Clean Ponds, Moscow

The Clean Ponds is one of the central districts of the capital, known for its charming scenery. It is an interesting fact, that long before, the ponds were called ... Unclean. And it was quite fair, because it was near the meat market (near Myasnitsky Gate), which flushed all wastes into the pond. But in the beginning of the18th century, Prince Alexander Menshikov, who settled there, shut down the market and ordered to clean the ponds. Since then, they are called “clean”.

It has been a tradition to arrange the skating rink on the Clean Ponds in the winter; in the summer it turns into a boat station. The people come there to admire the swans, which have already become an integral part of the landscape of the Clean Ponds.