Moscow urban hiking: the Kievskaya station, the hotel Ukraina and the Dorogomilovskiy market

Today I walk in an area wedged between the Kievskaya train station and the financial district of the City. Completely enveloped by the Moskva River, it is a quiet area of houses with some pearls scattered among the houses that we will discover.

Today I was lucky, the subway train arrives empty and I am not compressed as usually happens at rush hour. I leave the station and find myself in front of the imposing Kievskaya train station, the line going west and south, towards Europe. Trains to Ukraine depart from here. Stations usually have the name of the farthest city connected by that specific railway line, so from here you go to Kiev. Today large shopping centers are built around the station, but as soon as you leave the square you are in a quiet and peaceful residential area. The whole square is under reconstruction, you can also see the charging station for electric city buses.

I head towards the river, the streets are very busy and it is better to walk inside the courtyards, the buildings of 10, 15 floors completely isolated from the noise of the city. I stop as usual for the departure coffee. I find a bar with plants, clean and called Bez Retsepta (without prescription), how can I miss it! The staff is very kind and heart, the coffee is excellent and I also taste chocolate made by them that definitely changes my day! Once inside, I discover that there is also the headquarters of Veter (wind) magazine, a very popular fashion and lifestyle newspaper in Moscow.

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The historic Hotel Ukraine, now the Radisson Collection

Happy and satisfied, I continue my walk along the bend of the river and, after a few minutes, I find myself in front of the imposing building of the Hotel Ukraine. Inaugurated in 1957, it is part of the project of the seven sisters, the skyscrapers wanted by Stalin which was to symbolize the power of the Soviet Union. For many years it was the largest hotel in Europe with its 206 meters high and 535 rooms.

Opposite the hotel across the river is the government building of the Russian Federation, also known as the White House of Moscow. Sadly famous for various historical events including the bombing by Yeltsin on October 4, 1993, the consequences of which are still being paid today.

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A surprise between buildings

I continue along the river and, crossing a courtyard, I find myself in front of what looks like an abandoned factory, I try to understand what it is. The building is in red brick, imposing, the territory is vast. Wedged between residential buildings, it is definitely in a state of neglect, but fascinating. I find the entrance gate and see the inscription: Moscow Badaeva Brewery. Cabbage, a brewery in the city center, it’s a pity it’s abandoned today. Founded in 1875, it remained in business until 2006 since the factory was closed and the area will probably be converted for other uses. But what a beautiful brewery on the river was!

The walking area narrows to a few hundred meters compressed between the Moskva River and the great Kutuzovsky avenue. On the other side of the river, you can see the very tall skyscrapers of the City, and others continue to build. Here are the headquarters of the largest financial companies in the world, but I’ll talk about it in another walk.

Alternating courtyards, play areas for children, areas equipped for sports, and small parking lots, I arrive at the third ring highway, my turning point today. Through the silent and gloomy underpasses, I arrive on the other side and prepare to return to Kievskaya station.

Il Dorogomilovskiy’s food marketmercato alimentare di Dorogomilovskiy

The area is quiet, serene, clean, large and, today, swept by a cold wind that makes the atmosphere more winter than spring. The palaces were built from the middle of the last century to today, so you can see all the specific architectures for each Soviet president. The funny thing is that the Russians identify every architectural style with the names of the presidents. So we have the Stalin, Krushev, Brežnev style, and so on until today. All the presidents have left their mark on the capital and throughout the state. Walking thoughtfully, I almost forgot that I had included a visit to the Dorogomilovskiy market in my path, but I find it in front of me and I cannot lose it.

I think it’s the best food market I know in town. The quality looks good and the prices average. There is the section of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. In a second pavilion, you will find all the rest of the food, canned goods, rice, pasta and conserves. Upstairs there is everything that is not food, from clothing to DIY. I go around the stands many times, the quality seems absolutely above average, I buy something and I stop in front of the fish counter which, strangely, looks fresh. My eye falls on a huge octopus, more than two kilograms and one meter in length, but the price is too far beyond my expectations, too bad. It was the first octopus I saw in a Russian market.

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I continue along the way and back to the subway station, even today I finished my walk and made very interesting discoveries among highways, alleys, parks, courtyards, houses and skyscrapers.

See you on the next walk!