Exploring the Parks of Moscow, Russia
Elk Island National Park
Elk Island is situated the north west of the city of Moscow, and stretches out into the suburbs. It is also called the “Losiny Ostrov National Park,” and is over 116 square kilometers (45 square miles) in size. Only about half of this park is permitted for humans to explore freely or navigate the trails. This park used to be the hunting grounds for Ivan the Terrible, but today hunting is banned. Nevertheless, there is still a wide variety of animals in this park, such as elk, wild boar, deer, otters, beavers and many different types of birds.
Bitsa Park
Bitsa Park, also known as Bitsevski Park, is about 18 square kilometers (11 square miles). The Bitsa River flows through this park, and there are also over 500 plant species on its premises, such as oaks, firs and lindens. This park is also the site of the Museum of Paleontology and a couple historic estates.
Fallen Monument Park
The Fallen Monument Park is a sculpture garden that is situated outside of the Krymsky Val building. It has over 700 sculptures, and is most famous for the fallen monuments of former times, with all sorts of depcitions of Socialist leaders like Lenin and Stalin, as well as some propaganda monuments. There are also some other themes around this park, like an Oriental Garden, Pushkin Square, Portrait Row, World War II and some modern rotating pieces.
Izmailovsky Park
Deep in history and culture, Izmailovsky Park is recorded as far back as the 14th century, and it was also the spot where Peter the Great discovered his love of sailing. It is today still full of water, as the Izmailovka and Pekhorka Rivers flow throughout, and several artifical ponds were dug around their courses. There are also birch woods and historical buildings that have been restored, along with the Izmaiovo Market.
Kolomenskoe Park
Kolomenskoe Park is the site of a formal royal estate, which is now located near some industrialized areas of Moscow in the south east of the city. It used to be a remote village from Moscow that was formed in the 13th century, and it is today full of impressive examples of Russian architecture, like churches, palaces and bell towers. In the summertime, many Muscovites come to escape the city and enjoy the sun, but it can be quite an impressive visual experience during the winter when it is covered in snow.