Vorobyovy Gory

Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) is a natural area on the right bank of the Moskva River, at the foot of Moscow State University, across the river from the Luzhniki Stadium. It is the highest of Moscow's seven hills: the steep bank rises about 80 meters above the river and serves as the city's main viewpoint.

The viewpoint

From the platform you can see the Luzhniki Stadium with its Bolshaya Sportivnaya Arena, the Moscow City business district, the Ostankino TV tower and the bend of the Moskva River; free binoculars let visitors pick out more distant districts in clear weather. To the right stand Stalin-era landmarks: the Ukraina Hotel, the Foreign Ministry building, the apartment house on Kudrinskaya Square. The current viewpoint was built in 1953, together with the main building of Moscow State University, designed by architect Vitaly Dolganov. Entry to the grounds and the platform is free and round the clock.

History

From the mid-15th century the village of Vorobyovo stood here, giving the whole area its name after its boyar owners, the Vorobyov family. In the early 20th century embankments were built along the slope: the Andreevskaya (1901–1902) and the Vorobyovskaya (1911). At the foot of the hills the Andreevsky Monastery operated from 1648, founded by boyar Fyodor Rtishchev; according to tradition, its founder is buried in the crypt beneath the monastery church. The area by the monastery is called Plennitsy; one version holds that timber floated down the river was tied into rafts ("polennitsy") here. In 1827, according to tradition, the young Alexander Herzen and Nikolai Ogaryov swore on the slope to fight autocracy; a monument to them now stands on the spot.

The main building of Moscow State University atop the hills was ceremonially opened on 1 September 1953; with its spire it stands 235 meters tall. In 1958 the two-tier Luzhniki Metro Bridge was built nearby: the upper tier carries road traffic, the lower houses a metro station. The station opened in 1959 as "Leninskiye Gory" and was renamed "Vorobyovy Gory" in 1999; after the bridge's reconstruction it closed and reopened in 2002. In 2018 a cable car was strung across the Moskva River to the Luzhniki Stadium, 720 meters long. In 2025 the K-75 ski jump on the grounds reopened after a major reconstruction; the site has been linked to winter sports for over a hundred years.

Nature

The slopes are covered by a 137.5-hectare nature reserve, managed by Gorky Park since 1998 and formally part of it since 2013. The reserve stretches along the high bank of the Moskva River's Luzhniki bend, preserving ravines, springs and broadleaf forest; it is home to the Ural owl, listed in Moscow's Red Data Book. Two eco-trails run through it: the "On the Slopes of Vorobyovy Gory – Andreevsky Ponds" route, 770 meters long, and the "On the Terraces of Vorobyovy Gory" route along wooden boardwalks, about 740 meters. Below, by the river, the Vorobyovskaya Embankment runs for walking and cycling.

Getting there

The closest stop is the Vorobyovy Gory metro station on the Sokolnicheskaya line: from the southern vestibule, through the upper hall, you reach the reserve and the cable car directly, while the northern vestibule leads to the embankment and Luzhniki. Bus No. 297 also runs to the cable car, to the "Moskovskaya Kanatnaya Doroga" stop, with tickets sold at the ticket offices and on the operator's website. In summer, pleasure boats depart from the Vorobyovy Gory pier along the Moskva River.