Despite Tula's established status as an industrial city, there are plenty of beautiful parks in the armory capital. Our mini-guide to the largest and, perhaps, the most famous parks in the city.
Once upon a time, there were many farmsteads in the south of Tula. Two famous Tula merchants Livensev and Platonov were neighbors. The former, owning a site of the former zasechny forest, decided at the end of the 19th century to refine it and create three cascading ponds. At the beginning of the 20th century, the second one subsequently bought the estate from his brother Liventsev and began to breed fish in the ponds. The picturesque territory was opened to the townspeople and soon the place acquired its name – Platonov Park! After the revolution, various things happened: nationalization, fires, a breeding farm, and even a stable. Only historical outlines have remained of the once prosperous and strong economy. It was replaced by weeds, the grinding of ponds, and, to be sure, garbage. It was only in 2016 that an incredible story happened and the park began to be restored: the trees were examined, preserving the old ones as much as possible and cutting down the sick ones, new ones were planted. The garbage was removed from the territory, dead wood and weeds were removed. The ponds were completely cleaned. They built comfortable stairs, erected a rotunda, a fountain, looped the embankment, installed playgrounds and turned the park into one of the most cozy and clean places in the city, where you want to walk, listen to birds, make dates, and just enjoy the fresh air and take your time. Perhaps this is also the shady park, in the heat you will definitely appreciate it!
It is not as big as Belousovsky, but it is no less cozy and beautiful park with an emphasis on "lampiness" and conciseness. It is located in the Zarechensky district of Tula, far from the usual tourist routes, and this is rather a plus: there are not so many people, the atmosphere is pleasant, no fuss. Attractions and cafes are also available, albeit not in abundance, the main thing is to avoid annoying touts and "creative" advertising banners. It was originally named after doctor Alexandrov, who founded the park in the early 20th century. If we recall the history of Belousovsky Park, then landscape architecture for famous Tula doctors is more a pattern than an accident. In front of the central entrance to the park there is a monument to the commander of the cruiser Varyag, Rear Admiral V. F. Rudnev - a real pride! There is also a real spring in the park, which guarantees ecological well–being, where residents from the area collect water. However, almost no one calls the park "Alexandrovsky", but they use the name "Komsomolsky" – in Soviet times, the park was named just that, in honor of the young members of the Komsomol who took over its patronage.
Indeed, it is more of a garden than a park and is located near Komsomolsky. It is very quiet and peaceful, a great place for walking, reading books, open air and relaxing from the city noise, which, if it penetrates here, it is only from the harvesting equipment working in the garden. For those interested in history, we briefly note that the garden was founded in the 18th century by the Batashev dynasty of industrialists, the most famous in the Russian Empire. The garden was laid out downstream of the Tulitsa River from the Batashev estate, which, unfortunately, has not survived to this day. The special atmosphere of the park is created by the river, which cuts through the green massif in the shape of the letter S. As usual, the park has been brought back to life since 2014: paved paths, lighting, comfortable recreation areas and a playground for children have been installed. And walking along the winding banks of the river, watching the ducks, of which there are plenty, you can very easily distract yourself from everyday affairs. It's all there, but outside the park.
One of the youngest, if not the youngest, hero city park, located in the Proletarian district, next to the "old" Krivoluchye, where the overall atmosphere is dictated by the architecture of the 50s and 60s, which makes us pay more attention to local history. The decision to create the park was announced only at the end of 1978. Yes, there will be no backstories. The main value is a rich forest of birch, lime, maple trees, which is important for an industrially developed city. The ideal plan for visiting the park is to treat squirrels, feed ducks, play chess on benches and trample all 33 hectares. Surprisingly, the event program, albeit small, is presented regularly, and I would like to emphasize and praise this.
Around 1892, in the month of May, at a meeting dedicated to the "lack of places for public celebrations in Tula," Pyotr Petrovich Belousov, the chief sanitary doctor of the city, suggested not removing garbage from the landfill, but filling it with a "cultural layer of earth." At the same time, plant shrubs, grass, trees and other vegetation, which will create a reliable sanitary zone. The decision was supported and, as time has shown, they did not lose. In 1894, a park was opened in Tula, at that time called Petrovsky, in honor of Petrovsky Mountain, the hill on which everything was located. Just think about it! - L. Tolstoy, V. Veresaev, S. Yesenin walked along his alleys. A century later, the park was named after Belousov and historical justice was restored. Today, the park has ponds, groves, running tracks, an amusement park, football, volleyball, basketball courts, restaurants and cafes, the Tula exotarium, and even a park with dinosaurs. Classes for the whole day! To be fair, the park has experienced both ups and downs over the century. The falls occurred mainly in the 90s. Now the park has a clear Renaissance: light bulbs, runners, bicycles, roller skaters, catamarans, boats, students reading on lawns, grandmothers touching on benches, a chess club, couples holding hands, happy children in strollers, fountains. In general, a solid happy end on the territory of 143 hectares, 97 hectares of which are green spaces! In winter, everything is the same, just add an ice rink and skates to the list. Perhaps the most popular place for Tulyaks in the city, even if they do not admit it.
