Bitza Park
The Bitza Park ( Russian Битцевский парк / Bitzewski Park ) is located on the southwestern outskirts of the Russian capital Moscow and, with an area of over 2200 hectares, is the second largest urban forest area in the city after the Lossiny Ostrow National Park . The name of the Bitza Park is derived from the Bitza stream flowing through it from the Moskva river system .
location
The park is located in the southwestern administrative district and extends from the residential areas of the Sjusino district in the north to the satellite settlement of Butowo in the south, near which it is cut up by the MKAD motorway ring . To the east of the park is the Chertanowo district and to the west of it are the residential quarters Belyajewo, Tjoply Stan and Jassenewo . The latter has also been home to the Novojassenewskaja (Bitzewski Park) metro station , which is directly adjacent to the park , since 1990 .
Worth seeing
Due to its comparatively rich population of plants and animals, the Bitza Park is under nature protection. Quite unusual for Moscow conditions is the variety of landscape forms to be found in it, which includes not only extensive forest areas of various types, but also a large number of smaller bodies of water, gorges and elevations. The forest also offers a habitat for animal species that are otherwise mostly rare in Moscow's urban area. These include various rodents , rabbits , foxes , weasels and - even if only very rarely - the ermine , the wild boar and the elk ; In addition, around 80 species of birds breed here.
There are also several architectural monuments in the park, in particular the old country castles Uskoje , Jassenewo and Znamenskoje-Sadki from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the area of the park a number of barrows from the 11th or 12th centuries have been found, which indicate the settlement of the area by the Vyatiches at that time.
Trivia
As part of the 1980 Summer Olympics , parts of the modern pentathlon and eventing were held in the park .
In the 1980s there were plans to move the Moscow Zoo to an area within Bitza Park, but these were later discarded. In connection with these plans, the Bitzewski Park metro station received a second, eastern exit when it was built, which leads almost directly into the forest. When the plans failed, this exit was closed for lack of use. The unused, closed outer vestibule , however, still stands today.
The park has recently made headlines several times in connection with the serial killer Alexander Pitschuschkin , who allegedly killed up to 62 people in the park between 1992 and 2006. This also earned him the nickname Bitza-Killer in the local press .
Web links
- Full Page (Russian)
Competition venues for the 1980 Summer Olympics
Coordinates: 55 ° 37 ′ 38 ″ N , 37 ° 33 ′ 42 ″ E