The Bitsevsky Forest Park is a rather large green spot on the map of the capital, a favorite vacation spot for many Muscovites. The nature of this territory is very diverse: there are delicate birches, wise centuries-old oaks, and fragrant pine forests with cool springs.
Where is the forest located?
The Bitsevsky Forest Natural Park is located in the southern part of the Russian capital. It occupies a significant area - over 2200 hectares. This is the second largest green zone located within the city called Moscow.
The Bitsevsky Forest stretched nearly ten kilometers from north to south, occupying the sector between Warsaw Highway and Sevastopol Avenue. Directly adjacent to the park territory are several metropolitan areas at once, in particular Konkovo, Yasenevo, Chertanovo South, Central and Northern.
The forest got its name from the Bitsa River, which flows in the southern part of the natural park. In addition to it, other watercourses flow within it: the Gorodnya, Chertanovka, Dubinkinsky rivulets, as well as the Derevlyovsky stream.
Forest history
Man has long taken a fancy to these places: at first Finno-Ugrians lived here, later, at the beginning of the XI century, they were replaced by Vyatichi. The latter, incidentally, left behind several mounds in the forest. It is known that already in the XIII century there were village settlements.
Studies of the mounds in the Bitsevsky Forest gave a very important result. Thanks to archaeological finds, historians were able to establish that Moscow was originally inhabited precisely by the Vyatichi tribes. It is worth noting that out of 70 of all the mounds preserved on the territory of Moscow, seven are located here, on the shores of Bitsa. This only confirms the fact that the Bitsevsky Forest has been inhabited since ancient times.
Park Attractions
In “Bitsa Park” there is something to see both in terms of natural beauties and in terms of objects created by man. First of all, these are ancient mounds, which are about a thousand years old, as well as the most beautiful manor complexes. Three of them remained on the territory of the park - the estates "Yasenevo", "Uzkoye" and "Znamenskoye-Sadki".
Another unique monument located in the forest is the so-called boundary pillar. It was established in 1909 in honor of the Stolypin reform. In general, a large number of such pillars were installed, but few of them have survived to this day.
In the “Bitsa Forest” there is also a spring with healing and very tasty water. It is located on the banks of the Chertanovka River, and many residents from neighboring areas come to it for water.
Bald mountain and pagan temple
What else is interesting to see in Bitsevsky park?
You should definitely go to the local Lysaya Gora, which, in fact, is a dry meadow (by the way, the largest in Moscow). Here you can find several rare species of grassy vegetation. And in some years, near the Lysaya Gora, they even recorded nesting of the goshawk.
On the Lysaya Gora there is also a Slavic temple - a gathering place for capital pagans. It was equipped in 2000: wooden sculptures were installed here and a sanctuary was organized. Pagans come to this "temple" in the bosom of nature to meet or hold the Sun. In the center of the sanctuary, a ritual stone is installed on which people leave grain and coins, often put cottage cheese or pour milk on it.
It should be noted that pagans are always very attentive to the process of choosing a place for their temples. It should have positive energy, nearby should be a river, springs and old oak forests.
"Bitsevsky forest" for outdoor activities!
The park area is ideal for active and healthy recreation. In particular, the Bitsevsky Forest is very popular with cyclists.
And this is no accident, because a wonderful bicycle path has been laid in the nature park. On it you can cross the entire "Bitsevsky forest." The track begins in the vicinity of the Belyaevo metro station, and ends near the Yuzhnaya station, which is on the gray subway line. In this regard, in Bitsa Park recently a lot of cyclists.
