the older generation, it was decided to build a modern chess pavilion and a small gazebo with a stage for dancing evenings. In addition, at the request of Muscovites, specialists restored the historical appearance of the entrance to the park: the decoration of the columns imitates the characteristic brickwork, and the upper frame of the arch is made of larch. Another entrance to the park has appeared from Sofia Kovalevskaya Street.
You can relax here on benches or in a clearing with outdoor chairs. Sports enthusiasts will find weight training equipment and ping pong tables. A special play area is also equipped for children: there are cradle swings, a large sandbox, balance beams and climbing frames. You can also come to the park with your pet - there is a dog walking area.
New look of the embankment
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The station embankment has changed beyond recognition - it will turn into a modern walking area, another place of attraction for residents and guests of the capital.
Let's start with the first feature of the project: the embankment, piers and station square - everything is done in the same style. The river theme is evident in the design of the details. When designing the embankment, natural materials and colors were used - beige, gray, white.
At the same time, the most unusual element of the updated embankment is a small copy of the Moscow Canal. A stream with gateways and lighting will stretch along the entire length of the site - from the left end of the embankment to the station itself. At the end of the mini-canal there is a miniature copy of the river station.
In general, the walking area resembles a park: there are flower beds with plants, benches, small cafes, and stands on the lawns overlooking the river.
station Square
After opening, you can drive up to the station building to pick up and drop off passengers by private passenger transport, taxi or car sharing. Parking is available in two places - along the Leningradskoye Shosse (51 spaces) and in the area adjacent to the Northern River Station park (about 210 spaces).
Tourist buses will stop earlier - for them, the new transport scheme involves the creation of a transfer hub outside the territory of the Northern River Station. There, groups of passengers will transfer to electric shuttles, which will take them all the way to the station building.
On the station square itself, there are ticket offices for passengers of water transport and just vacationers, several cafes, as well as a rental point for sports equipment.
Climbing wall and warm pools
The creators of the improvement project thought not only about the pleasant environment of the renovated embankment, but also about the entertainment available there.
In the place where the miniature copy of the Moscow Canal originates, 11 children's and sports grounds have appeared. Elements of the site in the northern part of the park are inspired by the comedy “Volga-Volga”. A multi-deck ship appeared there, reminiscent of the steamer Sevruga.
Attractions
As before the reconstruction, there are attractions in the park. Visitors are offered a small range of entertainment, but it is designed for guests of all ages. For the youngest guests there are inflatable trampolines, swings, mini-jets and a children's railway. For those who want a ride that will take their breath away, there are roller coasters and extreme trampolines. And adults can remember their childhood by organizing races at the Autodrom.
Tickets for attractions cost about 200 rubles. It is possible to buy a ticket for all attractions, which will be valid for a certain period of time - 1 or 2 hours.
Near the park at Flotskaya Street, building 5a, the only circus tent in Moscow “Rainbow” is located. Performances with the participation of clowns, magicians, acrobats, and trained animals take place here.
Fountains "North" and "South"
The historical fountains “North” and “South” decorate the courtyards formed by galleries at the ends of the Northern River Station building. The North fountain is made of natural stone. Its composition is dedicated to the Arctic: on a pedestal in the form of a group of marble polar bears there was a bird market - figures of loons and wild geese. The sculptor Lev Kardashev worked on the fountain.
The “South” fountain is a bowl in the form of a column capital. Dolphins on a marble pedestal are reminiscent of Crimea and the Black Sea. “South” was made by sculptor Ivan Efimov.
Before the restoration began, these two fountains were in unsatisfactory condition. Sculptures of loons were lost, marble and granite elements had numerous chips. Utility networks are inoperative.
Work began in November last year. Then the granite lining of the fountain bowls was completely dismantled. These bowls were re-cast based on historical casts. The fountains were returned to their original appearance after repairing and strengthening the monolithic foundations and replacing internal communications.
The granite and marble compositions were cleaned of biological damage, the missing elements were re-arranged, and the seams were caulked. The materials were given hydrophobic properties. We carried out work to restore and recreate sculptures of dolphins and lost loons, replaced utility lines, and installed modern fountain equipment.
A team of 60 people - architects, engineers, technologists, geologists, homologists, historians and others - worked on a project for the restoration of the spire and star, the spire shaft and its descent and ascent mechanism, the North and South fountains. It took them almost a year.
