Gorky Park

Maxim Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, opened in 1928 on the right bank of the Moskva between the Crimean Bridge and the Sparrow Hills. At 1.2 square kilometres it was the first Soviet park of its kind and a piece of urban-planning manifesto: mass dancing, chess tables, skating rinks, parachute tower and reading pavilions. The constructivist main gate of 1955 and later pavilions define the site, and it gained literary fame from Martin Cruz Smiths 1981 thriller. After a full overhaul from 2011 the park became a showcase of the new Moscow with free wifi, yoga classes, food trucks and in winter one of Europes largest open-air ice rinks. At the southern end stands Rem Koolhaass Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in the rebuilt Vremena Goda pavilion. On summer evenings the park is full of skaters, commuters and families.