Borisovo Ponds, Reservoir in Orekhovo-Borisovo district, Moscow, Russia.
Borisovo Ponds is a water system in southern Moscow that flows through a residential neighborhood, comprising several connected lakes bordered by walking paths and green spaces. The water bodies provide quiet areas for strolling and observation, with trees and grass lining the shorelines.
First documented in 1600, the pond was formed by order of Boris Godunov with the Tsareborisovskaya dam. In 1627–1628 it was recorded as a state pond with a stone dam and mill. In 1970 an island was built and two bridges divided it into the Shipilovsky and Borisovsky reaches. Since 1998 it has been part of the Tsaritsyno nature-historical park.
The pond's name comes from the village of Borisovo, whose lands once surrounded it; older names, Tsareborisovsky or Godunovsky, refer to Boris Godunov, on whose order the pond was formed in 1600. On the southern shore stand the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity and the Trinity Church in Borisovo. In winter, ice holes are cut near the beach for Epiphany bathing, and a walrus club swims here.
The pond is crossed by the Kashirskoye Highway, and the park along its bank lies between Borisovskiye Prudy Street and Shipilovsky Proyezd. Swimming is prohibited by Rospotrebnadzor, though a beach with equipped recreation areas sits on the northern shore. Boat rental, an MChS rescue station, and food outlets operate on the banks; in winter a ski track is laid around the perimeter and ice holes are cut near the beach for Epiphany bathing.
In 1970 an island was poured into the pond and two bridges, the Upper and Lower Borisovo bridges, were built across it, splitting the water into the western Shipilovsky reach and the eastern Borisovo reach. Two springs on the south-eastern shore were declared natural monuments in 2003.
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