River Valley Park with wild orchids, muskrats and educational eco-trails.

It is a left tributary of the capital water artery. The source is located in the Solnechnogorsk region, not far from the Alabushevo railway platform. It flows in the direction from northwest to southeast, in the Tushino area it merges with the waters of the Moscow River. Length - 47 km, area drainage basin- 255 km².

Characteristics of the water artery

Skhodnya is a river that ranks third in size among the capital's streams, but only 5 km of it passes within the city, the rest flows through the territory of the Moscow region.

The water flow was known in ancient times; it had an important economic importance. As indicated in ancient sources (“Descriptions of ancient Moscow,” 17th century), the river was high in water, with fast current, shipping. The name Skhodnya (formerly Vkhodnya) is of Slavic origin. They walked along it upstream (ascended), this was the shortest crossing route from the capital to the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality. also in south direction descended to Klyazma, and through it to the Oka and Volga.

Relief, nutrition and glaciation

The Skhodnya River is typical flat in nature. The type of nutrition is mixed, mainly replenishing water reserves from snow. IN winter period time the stream freezes (late November-early December). Opens in March.

Tributaries

There are few tributaries to the river. The largest one on the left is r. Rzhavka, large right ones - Rozhdestvenka, Zhuravka, Goretovka. In addition to rivers, the following streams are considered tributaries of Skhodnya: Golenevsky, Boldov, Chernogryazhsky, etc.

River rafting

Throughout its entire movement Skhodnya is a river that cuts deeply into dense forest. Such natural feature did water flow very popular for alloys. It is known that traffic on rafts, boats and kayaks took place here even before the Great Patriotic War. Nowadays, dachas and cottages have been built on both banks of the river, and there is no time untouched nature has become completely mastered. This factor repels modern lovers of wild tourism, and descents along the river do not occur as often as before.

Natural parks

Skhodnya is a river on whose territory parks have been established. In order to preserve the diverse landscape of the region, the Russian government decided to create natural monuments and reserves in this territory. The largest environmental complex in the North-Western Administrative District is Natural Park"Tushkinsky". The total area is 700 hectares. It was created in 1999.

Includes rare landforms, as well as historical and cultural monuments. Among them: the village of Alyoshkino, the Bratsevo estate, the natural monument Skhodnenskaya (Tushinskaya) Bowl, the natural park “Valley of the Skhodnya River”. The last one was created in 2004. Within the natural reserve there are unique river and forest landscapes: upland and forest groves, low-lying swamps, ponds and streams.

Detailed description of the Skhodnya river valley

The boundaries of the Skhodnya River valley are limited to the Kurkino district, which is part of the North-Western Administrative District of the capital. To the south is the rest of the Tushkinsky Natural Park, to the east - nature reserve It borders on the Kurkino residential area, and in the north and west there is the city limits of Moscow (MKAD). The Skhodnya River Valley Park stretches over 273 hectares.

Flora and fauna of the park

The flora and fauna of this territory are represented by numerous and very rare representatives. In the park you can find more than 600 species of plants, 40 of which are included in the Red Book. lungwort, ostrich, gentian. Also here is the largest population. There are 9 species in the park, 2 of which are very rare: Baltic fingerroot and They have not been found anywhere in Europe for more than 100 years.

The natural park in the valley of the Skhodnya River has become a habitat for 80 species of vertebrates that are listed in the Red Book. Representatives: ferret, lizard, weasel, ermine, grass snake. About 80 species of birds nest in the forests, among which there are quite rare ones: kestrel, hobby, tern, warbler, honey buzzard, white-backed woodpecker. In the waters of Skhodnya there are more than 20 species of fish (pike, tench, gudgeon, dace, chub, etc.).

Historical heritage

In addition, on the territory of the natural park there are cultural and historical monuments: the Church of Our Lady of Vladimirov (XVII century), the ancient village of Mashkino, a monument to landscape gardening art of the XX century. - Zakharyin Hospital.

The park has equipped areas for recreation and picnics. Two of them are located in the Zakharya floodplain (not far from the hospital), one is in Berezovaya Roshcha and another one is within the 11th microdistrict. There are walking paths, a playground and ecological trail, along which excursion routes pass.

Development

Recently, the situation regarding the preservation of the natural park has worsened. The fact is that in the nearby territory within the borders of the park it is planned to develop residential multi-storey buildings and, accordingly, infrastructure. Such actions are considered illegal and violate the law.

How to get there?

Getting to the river is not difficult. Passing nearby car roads, metro and railway tracks. To get to Skhodnya by metro, you need to get off at the Skhodnenskaya station. The railway stop has the same name.

Route options are also offered when traveling by car or bus. The latter type of transport is not very convenient, since the stops are located far from the end point. The cheapest option would be to go by train or electric train, so most tourists prefer to come here by these types of transport. The trip does not take much time.

The natural park “Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino” is one of the last islands of wildlife in the north-west of the capital. Families love to walk in the woods along the river, some on skis, some just breathing the air, but in the summer there is a real paradise for picnics. But in the coming months, a large construction project is expected to take place in the surrounding area. The future microdistrict, where seventeen 7-8-story buildings are going to be built at once, is already surrounded by a high fence. But new houses and hundreds of new residents, old-timers believe, these places will simply be destroyed. The catch is that the park is located on the territory of Moscow, and the future development site adjacent to it is Khimki land... According to the documents, they will build in the Moscow region, but the natural park belonging to the capital may perish.

The general development plan for Khimki was approved by the government of the Moscow region, but for a year now it has not been adopted by the city Council of Deputies, says Gennady Shibanov, an activist of the March Against Corruption movement. - But according to the General Plan, only the construction of low-rise buildings (up to four floors. - Author's note) is allowed here...

Guys and girls stand on the hillside with posters: “There will be a traffic jam here,” “Hands off the park,” “The developer will not pass.” The inscriptions are clearly visible from the Kurkinskoye Highway; drivers passing by honk their horns as a sign of support. But the most active part of the protesters immediately flocks to the road, as soon as they see the arriving official from the Khimki administration.

This will be a big project. 40 thousand square meters of living space will be built for athletes, 25 thousand square meters of social infrastructure,” the head of the Khimki construction committee, Vyacheslav Nyrkov, convinces those gathered. - The developer is not violating any laws, all this has been agreed upon.

But activists are not calming down.

It is still not clear how this land, which according to documents was listed as farmland, was transferred to the category of land for housing construction, continues Gennady Shibanov. - According to our information, the company that will build this microdistrict belongs to the adopted son of one of our oligarchs. Developers say that these houses are intended for athletes, but in fact the property will be sold to everyone. According to a similar scheme, a residential complex was built nearby in Novogorsk. By name it seems like a social facility, but most of the space here is occupied not by sports facilities, but by residential real estate.

I called the sales department of this complex in Novogorsk. The cost per square meter in one of the five-story buildings still under construction is from 135 thousand rubles per square meter (more than 6.6 million for a one-room apartment).

Hurry up, there are very few free apartments left,” the girl chirped sweetly.

“WE SAW HARES HERE”

Golden square meters of the Moscow region... It’s just a stone’s throw from the capital, so housing in the new buildings here will always go with a bang.

This started last summer,” says Evgeniy Kondratov, deputy of the municipal assembly of the Kurkino district. “People arrived and started putting up a fence. We were then told that this was simply clearing out old trees. They kept silent about the future construction. The Moscow authorities supported us, but this is Khimki territory. And Moscow region officials unofficially admit: “It is impossible to fight with those who are pushing this project...”

The delights of these places are described in many reference books. In the “Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino” grow 37 species of plants included in the Red Book of Moscow, more than 150 species of animals, 24 species of fish, 81 birds...

This winter, my children and I saw hares here, and also fox tracks in the snow,” says Kurkina resident Irina, walking through the park, with delight. - Do you know how nice it is here in the summer? The meadow is beautiful, the air is clean, the water... And they will build houses here - where to get out?

Local residents also have other concerns.

It’s simply dangerous to build tall houses here in the lowlands under the hills,” says Kurka pensioner Elena Sotnikova. - Once there were many springs here, but when Khimki began to be actively built, the ravines were filled up. That's why groundwater got up. In our gardens, one and a half to two shovel lengths down, the water is already starting to flow; many people’s houses have basements that are flooded.

“And our hills are creeping down,” says her neighbor Lyudmila Chernyaeva. - In the 40s, I remember us children were taken here to plant rows of trees - so that at least something would hold the soil.

Residents claim that the shore of the Skhodnya here may slide into the water. They say that even a local landmark - the temple - is under threat Vladimir icon Mother of God, founded in 1672.

I haven’t heard about the danger of a landslide, but the fact that the groundwater here is high and causes us inconvenience is a fact,” the rector of the church, Father Igor, told KP.

IS THIS NOW KURKIN'S PROBLEM?

The head of the inner-city municipality of Kurkino, Galina Bolotina, holds out a folder with documents - her appeals to a variety of authorities are collected here.

The prosecutor's office of the Moscow region revealed violations of the Water Code, says Bolotina. - The owner of the land, Territory LLC, occupied it without permission when installing the fence coastal strip rivers.

On March 7, the Khimki City Court, where the prosecutor's office filed the lawsuit, ruled that the company should move the fence from the river and not interfere with the passage of citizens to Skhodnya. But the fence is still in place.

But there is another problem here,” Bolotina continues. - There are not enough schools and kindergartens in Khimki, a lot of children are sent to educational establishments Kurkina. The result is that schools are overcrowded; they already have twice as many children as planned. Kindergartens are just as crowded. And if another microdistrict appears in Khimki, where will the children be sent?

Another pressing issue is transportation. Kurkinskoye Highway at the site of future construction is a narrow two-lane road. There is nowhere to widen the route: on one side there is a lowland, a meadow near the river, on the other there is a steep hillside.

A new neighborhood means new traffic jams. We will stand on the Kurkinskoe highway, just as we stand on Novokurkinskoe now! - the locals are annoyed.

When the number was typed

Yesterday we once again contacted Galina Bolotina.

At a meeting with the Minister of Transport of Russia Igor Levitin, we raised the issue of construction in the floodplain of the Skhodnya River,” said Galina Nikolaevna. - It turned out that the developer, even before the start of work, was obliged to resolve the issue with the road transport system of the future microdistrict. The Kurkinskoye Highway has not been expanded, and it is not clear how to expand it if there is a nature protection zone on both sides. The exit to Pyatnitskoye Highway was also not made. The developer was given an order: until all these problems are resolved, it is prohibited to import building materials into this territory. I think this is our small victory.

O. TOLSTENKOV, head of sector scientific research And environmental monitoring natural park "Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino". Photo by I. Averchenkov.

Terra incognita, little-explored corners of nature, can be found not only in the tropics, but also just outside the Moscow ring road. This is exactly what the Skhodnya River Valley in Kurkino natural park is like, located in the north-west of Moscow. The park was founded in 2004 by decision of the Moscow government as a particularly valuable natural-territorial complex for the city, distinguished by amazingly picturesque landscapes and species of plants and animals rare in the city. however, the Kurkino zone is not only a specially protected natural area, but also a wonderful place for recreation.

Science and life // Illustrations

In the relatively small area of ​​the park you can see a variety of natural landscapes.

Science and life // Illustrations

The territory of the natural park “Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino” is located in the floodplain part of the Skhodnya River and its tributaries in the north-west of Moscow.

Rare and specially protected inhabitants of the natural park “Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino”, listed in the Red Book of the city of Moscow. Hemp sapling.

Kupena multiflorum. Listed in the Red Book of the city of Moscow.

The nest is real. Listed in the Red Book of the city of Moscow.

Robert's geranium. Listed in the Red Book of the city of Moscow.

The Hawk's Warbler is the most unusual look warblers found in the forest zone of Europe.

Common weasel.

In the floodplain of the Skhodnya River it is found water vole- most close-up view of all voles.

Dragonfly beauty-girl, or beauty dark-winged.

Wild orchids found in the vicinity of the natural park “Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino”.

Many centuries ago, even before the formation Russian state The lands rich in fish and game along the Skhodnya River attracted the attention of hunters and fishermen. And 300 years ago, the picturesque surroundings of Kurkino were chosen for their estate by the rich and noble princes Vorotynsky, who were related to the royal family. In the 17th century, they built a stone church on the high bank of the river, and turned the estate itself into a country pleasure residence, where the main activity was hunting, including the “falconry” so beloved by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

Time passed, and the famous Moscow physician G. A. Zakharyin, founder of the Moscow clinical school, professor and director of the therapeutic clinic of Moscow University, looked for these same places for his estate. To preserve this wonderful corner of nature, the doctor’s son, Sergei Grigoryevich Zakharyin, in 1906 rented field and meadow land near his dacha from a peasant society. The terms of the lease were unusual. Having paid an unprecedented rent for 12 years in advance, Zakharyin left the peasants of the village of Kurkino the opportunity to use arable land and haymaking on this land, but, very importantly, received the right “to not allow them to rent out the land for the construction of taverns, taverns, commercial and industrial establishments , for brick, wood and other warehouses, for sewage dumps.” Thus, this land became one of the first specially protected natural areas in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century.

And in the 1980s, the village of Kurkino and surrounding areas became part of Moscow. Soon a decision was made to build an experimental residential area on these lands. When preparing the planning project, among other works, a survey was carried out natural complex. The diversity and number of species of animals and plants rare for the city of Moscow found in the vicinity of Kurkino surprised even specialists. The researchers were especially struck by the meadow in front of the Skhodnya River. And not so much for its beauty, but for the abundance of rare plants and birds. The wet tall grass meadow was recommended by scientists to be given the status of a natural monument.

The park's territory is relatively small - only 245 hectares. One of its most interesting features is its rugged terrain and complex terrain. Picturesque views open from the steep banks of the Skhodnya River, where the elevation changes reach 60 m. The surrounding landscapes are surprisingly diverse: in the floodplains of the Skhodnya River and its tributary Mashkinsky Stream you can find dry and floodplain meadows, broadleaf forests, gray alder forests, and in the southern part of the park there is a picturesque birch forest.

Understanding the uniqueness of the area, one of the primary tasks of the park staff and scientists (specialists in the field of biology, geology, ecology) was a detailed study of it. natural resources. In 2004-2007, 135 species of vertebrate animals were discovered among the inhabitants of the park, including 57 “Red Book” ones, as well as 462 species of vascular plants, 64 of which are included in the Red Book of Moscow and in its appendix. Endangered species in Moscow were found, among them the common newt and the common grass snake; birds: honey buzzard, hawk warbler, waders, lapwing, carrier, blackbird, little plover; animal black ferret. Among plants, two new, previously unseen species were found for the first time in the Moscow region: graceful kachin and Chinese poplar. In a wet meadow in the Kurkinskaya floodplain, the largest population of wild orchids in Moscow was “discovered” - meat-red and bloody palmate, as well as an ovoid cache. Two more species of rare fingerroot orchids were discovered, for each of them this place is the only one in the city.

There were also discoveries during the study of mosses: 12 species of plants are “Red Book”, and three species were discovered on the territory of Moscow for the first time, and one of the species - brium - turned out to be the rarest not only in Moscow, but throughout the entire European part of Russia.

In 2006, the team of the natural park was awarded a diploma from the national award “Blossoming Rus'” for environmental and educational work aimed at popularizing careful attitude to nature, and in 2007 - a diploma from the national environmental award “EkoMir-2007” in the category “Preservation of biodiversity and landscaping”.

Gives pleasant surprises again and again amazing nature Kurkino. Last year, on the territory of the park, which seemed to be well explored, the second “residence” of a rare plant in Moscow and the immediate Moscow region was found - gentian cruciforme, and among the endangered species in the city, Robert's geranium and Waltstein's onion were discovered for the first time. Are scientists expecting new discoveries? Visit the park "Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino". The beauty of its landscapes will take everyone to amazing world wildlife.

A specially protected natural area of ​​regional significance, the Landscape Reserve "Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino" is a unique natural park stretching for 5.5 kilometers along the left bank of the Skhodnya River in the Kurkino district (North-Western Administrative Okrug). It is noteworthy that it was formed quite recently - in 2004.

The uniqueness of the park lies in the fact that it has preserved vast territories with a relief that has not been changed by humans, and on them, in turn, the corresponding flora and fauna have been preserved. A system of ecological trails passes through the incredibly picturesque places of the valley: it passes very carefully, but in such a way that people walking along the trails can fully appreciate the natural diversity of the park.

Not formally, but in practice, the park is divided into 2 parts: the southern (located closer to the Moscow Ring Road, adjacent to the Novokurkinskoye Highway) and the northern (further from the Moscow Ring Road, deeper into the region), which are separated by the Devyatka golf club. Divides is not the right word, it just tears in half, because you’re not used to it, you won’t understand where and how to get around it to get from one part of the park to another.

Southern part of the park

The southern part of the natural park "Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino" is connected directly with Skhodnya - it is she and her spring tributaries that are the main "feature" of the place, which is natural, since the park is located in its valley.

The river here is unusually picturesque - not the Volga, of course, but impressive. The river is favored by muskrats and American minks, and there are more than 20 species of fish, the most notable of which are the common minnow and spined loach, which are not found anywhere else within the city of Moscow. Chub and pike are also found.

It is interesting that on the banks of the river Echinocystis lobeda (popularly known as prickly carp, bladderwort, shooting ivy) grows abundantly - an annual herbaceous plant Pumpkin family. Initially, the plant was found in the area North America, but it was brought to Europe and Asia, went wild, and now it grows anywhere. The climbing plant, which clings to trees and branches with the help of tendrils, is similar in appearance to a cucumber, as are its fruits - elongated green pumpkins covered with thorns. When ripe, the fruits accumulate liquid, rupture and throw seeds in different directions - in general, the grass has everything to become the object of close attention of both children and adults.

The plant is often called the mad cucumber, but this is a complete confusion - the mad cucumber is a completely different plant, although it also belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and has external resemblance with echinocystis.



A system of eco-trails diverges from the river, and they are laid out surprisingly competently: neat appearance and attitude towards nature, wooden and dirt paths pass through the most picturesque places of the valley, and in order to see the unique landscapes it is not at all necessary to leave them and climb through the thickets.

The park's ecological trails are named after the floodplains of the Skhodnya River: the ecotrail in the Zakharyinskaya floodplain and the ecotrail in the Kurkinskaya floodplain. The floodplain is that part of the river valley that is flooded during floods or floods.

The eco-trail in the Zakharya floodplain begins on the river bank, then runs along a large meadow: this is where the concentration of a large number of recreation areas, including .


Having passed along the meadow, the path of the Zakharyinskaya floodplain begins to climb the slope of the river valley and connects with the trail in the Kurkinskaya floodplain. It’s on the slope that the most interesting thing begins: it has long been thoroughly overgrown with trees, but it has a decent height compared to the bottom of the valley, so ecological trails sometimes run along it as if they were located on a cliff.

Walking there is a real pleasure!









Having meandered along the slope of the valley and along the river, the eco-trail comes out to a large floodplain meadow, in the middle of which stands a spreading elm, for some reason fenced in - presumably very old; Not far from the elm, next to the river, another long-lived tree grows - an old willow. Nothing is said about the elm, but the willow has an explanatory sign indicating that it is over 80 years old.

Willow and elm, as well as the gray alder often adjacent to them, are ecologically connected to the river, so there are many of them on the banks of the Skhodnya.




The Kurkinskoe Highway runs along the edge of the floodplain meadow, and behind it the natural park continues with a dry meadow, behind which is the village of Kurkino. In the panorama above, those with big eyes probably saw the domes - this is the Church in the name of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.

There, at the top of the slope, there is also an ecological trail.


From the top there is a wonderful view of the valley and a floodplain meadow with an old elm tree. There is even a landscaped observation deck, but you just can’t see anything from it: it’s overgrown with young trees from below :)


Another significant landmark of the southern part of the park is the Bird Town observation tower, located in the Zakharyinskaya floodplain. As far as I understand, this site is specially designed for bird watching, of which 81 species nest in the territory of the natural park: nightingale, wood pipit, white-backed woodpecker, fieldfare, song thrush, oriole, hawk warbler, long-eared owl, hobby hobby, kestrel and many others are considered endangered in Moscow.

But personally, from the observation tower I only saw crows. Oh, and I also had a lot of fun listening to the gardeners: abandoned and active vegetable gardens of local residents have been preserved on the territory since ancient times, and the local “farmers” were just shouting at each other about the size of tomatoes.

Northern part of the park

The northern part of the park, like the southern one, has a complex and very beautiful topography, however, due to its closer location to the Kurkin skyscrapers, its landscapes in some places look much more urban.

However, the local ecological trail is no less picturesque than the ecopaths in the Zakharyinskaya and Kurkinskaya floodplains.




In general, the northern part of the park is connected with the valley of the Mashkinsky stream - the left tributary of the Skhodnya River. The Mashkinsky stream itself is small, a spring, but flows along the bottom of a deep ravine, which is called the Mashkinsky ravine.

The local eco-trail runs right along the stream - both near the water and along the top of the ravine.




The banks of the stream are overgrown with forest, mainly gray alder. According to the information signs, the creek valley is favored by brown hares, foxes and weasels, as well as a viviparous lizard and a common lizard. It is stated that there are 5 species of fish in the stream, the most common of which is the common minnow, and the rarest is the common minnow.

I can’t say anything about most of the inhabitants, but I’ve seen snakes personally and I confirm that they are here, and in abundance.

Several times the ecological trail passes through small ravines - these are local springs in a hurry to replenish the Mashkinsky stream. The water is cold - the signs say that even in summer its temperature does not rise above 10 degrees.


There are very well-maintained places with flower beds on the territory - mostly next to recreation areas, but there are also specially equipped ones: for example, an apothecary garden and a garden rare plants. This is required by the specifics of this part of the park: it is much more popular for walks with children.

Conclusion

Despite its relatively small size (about 245 hectares), the natural park "Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino" can truly be called unique: where else can you find natural area, which has preserved such a varied topography? There is a river valley with slopes, ravines, floodplain (including tall grass) and dry meadows, and even a small forest - all this fits compactly into a small area.

In addition, the natural park has become a habitat for a rare diverse community of animals, birds and plants: snakes, newts, minks, hedgehogs, owls and many others - you name it! Many of the species living in the “Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino” are rare or endangered in Moscow: information signs say that there are 64 species of plants listed in the Red Books of Moscow, the Moscow Region and Russia, and 61 species of vertebrates listed in the Red Books of Moscow and the Moscow region. And I readily believe this.

You can get here, for example, by bus 212 from the Skhodnenskaya metro station and buses 268 and 268k from Planernaya. To visit the northern part of the park, 268k is most convenient.

Why do we travel? Are we looking at beauty? Do we admire? Let's learn the history of our country and something new for ourselves? Everything is correct. But the most obvious answer is that when we travel, we relax. Rest for me is a change of scenery, an opportunity to plunge into peace and tranquility.
Lately More and more often I feel good and calm only in solitude with nature. Yes, I love cities very much, but it’s so nice when you can just stop your running and take a walk in the park. It's even better to be in the forest or mountains. The mountains, unfortunately, are very far from Moscow, but you can find the forest without going far.
Today I will tell you about one such oasis, created for relaxation and communication with nature in the north-west of Moscow, natural park"The Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino." This place was a real discovery for me.

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One day, back in the spring , returning from work, I decided to take a short drive, not along the Moscow Ring Road, but through the city. The mood was not very good, and the soul asked for peace and silence. Therefore, when I saw the temple, I immediately stopped at it.

I thought it was a nice little church with a three-tiered bell tower wonderful place for a short walk. I was dressed inappropriately for the occasion, so I didn’t go into the temple. Having parked the car, I got out and looked around. At first glance, the fence looked normal. Now I know that the temple was fenced off in 1892. I entered the territory and realized that the temple was a cemetery. And then the building in front of the temple caught my attention.

As I got closer, I learned that it was a tomb. I was struck by two names at once.

Firstly, the tomb was made according to the design of Shekhtel himself. Secondly, this is the tomb of the Zakharyin family. Well, if many people know about Shekhtel, then I’ll remind you about the Zakharyins. Just this winter I was reading a book about the Romanov dynasty.
So the Zakharyins were the founders of the Zakharyin-Romanov dynasty. Those. we can say that it is the tomb of the royal family. Although it is not the king who is buried there, but a simple general practitioner, this does not change his royal origins. G.A. Zakharyin is a great philanthropist, a very famous doctor of his time. A hospital was opened with his funds. By the way, it still exists. And largely thanks to the Zakharyin family, we have such a unique park as the “Valley of the Skhodnya River” untouched and not destroyed. But I got ahead of myself.
The tomb is decorated with mosaics designed by Vasnetsov himself.

I went to look at the church, despite the fact that I don’t really like cemetery churches.
The Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in Kurkino is not pretentious, simple, but, as you know, beauty is in simplicity.

The church was built in 1672-1678, but the bell tower was built in 1846-1850. The church building was rebuilt many times. Despite the fact that there was a warehouse here for 9 years, the premises and utensils were not destroyed. And with the help of believers, in 1947 the temple began to work for its intended purpose.
There are a lot of old graves around.

The walk was short, but very soulful. Having left the fence, the thought arose that I didn’t want to leave at all. I see a stone slab on the left: Walk of Fame. I'm going there.

Workers are preparing for May 9. Why wander among heaps of sand and listen to the smell of paint when there is such spring around...
I draw your attention to the fact that mothers with strollers purposefully walk straight. And they already know where to go for a walk. I see a poster: Natural Park “Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino”. That's how I discovered this amazing place.

running paths covered with wooden flooring,

information boards...

And everything is in great shape - beautiful, clean and well-groomed. I immediately felt the urge to go forward, but the thought that I wanted to walk here with my husband brought me back. I just stand on the observation deck, admire the views and decide when we can come for a walk here together.
The second time, unfortunately, it was possible to return to Kurkino only after three months. And today we have been here many times. And every time a walk through the park brings new discoveries, new impressions, and mental relaxation.
You can start the route along the eco-trail from several places; we somehow decided that we were going from the temple. The approximate coordinates of our start of movement are 55.889565,37.379424.
There is an official beginning of the trail - approximate coordinates 55.891507,37.378245. But we couldn’t find a place to park the car, so we went back to the temple.

Many people park their car right on the side of the Kurkinskoye Highway - here 55.890825,37.375570 or here 55.887372,37.379121. But then you will not be able to enjoy the magnificent views from the church over the river valley. The temple is located on a hill, so believe me, the view from here is worth seeing.

Judging by the map, there is a better chance of landing a car here than on the Kurkinskoye Highway.
According to my calculations, the length of the equipped paths in the southern part of the park is about 7-8 km, but I’m not sure about this. I can say that simply walking in a circle, it took us a little more than 4 hours of leisurely walking, and my pedometer counted 14 thousand steps. And if you go into all the branches, all the gazebos and all the platforms, then I think you won’t be able to get around it in a day.
The entire park is equipped with very nice signs.

Lots of information boards. Although the park is not very large, it perfectly houses completely different natural reliefs and types of vegetation. There is also a river valley with its floodplain meadows,

and ravines with dry meadows,

and forests,

and swamps.

And how many Red Book plants are there in the Kurkino Natural Park, not only from the Moscow region, but also from Russia. There are many animals and birds listed in the Red Book here. The river is full of fish, but these are not huge trout, these are small fish, but the water in the river is so clean that it is a pleasure to watch them.

There is a place in the park where you can listen to birds. It's called "Bird Town".

Of course, it’s stupid to come on a weekend when there are a lot of people and hope to hear something, but in the evening, or early in the morning, there’s still a lot of discord. There are many quite cozy gazebos where you can sit down and just relax, breathe some air, and soak up the sun.

And how many goodies grow there. And apples, and plums, and viburnum, and sea buckthorn, and pears.

Without breaking trees, it is not forbidden to tear it all down; there are very tasty specimens. There are special areas for picnic lovers; they are located closest to the last point I indicated.
We haven’t been to the park in winter yet, but I think we’ll go. I saw that there was a small but well-equipped ski slope there.

I think that the slope is quite suitable for children. It seemed to me that there would be enough place nearby to ride cheesecakes, but I’m not sure, we’ll wait for the snow. When we were in the natural park "Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino" last time, then work was actively underway to replace boards in eco-paths, new railings were made somewhere, everything was painted. This means that the park is very carefully looked after. In general, the park leaves a very pleasant and positive impression. This is an ideal place in such a huge metropolis as Moscow to touch nature, get a charge of positive energy, and simply relax and enjoy the air and nature.