Natural reserve "Vorobyovy Gory". Sparrow Hills - no longer a nature reserve

"Specially protected natural area" Vorobyovy Gory was not lucky enough to be in the center of Moscow. The outcome was predictable, but no less sad...

To start, a little history:

In 1987, the Sparrow (Lenin) mountains were declared a natural monument of a geological nature with unique landforms, outcrops and springs. The territory of Sparrow Hills is "protected by law":

"A specially protected natural area of ​​the city of Moscow, the nature reserve "Vorobyovy Gory" was established in order to preserve, restore and develop natural complex Moscow by Decree of the Government of Moscow dated July 21, 1998 No. 564 "On measures to develop the territories of the Natural Complex of Moscow".

Tasks of the nature reserve:

Preservation of historical, cultural and natural complexes;

Preservation and restoration of valuable objects and territories that are habitats of rare, endangered or vulnerable species of plants, animals, birds or insects in the conditions of the city of Moscow;

Carrying out research work on the study of objects of special protection of the natural reserve "Vorobyovy Gory";

Creation of conditions for maintaining the recreational potential of territories within the city;

Restoration of disturbed landscapes, biogeocenoses, natural, historical and cultural complexes and objects."

Today we will take a walk along Sparrow Hills and see how well these tasks are being carried out.

Even 15 years ago, it was indeed an almost virgin forest park in which rare plants and rare animals lived. Even cycling competitions were banned there under the pretext that it could harm the natural habitat of rare varieties of grasshoppers.

The arrival of new "masters" of Sparrow Hills in 2011 was marked by the famous statement that bad cyclists caused damage to the reserve in a million dollars (33 million rubles). Ah ah ah!

Under the auspices of the fight against cyclists, Sparrow Hills began to "beautify". That is, to plow with heavy equipment, cut down trees and shrubs. In 2013, paths were laid there, which made the park more pedestrian-friendly, but harmed the park's ecosystem hundreds of times more than all cyclists, because. quads, tractors and trucks drove throughout the park.

This winter, the landscaping continued: all paths received lighting. But at what cost! Firstly, for this, trenches were dug along the entire length of the paths. Now tractor ruts half a meter deep are visible everywhere, filled with dirty slurry.

Hundreds of square meters of fences and some sports facilities appeared here and there. Sparrow Hills turned from the Reserve into an ordinary city park, which is actually understandable if you look at the name of the customer company on this poster.

On the official website of the ecological center "Vorobyovy Gory" there are the following words:

"According to experts, in order to preserve natural heritage on Vorobyovy Gory, it is necessary to preserve the territorial integrity of the reserve, limit economic and construction activities here, control the development of erosion and landslide processes, restore disturbed areas in a timely manner and promote the formation of natural plant communities rather than gardens and parks."

As we can see, what is happening now in the reserve contradicts this. But landslide processes, as you will now see, are being studied - but not from a scientific point of view and not for environmental purposes ...

On the very slope where rare grasshoppers lived, now there are heavy cars and drilling rigs - geological surveys are being carried out to study landslide slopes.

The research is carried out by order of the Department of Construction of the city of Moscow, which has its own plans for Vorobyovy Gory. Now we are talking about putting up a giant monument to Prince Vladimir on the observation deck of the Sparrow Hills.

My value judgment: Sparrow Hills as a reserve, reserve, forest park ended, now it's just a city park, with smooth paths instead of paths, artificial lighting, football fields etc.

I really hope that as a fly in the ointment, the park administration will meet the needs of cyclists and legalize all existing bike trails, as well as contribute to the construction of new ones. Because otherwise it would be a rare duplicity...

But Sparrow Hills is still a pity.

To walk around nature reserve, it is not at all necessary to travel outside Moscow. In the city limits of the capital there is a natural reserve "Vorobyovy Gory", formed in 1998 in order to preserve the natural historical and cultural complexes and landscapes of Moscow. The 137.5-hectare reserve is home to many endangered plant, animal, bird or insect species.

Eco-trails are laid throughout the reserve, along which you can walk on your own or with a guided tour. As a sightseeing tour, you can choose from several scenic routes: “On the slopes of the Sparrow Hills”, “Andreevsky Ponds”, “On the terraces of the Sparrow Hills”. In addition, guests of the reserve can choose one of the thematic excursions: Sparrow Hills Literary", "Wintering Birds of Moscow", "Biodiversity", "Spring Flora of Sparrow Hills" and others. If you wish, you can end the walk with a picnic - there are places for grilling shish kebabs near Andreevsky Ponds, and cozy gazebos are located along the entire route.

The participants of the tour will pass by enclosures with rare ornamental birds (pheasants, peacocks, turkeys), squirrels, as well as birds of prey. Not far from the enclosures is located viewpoint with a magnificent view of the slopes of the Sparrow Hills. Interest in children will surely be aroused by the alley of birds with feeders, birdhouses and titmouses. Playgrounds can also be found on the territory of the reserve.

Free tours are held on weekdays from 8.00 to 17.00. You can go for a walk on the weekend - for a fee. There is no specific time for the start of excursions, it is recommended to sign up in advance. If you wish, you can come with children or with the whole class. The duration of the excursions is from 40 minutes to two hours, depending on the weather and the age of the participants.

If you wish, you can take part in an ecological quest in the Vorobyovy Gory nature reserve and have an interesting time logical tasks, orienteering and photography.

Bicycles for rent

On Sparrow Hills there are many places where it will be interesting to ride a bike. For those who want to rent a bike, there are several rental points in different areas of the park.

Parents with children can ride a bike for free - a free rental point for children's and adult bicycles has been opened in the Pioneer Palace. In addition to bicycles, there are scooters and balance bikes, roller skates for children and adults, you can rent a protection kit, Nordic walking sticks, ping-pong and badminton sets. The rental office is open in the second building of the Palace on weekdays from 15.00 to 20.00, on weekends from 12.00 to 20.00. You will need a passport to rent.

Another rental point operates in the Main building of Moscow State University. There are sports and road bikes of the brands Sprint, Atom, Upland, Legend. This rental is paid, for 200 rubles. per hour you can take a new bike, last year's and worn-out models are given for 150 rubles per hour. You can rent a bicycle for a day (600-800 rubles), there are roller skates in the assortment. For a pledge, a document or 5000-10000 rubles is required. The rental office is open from 11.00 to 23.00, but before the visit, you should call the security of Moscow State University in order to freely enter the territory of the university.

Two more rental points are located on the embankment near the armchair and near the exit to Vorobyovskoye highway.

Text: Margarita Vasilyeva

Vorobyovy Gory has always occupied a special place and possessed special status in Moscow: from the 16th century a palace estate, then a royal estate. In 1987, Sparrow Hills, and at that time the "slopes Leninsky mountains” were declared a natural monument of a geological nature with unique landforms, outcrops and springs.

Illustration: Valery Shaban

And in 1998, in order to preserve and restore the natural, historical and cultural complex unique for Moscow, the Vorobyovy Gory Nature Reserve was created. His territory with total area about 150 hectares is bounded from the northeast by the left bank of the Moskva River, from the west and south by Kosygin Street. The reserve stretches in a narrow strip, about 4 km long, from the Vorobyovskoye Highway (near the mouth of the Setun River) to the Third Ring Road in the area of ​​Gagarinskaya Square. Komsomolsky prospect and Metromost coincide with the administrative boundaries of the districts (Western and Southwestern) and divide the reserve into 2 parts: western and eastern.

The combination of various forms of recreation with the knowledge of wildlife For this purpose, two ecological trails have been set up in the Reserve, including one for people with movement restrictions.

And the routes are:

1. Andreevsky Ponds. The ponds were dug out no later than the 18th - the first quarter of the 19th century, when a new manor park was arranged here. A walking area with places for recreation, a playground and shady gazebos has been created near the large Andreevsky Pond.
2. Route "On the slopes of the Sparrow Hills", where you can get acquainted with natural wealth Sparrow Hills - unique landslide slopes, flora and fauna.
3. The route "On the terraces of the Sparrow Hills" is also suitable for such a name - "Look deep into the Earth." On the slopes of the Sparrow Hills, one can see brown and reddish clay layers and reddish sandy deposits with huge boulders - witnesses of icing.

Nature

Sparrow Hills is one of the most contrasting, complexly built and dynamically developing natural areas of Moscow, while located not far from historical center. Vorobyevo is known for its picturesque ridge-hilly relief, numerous ravines and gullies, active development of landslide processes, preserved fragments of the alluvial terraces of the Moskva River and numerous groundwater outlets along the entire slope of the Sparrow Hills - in the form of individual springs and entire swampy areas. In the era when this territory was covered by the sea, in the pre-Quaternary time, powerful strata of marine sediments accumulated here - Carboniferous limestones, Jurassic clays and Cretaceous sands. Sparrow Hills is an active geodynamic zone with anomalous values ​​of magnetic and electromagnetic fields. The variety of nature of the Sparrow Hills is complemented by rivers, streams, small swamps, ponds and springs. The main waterway of the city - the Moscow River - within the boundaries of the reserve makes one of its loops and changes direction. Its width in the Vorobyovy Gory region is about 230 m, depth - from 3 to 5 m. The most famous springs in the reserve can be seen in the ravine near the Herzen-Ogarev stele, in the ravine to the west of the springboard and to the north-west of the Church of the Holy Trinity. Three ancient ponds are located near the Andreevsky Monastery and the fourth - Forest Pond - in the central part of the reserve, was also dug out at least a century and a half ago.

The ponds here never dry up, because the water in them comes as a result of groundwater discharge on the slope of the valley. All ponds have had a decorative purpose for many years and have been preserved in their natural banks to this day. Sparrow Hills occupy a special place among Moscow landscapes. The main landscape axis of the reserve, as well as the whole city, is the valley of the Moskva River. Natural-territorial complexes (NTCs) of the floodplain adjoin the valley directly; they have been greatly altered by human influence and have survived only in some places, for example, at the confluence of the Setun River in the northwestern part of the reserve, where you can see leveled surfaces occupied by wet meadows on sod soils.

Most of the Vorobyovy Gory is occupied by the NTC of the primary slopes of the Teplostan Upland, which break off to the Moskva River. There are steep (25-40°), sometimes steep, landslide slopes in the reserve. The vegetation on them, due to the great steepness, almost everywhere remained natural, except for the ski jump area and the slope adjacent to it, which is actively exploited by skiers and snowboarders in winter. There are also gentle slopes and hollows occupied by broad-leaved forest; they can be observed in the area of ​​a forest pond, above a rescue station, etc. In the middle part of the slope at heights of 135-140 meters, on leveled surfaces, one can see the PTK of a floodplain terrace with birch forests and meadow forbs. The highest level (from 150 to 180-190 m) in the reserve is occupied by the watershed surfaces of the Teplostan Upland. They have been preserved in the area of ​​the enclosure complex, the metro bridge, near the Trinity Church; most of them are occupied by artificial linden-oak plantations.

Flora

Due to the location of the reserve on the slopes of the river valley, it is dominated by broad-leaved tree species - these are oak, linden and Norway maple, ash. Individual trees reach an age of 200-250 years and a height of 35-38 meters. No less widely represented are small-leaved species - birch and aspen. Black alder is found in wet areas. The "overseas guest" - American maple, or ash-leaved maple - has settled widely. The undergrowth is formed by shrubs such as hazel (or hazel), warty euonymus, forest honeysuckle, and common viburnum. Of the herbs in the reserve, forest and meadow species predominate. In spring, Ranunculus anemone appears one of the first, covering the reserve with a yellow carpet. After it, new leaves of hairy sedge appear instead of wintering under the snow. By the end of May, on slightly disturbed areas, a continuous green cover, along with sedge, forms gout and forest grass. Here and there you can see bright yellow and purple inflorescences of greenfinch and creeping tenacious.

Of the meadow species, the most common are the monetized loosestrife, whose rounded leaves resemble coins, and bedstraws.

In glades, forest edges and in light forests, there are graceful cuff leaves and bluish flowers of Veronica oak. Dioecious nettles and types of gravilates grow in damp places - river and city. Of the "Red Book" plants of the Vorobyovy Gory, one of the few orchids living in the city stands out - broad-leaved nappe and nesting. And of the early-flowering species - spring rank, yellow goose onion and corydalis - dense, still familiar to Sparrow Hills, and hollow, almost disappeared from the territory. A special group of rare species of the Sparrow Hills, as well as all of Moscow as a whole, are plants that are more characteristic of the steppes - green strawberries and St. John's wort.

Fauna

More than a hundred species of vertebrates are currently found on the territory of the Sparrow Hills. Of these, 4 species of fish that live in Lesnoy and Andreevsky ponds, 2 species of amphibians, 1 species of reptiles (common snake), up to 85 species of birds and about 15 species belong to the class of mammals, or animals. All year round on the Moskva River, and in the summer and on the ponds of the reserve, the mallard keeps. Often, walking along the embankment, you can meet feeding gulls - blue-gray and lake, and in the forest you can notice a bright large motley woodpecker and noisy fieldfare. In all seasons, tits are bustling near the feeders - great and blue tit, and nuthatches and pikas examine the bark of trees. To prevent all the blue food from getting to the pigeons, the feeders are covered with a special net. Sometimes squirrels also visit the feeders. With the advent of spring, finches and robins are among the first to arrive in the reserve, and, a little later, starlings and thrushes - songbird and redwing. Greenfinches begin to sing, the first molehills appear on snow-free areas, and wagtails “mince” along the paths and paths. By the beginning of May, warblers and flycatchers, as well as the "main feathered singer" - the nightingale, reach the Sparrow Hills. Forest mice rustle in the litter, and field mice rustle in the meadows and edges. Special attention in the Reserve is devoted to the conservation of the owls living here - the gray owl and the long-eared owl. In addition to them, hawks (goshawk and sparrowhawk) and falcons - kestrel and hobby falcon, which have become a symbol of the reserve, are found among the birds of prey on Sparrow Hills. During the summer months you can hear the cuckoo and the oriole. In spring, during migration, woodcock is found, and on the Moscow River - goldeneyes and crested ducks. The most interesting species of animals that you can meet here are the common hedgehog, the weasel - the only representative of predators, and the common shrew, which lives in slightly disturbed areas.

Historical monuments

1. Andreevsky Monastery (1675, 1805). Its buildings are located at the foot of the slope of the Moskva River valley next to the building of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was founded during the time of Ivan the Terrible in the Plennitsy tract. In 1648, the roundabout F.M. Rtishchev revived the monastery on the site of the former one that burned down, and in 1665 he founded a religious school under him, which served as the beginning of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. In 1685, the religious school was transferred to Kitay-Gorod, and the empty monastery was assigned to the Zaikonospassky Monastery. The monastic settlement gradually turned into a semi-village of Andreevskoe, which is in Prisoners (Prisoners). In the second half of the 17th century, the monastery was heavily rebuilt and turned into a center of educational activities under the leadership of a prominent political and cultural figure boyar Athanasius Ordyn-Nashchokin.
   One of the first printing houses was founded here and a shelter for homeless children was located. At the end of the XVIII century the monastery was closed.
   In the monastery complex there are churches of the Resurrection of Christ, St. Andrew Stratilates and ap. John the Theologian, as well as the Synodal Library. Until now, it has not been renewed and is the Patriarchal Metochion. The freshly restored gate church of Andrey Stratilat, which gave the name to the monastery, is interesting for its preserved colored tiles and frescoes. The Church of St. John the Evangelist stands out from the rest with a powerful three-tiered bell tower. The third church of the monastery ensemble is the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (1689-1701) in the Moscow Baroque style, which has preserved a frieze of large tiles, made by the unsurpassed master of monumental ceramics of the late 18th century Stepan Polubes.
2. Trinity Church. The current building of the temple was built in 1811-1813. in the style of classicism. In 1812, Mikhail Kutuzov prayed in it before going to the military council in Fili. Napoleon came here to look at the panorama of Moscow. In Soviet times, the Trinity Church, far from the center, not only miraculously survived, but was not even closed, so its ancient interior was preserved. Moreover, after the ban bell ringing throughout Moscow, it was in the “Vorobievskaya” church that the bells continued to ring - it was located outside the administrative line of the city.
3. Grachev's dacha. This is the only surviving example of the rich dacha development of the Moscow suburbs of the early 20th century. A three-story, high attic, spectacularly arranged building with a brick ground floor and wooden upper floors stands on the edge of the Sparrow Hills plateau at the intersection of the street. Kosygin from Vernadsky Ave. Of the interior decoration, only the chiseled balusters of the central staircase survived.
4. The estate of Dmitriev-Mamonov. The most significant period in the development of the estate was the first years of the 19th century, when it passed into the possession of the famous philanthropist, the most enlightened man of his time - Nikolai Yusupov. An extensive park with greenhouses was laid out at the estate.
   In 1833, the estate was sold to Count Matvey Dmitriev-Mamonov and was named Mamon's Dacha. Further in time, it was inherited, rented out, sold.
5. Monument to A.I. Herzen and N.P. Ogarev at the place of their oath. In 1978, a stele was erected on a high slope in memory of the revolutionaries. An inscription is carved on the wall of the obelisk: “Here in 1827 the young men A. Herzen and N. Ogarev, who became great revolutionary democrats, took an oath to fight the autocracy without sparing their lives.”

Ecocenter "Vorobyovy Gory"

In June of this year, the Center resumed free walking tours: sightseeing tour introduces the flora and fauna of the Sparrow Hills, as well as their unique relief; historical - with such sights as the Andreevsky Monastery, the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Novoandreevsky Bridge, the Luzhnetsky metro bridge, the Grachevs' dacha, the escalator gallery, the stele of Herzen and Ogarev, the Moscow State University, the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, the ruins of the Krynkin restaurant. The Ecocenter also organizes the Freemarket - a free fair where you can exchange things, and participation in the Fascinating Science Festival, waste paper collection and other recyclables. The main goals of the work of the Ecocenter are environmental education, increasing the environmental culture of adults and children of middle and senior school age. Since 1954, a meteorological observatory at Moscow State University has been operating in the Reserve. From here, the weather in the city is monitored from five weather stations. These data are then taken into account in the weather forecast for Moscow.

Story

The nature reserve was established in 1998. in fact, they are the edge of the Teplostan Upland, towering over the Moscow River. Due to landslide processes, steep slopes with a height of more than 80 m avoided development, retaining their natural appearance. This is one of the most beautiful places Moscow, « business card» capital Cities.

Story
ancient footprints settlements on Sparrow Hills- Settlements of the Dyakovo culture (VII century BC). The name of this area arose in the 15th century, when the wife of Vasily I, Princess Sophia, bought the village from Cyril Voroba (nephew of the boyar Andrei Kobyla). Since then, the village has become a palace: Vasily III, Ivan the Terrible, Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter I lived in it. Under Catherine II, a wooden palace from Volkhonka was transferred to the stone foundation of the old palace, but it did not stand for long. After the death of Catherine, the dilapidated building was dismantled. Only the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (known since the 17th century) has survived from the estate.
After the war in 1812, Alexander I approved the project of A. L. Vitberg to build on Sparrow Hills(which the tsar called the "crown of Moscow") Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Grandiose earthworks began, which dragged on for many years. The new Tsar Nicholas I appointed an investigation, which showed the impossibility of "building a great temple on the slope of the Sparrow Hills" and the waste of huge sums of money. The foundation stone of the temple was transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, and Witberg was exiled.
In 1935, they were renamed in honor of the leader of the revolution, V.I. Lenin, but in the 1990s they were given back their historical name.
In 1949 - 1953, colossal structures grew on the Lenin Hills: the complex of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (the height of the main building is 236 m), the Observation deck (80 meters above the Moscow River) and the ski jump (70 m), which, thanks to special coverage is valid all year round. By 1958, the Luzhnetsky metro bridge and the metro station were erected, and next to it was an escalator to the street. Kosygin (now does not operate and will be dismantled). On the territory of Moscow State University (which is located outside the reserve) there are many parks, Botanical Garden for scientific research, and to the north a large apple orchard has been preserved.
A monument to A. I. Herzen and N. P. Ogarev was erected on the slope - at this very place, very young poets swore an oath to continue the work of the Decembrists. The two lamps that top the pylon symbolize progressive publications: Almanac "Polar Star" and the Kolokol newspaper, which they led.
In the east there is a manor, which since the 17th century belonged to the boyars Saltykov, and later to the princes Dolgorukov and Yusupov. In the 1750s, under the Moscow governor V. M. Dolgorukov, a palace and other buildings were built here, and ponds were dug. After the fire of 1812, the manor was rebuilt by the architect D. Gilardi. Since 1831, Count M.A. lived here as a recluse. Dmitriev-Mamonov, who suffered from fits of insanity - hence the name Mamonova Dacha. In the 20th century, the institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences were housed in the manor buildings.
Nearby is Andreevsky Monastery, founded, according to legend, back in the 14th century to defend the southern approaches to Moscow. In the 17th century, his philanthropist boyar Fyodor Rtishchev created the first school in Moscow here. In the 18th century, the monastery was turned into an orphanage for foundlings and an almshouse, and in Soviet times it housed research institutes. Since 1992, the monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church- there are churches of the Resurrection of Christ and the Archangel Michael, as well as the Synodal Library of the Moscow Patriarchate. A complex of buildings of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences rises near the monastery. Nearby, on Andreevskaya embankment in the Green Hills residential complex, an environmental education center with museum expositions and classrooms has been created.
Behind the Novoandreevsky bridge, the green bank of the Moskva River continues to the city center - Neskuchny Garden, TsPKiO them. Gorky and the Park of Arts of the Moscow Association "Museon". The nature of the "Sparrow Hills" ...

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