Sparrow Hills are a favorite leisure area for Muscovites. Even before the revolution, people visited to have picnics with samovars and to meet the sunset on the terrace of the panoramic restaurant. One of the seven hills of Moscow offers views of the whole city: Alexander I called Sparrow Hills the ‘crown of Moscow’ for their beauty, and now, the Luzhniki Sports Complex, the skyscrapers of Moscow City, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and the Stalinist skyscrapers can be viewed from the Observation Platform.
In the last few years, a number of new sights have appeared on Sparrow Hills—from the extreme park with flights over the river to the ceramic all-season ski run. And a large ski jump will open soon—the legend of Leninskie Gory of the Soviet era.
Moscow Cable Car
The first 340 meter long cable chairlift was installed in 1953—it was designed by engineer Aleksandr Galli to serve a large ski jump. The 340 meter long life connected the embankment with the observation platform. In 2016, the lift was dismantled because it had fallen into disrepair.
In 2018, a new cable car opened on Sparrow Hills. The 720 meter long cable car connects the two banks of the Moskva River: Sparrow Hills can now be reached from Luzhniki in five minutes. There are three stations on the route: Luzhniki, Novaya Liga, and Sparrow Hills (the second is located on the embankment and has not yet opened). The cable car has 35 cabins which can accommodate eight people each, and there are two VIP cabins with leather seats designed for four people. They have ski stands and bicycle hooks, as well as an audio guide available in several languages.
The website of the Sparrow Hills Leisure Center has information about the operating hours and prices. The cable car is conveniently integrated into Moscow’s unified transport, and passage may be paid using the Troika card. A one-way trip costs from 100 to 400 rubles, depending on the day of the week. Round-trip tickets are cheaper. VIP cabins cost 5,000 rubles.
Zipline
An extreme summer attraction, the Skypark zipline, opened next to the cable car in 2020. The new season begins on April 25! The zipline offers you a chance at a dizzying flight over Moscow, from the observation platform to Luzhniki. You will fly on a 700 meter-long trolley (as the steel cable is called) directly over the Moskva River, so be ready to reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.
It is not only adults weighing from 40 to 110 kg who can ride the zipline: children from 7 to 10 years old can ride in tandem with adults. A paired flight of two adults is also possible if their total weight does not exceed 110 kg. The season is coming soon, and gift certificates are already available on the website.
Escalator gallery
Sparrow Hills metro station is located very close to the embankment at the foot of the hill. For a long time, it was possible to reach the metro from the observation platform or from Kosygin Street only after a long walk along the forest slopes—beautiful, but not always convenient. In December 2022, the gallery was restored to its historic location after 40 years. Now, you can get from the top of the hill to the metro in just 1.5 minutes!
The first escalator gallery was built in 1959, based on a design by architects Nina Alyoshina (designer of 19 metro stations, including Leninsky Prospekt, Kuznetsky Most, and Taganskaya) and Aleksandr Strelkov (designer of Novoslobodskaya, Oktyabrskaya, Lubyanka, and other stations). There were three escalators with a length of 90 meters in the glazed, stepped structure. The gallery was popular with district residents, MSU students, and pupils of the Palace of Pioneers.
But in 1983, the escalator gallery had to be closed, along with Leninskie Gory metro station itself, which was designed with errors. Due to a waterproofing failure, the structure of the Luzhnetsky metro bridge began to collapse, soil displacement occurred under the escalator gallery, and cracks appeared in the structure. Only in 2002 was the metro station launched again, this time called Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills). However, the escalator gallery remained in ruins and almost completely deteriorated.
The gallery has now been completely rebuilt. The slope was strengthened and a solid foundation was laid, resistant to local landslides. The architectural design is as close to the original as possible. In their time, the gallery and metro station with stained glass windows were some of the earliest Moscow monuments of modernism. It is not surprising that such an unusual structure became a favorite filming location: for example, the escalator gallery appears in a scene in the movie Sunflower, starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
Today, there are also three escalators inside that are 68 meters long—slightly shorter than the original ones. The lifting height is 34 meters, which is approximately like a 10-story building. The lower and upper lobbies are decorated with Sayan cream marble and Dymovsky granite from Leningrad Region, and the ceilings are decorated with a multitude of light bulbs. There is a restaurant with panoramic views in the upper lobby and a new observation platform on the roof.
The opening of the gallery made the path from the metro station to Moscow State University almost three times faster and even the trip to the cable car and main observation platform take half as long now. The passenger throughput of the metro station has doubled. The use of the escalator is free.
Winter sports cluster
In Soviet times, Leninskie Gory served as a center of winter sports. The main sports attraction was a large ski jump built in 1953 based on a design by the engineer Aleksandr Galli. The complex comprised four jumps of different lengths—10, 25, 45, and 72 meters—and was considered the best in the USSR. It hosted the first Soviet championships and even international competitions. But the introduction of new standards (the minimum length was announced to be 75 meters) rendered the jump unsuitable for competitions.
The winter sports cluster is now being restored on the slope. A ski complex with three runs of 200, 254, and 333 meters has already opened. The slopes are well lit, which allows skiing in darkness and the broadcasting of competitions. There is also a snowboard park with a length of 178 meters, as well as a K-40 ski jump equipped with a ceramic all-season ski run. A large ski jump is being completed and will open soon. There will also be a toboggan run, tubing slide, rope course, and an ice rink, which will serve as a roller rink in the summer.
The slope can be ascended by a cable chairlift with heated chairs designed for 6 seats. A small slope with a bar lift is provided for children. The upper level has a comfortable locker room with seats near the panoramic window, offering guests a view of the runs while they change. It also has rentals, a cafe, and a small museum of skiing. It is possible to train with an instructor, and the New League ski school is available for children. You can buy a ski pass and find out the operating hours on the website of the Sparrow Hills Leisure Center.
