Clean Ponds

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Clean Ponds is a large pond in Moscow, in the Basmanny District on the Boulevard Ring. The nearby Chistoprudny Boulevard and Chistyye Prudy metro station get their names from the ponds.

The ponds sit where the Rachka River once flowed under the walls of the old White City in the 1600s. Now the river and most ponds are underground, and Clean Ponds are fed by water pipes.

In the 17th century, garbage was dumped into the river and ponds, giving them the name Dirty Ponds. In 1703 Prince Menshikov bought the ponds, cleaned them, and renamed them Clean Ponds. Since then the ponds have stayed clean. Today only one pond remains, home to ducks, and in winter it is used as a skating rink.