Bright illumination, decorated Christmas trees with garlands and themed photo zones - all this was prepared for residents of the Moscow region. With just over a week left until the New Year, it's time to get in the holiday spirit. We have collected photographs of the most beautiful places for walks and pictures.
They began decorating the towns near Moscow even before the beginning of December. In total, 1,985 New Year trees, more than three thousand volumetric light structures and over 12 thousand light brackets appeared in the region. Another 1,850 posters with congratulations were installed for residents, and the trees were transformed with six thousand garlands. We didn’t forget about the facades of buildings. Festive decorations appeared on 3.5 thousand buildings. All this beauty was installed in the region as part of the “Winter in the Moscow Region” project. Residents and guests of the region have already shared photographs of decorated cities on social networks.
Solnechnogorsk
In Solnechnogorsk, you can get into the New Year's mood from such a festive spruce. The tall tree was decorated with colorful balls and garlands. If you look through the carousel, you can see many installations, against which you will get memorable photographs.
The House of Culture was decorated in the village of Povarovo. A carriage, a deer with a sleigh and a tunnel of wishes appeared near the building. Before entering the arch, you need to think about your deepest dream - and it will definitely come true.
Even in Solnechnogorsk you can find a whole orchestra of snowmen and take all kinds of pictures with them.
“This is how you leave the house to breathe some air, and there’s a little New Year’s mood and a winter fairy tale,” one of the local residents shared on the social network.
History of the territory of Balashikha until the 16th century
On the territory of modern Balashikha, archaeologists have recorded traces of settlements dating back to the 7th century BC. On the banks of the Gorenka and Pekhorka rivers they discovered burials and places of sacrifice. Traces of the presence of the Slavs here date back to the 10th century, thanks to the discovery of mounds erected by East Slavic tribes at burial sites. There are about 350 such mounds and their traces in the vicinity of Balashikha. Based on the characteristic features of household items, archaeologists can confidently say that these mounds were erected by the Krivichi and Vyatichi tribes, mentioned in the most ancient Russian chronicles.
On the left bank of Pekhorka, archaeologists discovered a settlement dating back to the 12th-14th centuries. Historians suggest that it was the location of one of the administrative centers of the Moscow Principality during the era of its formation. On the right bank of the Pekhorka, at its confluence with the Gorenka, archaeologists explored a rich settlement of the 12th-14th centuries. In the XIV-XVIII centuries it belonged to the rich boyar family of the Akatovs.
The spiritual letter of Ivan Kalita, who occupied the Moscow Grand Duke's throne, dating back to 1336, has been preserved. It mentions the Pokhryan camp. This is the first mention of the Pokhryanskaya volost, which became the predecessor of Balashikha.
Soon after the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380-1381, Kalita's grandson Dmitry Donskoy concluded a deal to exchange princely lands with the Chudov Monastery, as a result of which the northern part of the Pokhryansk volost became the monastery's property.
In the Scribe books of 1573-1574, information was found about a water mill in the village of Osteevo, which belonged to the Chudov Monastery. But apparently, already in the last years of the 17th century this village ceased to exist. Zarechnaya Street currently runs in this place in Balashikha.
Khimki
The New Year's atmosphere now reigns in Khimki near Moscow. There you can get inside the Christmas ball, see Cinderella’s carriage and walk among the trees decorated with lights. Even the Ferris wheel adapted to the approaching holiday, turning into chimes.
In addition, a skating rink was equipped in Khimki, on which a New Year's tree was installed. It is decorated in the best holiday traditions with a red star and many balls.
If you are already tired of Christmas trees, you can take a photo with this golden deer.
Korolev
Residents and guests of Korolev can admire several forest beauties at once. In the evening, spruce trees look even more impressive. The star at the top of the tree looks especially festive.
And this Christmas tree is decorated with bright garlands. In addition, illuminated houses were placed around it, which can also serve as a photo zone.
You can take a photo next to the new date. These funny snowmen will be your companions at the photo shoot.
A Santa Claus post office was opened for the little ones in Korolev and other cities in the Moscow region. Bright boxes with snowmen can be found in parks.
Balashikha
The streets of Balashikha turned into a magical forest with its inhabitants. The city was decorated with figures of hares, deer with branched antlers, foxes and bears. In the evening they are illuminated in blue. In the center there is a New Year tree, from which garlands stretch in all directions.
In Balashikha, not only the main streets are decorated, but also residential courtyards. The residents of this entrance decided to create beauty right on the first floor. It turned out well.
There is such a festive spruce in the city. You can find it near the Ice Palace.
Ski track in Gorensky forest (Balashikha)
What to do on the weekend? The answer to this question may not be so simple, because in order for the day off to leave pleasant memories, you need to take into account the interests of all family members, young and old. As one of the options, we suggest going on a ski trip. Today we will talk about the ski slope in Gorensky Forest, near Balashikha. This place will appeal to all family members: lovers of outdoor activities, nature, and of course, children. The developed infrastructure will allow everyone to find something to their liking and spend time in comfort.
Content
• How to get there? • Parking • Infrastructure • Route • Mazurin Lake • Gorensky Forest • See also •
How to get there?
The ski slope belongs to the Moscow sports training center for team sports “Izmailova”. The buildings of the center itself are located in the Moscow Vostochny microdistrict. But the ski track runs through the territory of the Balashikha urban district.
The map is loading. Please wait.
Ski track in the Gorensky forest 55.812857, 37.905579 Ski track in the Gorensky forest (Balashikha)
There are several ways to get to the ski slope in Gorensky Forest:
- by personal car. From the Moscow Ring Road we drive along the Shchelkovskoye Highway for about 2 kilometers, then turn right onto Khvoinaya Street, the total length of the route from the Moscow Ring Road is about three kilometers. View the route on Yandex.maps. You can park your car in two parking lots, which are discussed below.
- public transport. From Shchelkovskaya metro station there are buses 283, 716 and minibus 516m. We go ten stops and get off at the “Vostochny Settlement” stop.
- train. From the Kursky station or Balashikha we go to the Gorenki platform. View the train schedule. The electric train travels from Kursky Station in half an hour. And it’s only 3 minutes from Balashikha. By the way, ski transportation on electric trains is free, now you don’t need to quarrel with the conductors, you have the right.
Parking
There are two parking lots near the ski slope.
The first one is located near the skating rink, it will be useful for those who come not only with skis, but also with skates. There is also a cafe, equipment rental and a slide nearby. Parking coordinates: 55.8165, 37.8765. The parking lot, frankly speaking, is not very big.
The second parking lot is a little further away, right next to the ski slope. There's room for a lot more cars here. GPS coordinates for navigators: 55.8143, 37.8800.
Infrastructure
I would especially like to note the infrastructure of this ski slope. In terms of diversity and richness, it probably has no equal among those presented on our website.
As we have already said, at the very first parking lot there is a wooden slide, which kids ride with great pleasure.
Next to it, already outside the territory of the sports complex, there is a medium-sized skating rink, which is well lit in the evenings. The entrance is free. Skates can be rented from a nearby building. The rental pick-up point is open from 11 am to 11 pm (inventory is issued until 10). Days off: Monday and any day after public holidays.
For older children, a wooden slide will be boring. They will not be left indifferent by the large slide near the starting clearing. From here you can ride on an ice skate or sled with a breeze and a squeal.
For those who just can’t give up their bad habit, there is a smoking area. Canopy, trash cans, benches.
Well, for fans of workout, or those who want to stretch all muscle groups before a race, a site with street exercise equipment has been built.
There is a sports module very close to the track, where you can rent plastic skis, boots and poles. Rental costs 200 rubles for two hours, this is the minimum amount. For each next hour you will need to pay an additional hundred rubles.
And finally, a cafe. Here you can have a snack and warm up in cold weather. In addition, the cafe offers free Wi-Fi (password “ten sevens” - 7777777777). Prices in the cafe are low. Americano coffee with a croissant cost 100 rubles in February 2015.
We also note the presence of a storage room in the sports complex. It will be very convenient for those who come here by public transport.
Advertising. Do you provide services for skiers? Instructors, shops, service? Place your advertisement here and now! This will ensure that you reach your target audience 100%. Advertising on our website means maximum efficiency at minimal cost. Write
Route
The “official” ski distances here are quite short. The maximum route is 5 kilometers. These places have excellent classic skiing and wide paths for those who prefer skating. There are small slides.
For those who like longer ski trips, it will not be difficult to turn to the “unofficial” ski track and walk through the Gorensky Forest, ride on the surface of the once beautiful Mazurin Lake.
Below we present the track of our route, which took place both on professionally prepared ski tracks and on ski tracks worn by amateurs. Its length was more than 12 kilometers.
The track here is prepared by snowcat and snowstorm. A snowcat is a special caterpillar tractor that can compact snow and, thanks to a special device, make a ski track for lovers of the classics. Wide tracks make the snowcat stable on slopes.
The starting field is quite wide; on competition days, inflatable “start” and “finish” signs are installed here.
The paths are wide enough for skating enthusiasts and make overtaking quite comfortable.
The ski track for the “classics” also did not raise any questions for us. Knurled quite well. The only downside is the lack of markings; for those who are skiing here for the first time, it will be difficult to find their bearings and understand where to turn to cover the selected distance.
"Unofficial" ski track. Despite the fact that there are no people in the photograph, it still cannot be said that it is deserted. Skiers meet all the time. A couple of times, pretty girls who got lost asked us for directions. We are sure that for single guys and girls, skiing is the first step to creating a healthy family
At the very beginning of the ski track, next to the starting clearing, there is a fairly high hill. It appeared quite recently; soil from the construction of the Balashikha microdistrict “Yantarny” was transported here.
From the top of the embankment there are views of the surrounding buildings.
The Eastern Water Treatment Plant was built in 1937. Until 1961 it was called “Stalinskaya”. The station supplies water to residents of eastern Moscow, Balashikha and Reutov. Through a system of reservoirs, water comes here from the Volga itself. At the time of its opening, the station was the most complex and powerful in Europe.
To the left of the waterworks we see the gardening partnership “Truzhenik”, geographically this is Moscow. The ocher high-rise buildings of Balashikha and the panel high-rise buildings of the Eastern microdistrict of Moscow.
The long, gentle descent is worth the effort and time to climb. It’s so nice to slide down with the breeze. After descending, you want to immediately go up again and repeat the attraction.
In addition to the large hill on the ski slope in Vostochny, there are several relief places. However, there are not so many of them.
These slopes are partly formed by ravines and rivulets and streams flowing in their hollows, and partly by soil dumps.
Lake Mazurin.
If you turn off the snowcat trail, you can go to Lake Mazurin. His story is interesting and instructive. Many years ago there was a peat bog of glacial origin here. At the end of the nineteenth century, peat harvesting began near Balashikha, as a result of which a beautiful lake appeared in the Gorensky Forest. They named it in honor of Mazurin, the owner of a paper spinning factory in Reutov, who began peat harvesting.
During Soviet times, on the shores of Lake Mazurinskoye there was a recreation area in the Sokolniki district of Moscow. Beaches with quartz sand, cafes, and rental points were created. The recreation area was very popular; there were always a lot of vacationers here.
In 1998, as a result of stricter requirements for water quality, the discharge of sludge from the Vostochnaya station sharply increased. The natural system stopped coping and the lake began to die. In less than 10 years, waste from the station completely replaced clean water from the lake. All life in him died. In the dry summer of 2010, the last water left the lake, and the source of the Gorenki River ceased to exist.
And only in winter can we imagine that we are skating on the ice of a real lake.
Today, the entire infrastructure of the recreation area has turned into a complete “abandonment”. But just recently health trains ran here from Moscow. In Kudelin’s brochure “Where to Spend Days of Rest” we can read about this place:
A shady canopy, shopping pavilions, and a “paddling pool” for children have been built here. There is a storage room and a rental studio that provides hammocks, children's swimming circles, beach mats, flippers, cots, badminton, inflatable mattresses, chess and other sports equipment.
Gorensky forest
But let's not talk about sad things. The winter spruce forest is clean and beautiful. From here begins the famous Meshchera, sung by Paustovsky. Many spruce trees in the Gorensky Forest are over a hundred years old.
The Goresny forest, as well as the entire Moscow Meshchera, is characterized by coniferous forests with deciduous undergrowth (rowan, elderberry, willow, hazel). Not far from Lake Mazurinsky, a cranberry bog has been preserved.
Advertising. Do you provide services for skiers? Instructors, shops, service? Place your advertisement here and now! This will ensure that you reach your target audience 100%. Advertising on our website means maximum efficiency at minimal cost. Write
See also.
- Where to ski? Our review of ski slopes in the Moscow region.
- Sights and interesting places along the Gorky Highway.
Interesting nearby:
- Outlet "Belaya Dacha".
In conclusion, we emphasize once again that the ski slope in Balashikha is a great place for lovers of a healthy lifestyle, a prepared track of 5 kilometers, a high and gentle slope, and many interesting routes through the Gorensky Forest. All family members will find something to their liking here. They have skis, slides and skates at their disposal. Good infrastructure, ski and skate rentals, and a cafe with Wi-Fi will make your stay comfortable.
