Rublyovka is the “golden” land of Russia

Recommendation points

• Specifications
• A bit of history
• The reasons for the phenomenon of popularity
• Rublyovka today
• Perspectives

The main “heroine” of numerous anecdotes is the Moscow region area, whose name has already become a household name and, without exaggeration, mythical, a locality that arouses keen interest throughout the country and is repeatedly mentioned in works of art and in the news. All this is undoubtedly the famous Rublyovka.

Actually, there is no official administrative-territorial unit with this name, but it is very widely used in the media and few people remember that Rublyovka is just an area located to the west of Moscow and stretching along Rublevo-Uspenskoe, 1st and 2nd -go Uspenskoe highway, as well as Podushkinskoye highway.

Of course, in almost every city there are areas that are considered the most prestigious and are distinguished by the highest real estate prices. And yet none of them can be compared with Rublevka in terms of the degree of attraction for the local elite, the frequency of mention in cinema, everyday life and fiction. For example, the well-known village of Koncha-Zaspa is often called “Kiev Rublyovka”, and every capital of the region and region has its own “Rublyovka”.

What caused the phenomenon of this seemingly ordinary corner of the Moscow region? Why has this particular area become a symbol of wealth, power and great opportunities, a real “Russian Eldorado”? What awaits Rublevka in the near future – oblivion or it will be able to keep the title of “the golden land of Russia”?

Specifications

Rublevka includes part of the territory of the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region, which is mostly built up with summer cottages of the former Soviet elite, cottage villages of the deluxe and premium class, as well as residences of the highest officials of the state.

There are several settlements on the territory of this district: the village of Zhukovka, Barvikha, Gorki-2, Gorki-10, Razdory, the cottage settlement Nikolina Gora, the village of Podushkino, Usovo, Uspenskoe and many other small cottage, cottage settlements and villages.

Some of these villages have been around for several centuries, for example, Zhukovka, the first mention of which dates back to the 15th century, others, such as Gorki-2, were created already in the 20-30s of the last century.

The nearest settlement to Moscow is Razdory, which is only five kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road, the farthest one, Gorki-10, is located 43 kilometers from the capital. Thus, Rublevka belongs to the near Moscow region, which already guarantees high prices for land and houses, but does not explain the very phenomenon of this area. To understand how and when Rublevka became the most expensive land in Russia and a symbol of power, it is worth going back several centuries.

Rublevka map – most of the settlements are located along the Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway

A bit of history

Do not think that Rublevka began to be used as a place of residence for the authorities and the elite only in the 90s of the XX century. In fact, this part of the Moscow region attracted the attention of Ivan Kalita, who ruled almost 700 years ago.

The Zvenigorod direction, and Rublevka is located exactly on the way from Moscow to this ancient city, was distinguished by the Moscow princes especially and usually departed to the second prince’s son. By the way, this site often became for the second heir, as it were, a “springboard” to the main goal – the Moscow throne, so that the “close relationship” between Rublevka and the supreme rulers of Belokamennaya could be traced back then.

Later, Ivan the Terrible often traveled west from Moscow, who loved to hunt with falcons in the local forests. And God-fearing Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich, the first tsars from the Romanov dynasty, made a walking pilgrimage along this path to the Savvino-Storozhevsky monastery located in Zvenigorod. So the future Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway in those days already received the unofficial name “Tsar’s Road”, and during the movement of the tsar, surrounded by archers and personal guards, traffic along it for ordinary mortals was blocked. Much like today, really?

Both Peter the First and Catherine the Second traveled along the “Tsar’s Road” from Moscow to Zvenigorod. In the 17th century, the road, which previously ended in Zvenigorod, was continued and became in fact the only civilized, that is, a slightly improved path from Russia to the west, to Europe..

The first estates of the aristocracy appeared along the “Tsar’s road” at the end of the 18th century – such well-known families in our country as the Yusupovs, Golitsyn and Shuvalovs decided to settle here..

By 1918, in the western direction from Moscow, there were already numerous villages and villages – people happily settled in this area, famous for its centuries-old forests, deep rivers and convenient roads. And after Joseph Stalin settled at the special facility “Zubalovo-4” near the village of Usovo, Rublevka also became a place of attraction for the “powerful of this world.” The residences of his closest associates, in particular Kliment Voroshilov, Anastas Mikoyan and Felix Dzerzhinsky, appeared next to the leader’s dacha.

In the 1930s, dachas of the party elite began to appear en masse along the road to Zvenigorod; Minister Nikolai Yezhov, who headed the all-powerful NKVD, lived in Zhukovka. Dachas in this area were allocated to famous actors and writers, and sanatoriums and boarding houses for workers were opened in Barvikha and Gorki-10.

After the war, mansions appeared on Rublevka, intended for Western diplomats, the place was not chosen by chance – there are no industrial facilities, the area was distinguished by excellent ecology and was often called “Russian America”. Until the 50s, the passage to Rublevka was blocked by a barrier, so not everyone could get into this elite corner of the Moscow region.

Stalin’s “near” dacha, where he lived from 1918 to 1932

A new round in the history of Rublevka began in the 90s, when “new Russians”, pop stars, officials and famous politicians began to massively buy mansions and cottages in local villages. It was then that Rublevka became a symbol of big money and unlimited power, the phrases “ruble wife” and “ruble oligarch” appeared, characterizing the status of a person better than other descriptions.

It is interesting that the origin of the very name of this area of ​​the Moscow region is interpreted in different ways. Many people believe that it came from the ruble, that is, it clearly indicates that only rich people have always lived here. Others note that the name is associated with Andrei Rublev, who painted cathedrals in Zvenigorod. However, most scientists are inclined to believe that Rublevka got its name thanks to today little-known village Rublevo, which is not even part of today’s Rublevka. In turn, the village was named so because it consisted of log “chopped” huts.

The reasons for the phenomenon of popularity

Aleksey Volin, the former deputy head of the Russian presidential administration, described Rublyovka best of all in his interview: “A pretty piece of territory with overly compacted buildings. And at the same time it is extremely mythologized. According to some myths, life here is a symbol of success, according to others – an example of bad taste “.

After analyzing a little the history of Rublevka, we can conclude that the main reasons for such a high popularity and cost of land in this area near Moscow are:

1. Excellent ecology. The famous Zvenigorod Plain includes the upper reaches of the Klyazma, Skhodnya, Desna, Pakhra, and Nara rivers, as well as the middle and upper reaches of the Moskva River. And today in this area birch and spruce forests are miraculously preserved, small oak forests and pine forests have been preserved. Due to the presence of ravines, depressions and gullies, this “mountainous” area pleases the eye. There are no large industrial facilities here, unlike other parts of the Moscow region, and if it were not for the large-scale development, this area would look almost the same as hundreds of years ago, when peasants and artisans settled on Rublevka with pleasure. In addition, the presence of mineral springs, around which the first boarding houses and sanatoriums arose, played a role. It is worth noting that Rublevka was famous for its healings a hundred or two hundred years ago – numerous townspeople came here to recuperate, attracted by the beneficial properties of artesian water, clean air and the glory of the relics of Elder Sava, who, they say, are able to relieve believers of all diseases.
2. Convenient road. As already mentioned, it was along the Smolensk road that Moscow rulers traveled to the west, here the path of all the rulers who traveled from Russia to Europe passed – from Khan Batu to Napoleon. It is not surprising that settlements began to appear next to this unusual “Tsar’s road” – not everyone can boast that from the windows of his house one can see the tsar-father in a carriage. In addition, this route remained one of the busiest, and trade in local villages developed quite quickly and successfully..
3. Closeness to power. As you can see, from the very beginning of its history, Rublevka remained a place where the main people of the country first traveled and then settled. So, living next to Joseph Vissarionovich was vital for his associates – the leader was known for his night meetings and could call him at any moment. And later this trend continued and became a real tradition already during the reign of Leonid Brezhnev, who lived with his family on Rublevka. As Marina Makarova, Managing Director of Blackwood, noted several years ago: “The desire of officials and successful businessmen to live as a united society near the head of state’s dacha in Barvikha formed the basis for the formation of the image of Rublevo-Uspenskoe Highway as the most prestigious and expensive in the early 90s.” In addition, according to the director, “living on Rublevka has become a sign of material well-being and position in society.” It is this reason, apparently, that should be considered the main one. Whatever it is – a fashion, a trend, or an incomprehensible, but universal hobby, it was the closeness to power that made Rublevka such a popular place of residence. Otherwise, this area would have remained just another corner of the near Moscow region, prestigious and cozy, but nothing more. And it is precisely the proximity to the rulers that has now become the main ruble problem, but more on that later..

Rublyovka today

The peak of popularity of the ruble real estate fell on 2005-2008. In general, the cost of land and cottages on Rublevka began to grow literally exponentially since the early 2000s, when Novo-Ogaryovo became the official residence of the President of the country..

The most expensive land in Russia today is located precisely on Rublevka – on the territory that previously belonged to the Barvikha sanatorium, which is subordinate to the presidential administration and is located 7 kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road. Several plots of land ranging from 20 to 50 acres are put up for sale here, the price of which is 210 thousand dollars or 6.8 million rubles per acre.

The average price per one hundred square meters of land, for example, in the prestigious cottage village Park Vill in the village of Zhukovka, is 65 thousand dollars.

A number of cottage settlements have been built on Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway: Florence – the closest one in the capital and the Kremlin, in the village of Razdory, Usovo Usadby, Park Vill in Zhukovka, Barvikha Club and Barvikha Village in the village of the same name, Ilyinka “,” Novakhovo “,” Nikolino “,” Richmond “and” Papushevo “.

Cottage village “Papushevo”

The cost of a cottage, for example, in the village of Florence reaches $ 2.5 million, for a townhouse you will have to pay at least $ 1.5 million. And in the village of Papushevo, with its own developed infrastructure and very comfortable recreational areas, the price of one cottage varies from 1 to 1.5 million dollars, the price of one hundred square meters of land without a contract is 16 thousand dollars. The village is located in Gorki-10.

As for the most expensive house in Rublevka, the record that has not been broken so far belongs to the Eurasia estate, which was put up for sale in 2007 for $ 100 million. True, the 2008 crisis forced the owners to reduce the price to 80 million, but this did not prevent the luxurious estate from entering the Forbes list of “The Most Expensive Houses on the Planet” and taking the honorable third place in it..

Estate “Eurasia” in Gorki-2, 17 kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road, entered the Forbes list in 2008

Today the most expensive mansion on Rublevka is located on the former territory of the Barvikha sanatorium and is sold for $ 74 million. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get a photo of houses for sale in closed ruble settlements. Only a select few are allowed here, who will be able to prove that they are driven not by an idle curiosity, but by a really desire and an opportunity to buy a house on Rublevka.

The estate in the village of Mayendorf Gardens in Barvikha is sold for $ 73 million and today ranks second in the list of the most expensive houses on Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway

It is worth noting that all the most expensive ruble mansions are surrounded by large plots of land – the minimum area of ​​the local area, often with birch groves and artificial ponds, is 35 acres, the maximum is from 500 or more acres. These are truly real estates, surrounded by a high fence and a vast area decorated with landscaping.

Rublevka today is the mansions of such famous personalities as Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Mikhail Gorbachev, singers Larisa Dolina and Lada Dens, actors Leonid Yarmolnik and Tatyana Drubich, head of the Accounts Chamber Sergei Stepashin and State Duma deputy Sergei Mironov, as well as many others.

In addition, on Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway there are such unique objects as the residence of Vladimir Putin – Novo-Ogarevo, Dmitry Medvedev – the state residence of Gorki-9, as well as the house of Boris Yelnitsin, where his widow now lives.

And Rublevka today is a huge transport problem. As Andrei Makarevich, who in 2008 preferred to move to Novorizhskoe highway, said: “It works well here, life is good. It drives badly. ” Often, the trip from Zhukovka to the capital does not take at all 20-30 minutes, as real estate agencies that offer houses on Rublevka claim, but about two hours, which will have to be spent in exhausting traffic jams. The main reason for such a transport collapse is a large number of residents, and not limited in the choice of cars – two or three cars per family for Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway are more the rule than the exception. Numerous government corteges also contribute, during the movement of which the passage for ordinary cars is simply blocked..

Typical traffic jam on Rublevskoe highway

Despite the fact that this corner of the Moscow region has its own, sufficiently developed infrastructure, including everything you need, from grocery supermarkets to golf courses and beauty salons, residents of Rublevka still have to visit Moscow regularly. Do officials, let alone the president, need to travel to work? As a result, traffic jams have become an indispensable attribute of the Rublevskoye highway and seriously spoil the lives of local residents. Igor Shabdurasulov, former chief of staff of the Russian government, said: “The most important and problematic issue of infrastructure – the transport component – has not been resolved. What can we say if almost every day the trip from Nikolina Gora to Barvikha turns into torture lasting up to one and a half hours “?

Another problem is mass development. It should be borne in mind that not just modest private houses and cottages are being built on Rublevka, but huge mansions with three to four meter high fences, behind which celebrities could safely hide from prying eyes. Because of such a stone fence, you can hardly admire the picturesque surroundings, so the beautiful landscape and excellent ecology have ceased to play such an important role in choosing a home. Indeed, why buy a plot of land overlooking a river, lake or spruce forest, if very soon it will disappear behind a massive fence?

It got to the point that many residents of Rublyovka began to look for more secluded Moscow suburbs. Following Andrei Makarevich, Anastasia Volochkova decided to leave the most prestigious district of the Moscow region, having moved to a city apartment, as well as many other residents who bought houses on Rublevka back in the late 90s. At that time they could easily get to the capital and admire the scenery, now the situation has changed dramatically.

Perspectives

Realtors point out that today prices for ruble real estate practically do not rise, and demand has fallen quite significantly. What will happen in the near future with the “golden land of Russia”, will it lose its high status?

Such a development of events seems to be quite probable – at present the Novorizhskoe direction has become the most promising, prestigious and in great demand among buyers of elite real estate..

And yet it is too early to write off Rublevka from the accounts – the situation can be corrected by the first toll road, which will be completed by 2014 and relieve the Rublevo-Uspenskoe and Minskoe highways. According to officials, after the completion of the construction of a new interchange, it will be possible to get to Rublevka twice as fast, and local residents will have a choice – which road to travel on, paid or not. In the meantime, residents of elite cottage settlements are invited to change from cars to comfortable electric trains, which will soon begin to run between Moscow and Usovo. But it is unlikely that residents of the most expensive mansions in Russia will switch to electric trains, even if they are of increased comfort..

In the near future, the ruble congestion may even increase – in the capital, outbound highways are being repaired, so that one kilometer of the highway will be closed to traffic for at least a year, and the “rublevites” will have to get home using a backup.

Realtors note that, despite a significant decline in demand and a slight decline in prices, there are still enough people who want to become owners of houses on Rublevka. And, most likely, until the president and other powers that be decide to change their place of residence, the situation will continue. Rublevka does not intend to lose her position, and local residents, many of whom are high-ranking officials, will somehow come up with a solution to the transport problem.