Meshchansky District
Meshchansky District is a district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia. Population:
The district extends due north from Kitai-gorod to Kamer-Kollezhsky Val. Western boundary with Tverskoy District follows the track of Neglinnaya River. Eastern boundary with Krasnoselsky District follows Bolshaya Lubyanka Street and Sretenka Street, then one block east from Mira Avenue. The Lubyanka Building lies in the Meshchansky District.
The district contains part of Kuznetsky Most Street, Rozhdestvensky monastery and Rozhdestvensky Boulevard, Olympic Stadium and a row of neoclassical, palace-like buildings north from the Garden Ring. It houses headquarters of Federal Security Service in Lubyanka Square, Central Bank of the Russian Federation, FAPSI and other government agencies as well as the Sretensky Monastery and the Sretensky Theological Academy.
Etymology
Meshchane in the Russian Empire denoted a social estate of poor town residents who did not qualify as merchants or civil servants; in modern Russian, it is a pejorative name for a narrow-minded philistine. Meschansky District acquired its name earlier, in the second half of 17th century, through the Ukrainians and Belarusians abducted from their hometowns in the course of Russo-Polish War. These people settled north from present-day Garden Ring, reaching 692 households by 1682. In their languages, meshchane meant simply "town people", "the locals", without negative connotation; the name of Meshchanskaya sloboda persists to date.Symbols on the coat of arms denote:
- Golden horn of plenty - the Central Bank
- Red bridge - Kuznetsky Most
- The cannon - old Moscow Armoury in present-day Pushechnaya Street
Parks and squares
Tsvetnoy Boulevard Square is a landscaped recreational area between Trubnaya Square and the Garden Ring. A popular promenade and entertainment hub since the 19th century, it is recognized as a regional cultural heritage site. The square houses several monuments: the "Grateful Russia to the Soldiers of Law Enforcement Fallen in the Line of Duty" memorial, the sculptural composition "Song," and the clown-themed fountain ensemble "Clowns."
Catherine Park, situated between Sovetskoy Armii Street, Olympic Avenue, and Durova Street, originated in the late 18th century as the estate park of Count V.S. Saltykov. Renamed after the Catherine Institute for Noble Maidens, established here in the early 19th century, it was later known as the Park of the Central House of the Soviet Army during the Soviet era. Today, it retains its historical name and is designated a landscape art monument. The park’s centerpiece is a 1.9-hectare pond, surrounded by ancient oaks and a 200-year-old willow.
Rizhsky Station Square, once a green space on Rizhskaya Square, was developed in the 1930s. Its focal point was a fountain with a caravel sculpture, installed in 2007. The square was dismantled during the construction of the Rizhskaya station on the Bolshaya Koltsevaya metro line. Plans to restore the park area are pending the station’s completion.
Trubnaya Street Square, a public space created in 2013 on a vacant lot near house No. 15, was part of Moscow’s "People’s Park" initiative. It initially featured walking paths, benches, and light installations. A 2017 renovation added a pump track, climbing wall, all-weather playground, and outdoor exercise equipment.
Samotyozhny Boulevard, a 3.8-hectare green zone between Samotyozhnaya Street and Olympic Avenue, hosts two monuments: a 1953 bust of pilot Vitaly Ivanovich Popkov and a 1960 statue of Marshal Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin.
Other notable green spaces in the district include Catherine Square, Suvorov Square Garden, and Rozhdestvensky Boulevard.