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Patriarch's Ponds

(Click for a view of the ponds)

Patriarch's Ponds park is highlighted. The park is bounded by Malaya Bronnaya on the East, Bol'shoi Patriarshii pereulok on the South, Patriarshii per. on the West, and Ermolaevskii per. on the North. The larger street one block north is the Garden Ring. Note the streetcar line marked in red on the Garden Ring: there is none near the park.

There is a large pond (only one!) in a park roughly two blocks square. The pond is surrounded by a pedestrian path with benches. Bulgakov lived near here at one point, as did several acquaintances.

The name refers to the Patriarch, the head of the Russian Orthodox church, who once had a residence nearby. This connects this location with the religious themes of the novel. There used to be three ponds, as is suggested by the name of a nearby street, "Trekhprudnyi pereulok" -- "Three-pond lane."