The three Chertanovo neighbourhoods – Tsentralnoye, Yuzhnoye and Severnoye – were historically one big area. They stretch continuously through the south of Moscow, beyond the Garden Ring and inside the Moscow Ring Road, and make for a very convenient place to live.

The total area of Chertanovo is vast. If combined together it’s 22.8 sq. kilometres, while the population is comparable to that of a fairly big Russian city: 335,800 people live there, and a whole lot of them seem to like it.

A vision of the future

The historical and architectural highlight of the Chertanovo area is its Exemplary Promising Residential Area, which was built between 1975 and 1980.

From 1960 to 1982, the architect of the project was Mikhail Posokhin, once Moscow’s top-dog architect. Posokhin thought that new residential areas should be built strictly in accordance with modern technologies.

ERPA was extremely forward-thinking for its time – it relied on easy interior redesign (walls were made so they could be easily removed) and a truly new central heating system – there would be temperature sensors outside the buildings that would help change the heat level inside when the weather got colder or hotter.

ERPA was not built in accordance with the project’s postulates completely – some of Posokhin’s ideas were thought to be too expensive, others were simply dropped without explanation.

Still, EPRA is considered to be the first “innovative” residential area in Moscow. Its construction was dedicated to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

The Chertanovo neighbourhoods are relatively new: the first residential buildings appeared there in 1960s, which was also the time when they were officially added to Moscow proper.

From metro trains to horses

Even though the three Chertanovo neighbourhoods are legally considered separate entities, the streets that run through all of them are the same.

All three neighbourhoods are interconnected by the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya metro line (grey colour) with Chertanovskaya, Yuzhnaya, Prazhskaya, Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya and Annino metro stations located here.

Chertanovo is good for shopping. There are plenty of large grocery shops, for example, including Sedmoy Kontinent on Ulitsa Chertanovskaya and Ulitsa Podolskhikh Kursantov, Kopeika on Ulitsa Krasnogo Mayaka and Pyatyorochka on Sumskoy Proyezd.

Stary Most restaurant in Chertanovo Severnoye is said to have a quiet atmosphere and fine European and Georgian cuisine which is not too pricey: the average meal will cost around 1000-1500 roubles. There is also a cheaper option, Gabal, located in Chertanovo Yuzhnoye on Varshavskoye Shosse. Gabal has VIP dining halls, a smoking area and a summer veranda.

Bittsevsky Ochag in Chertanovo Severnoye is another local restaurant that has a good reputation. It’s situated right off Bittsevsky Park on Balaklavsky Prospekt and serves traditional Russian cuisine and daily chef’s specialties. The prices are, once again, not extreme at all – generally amounting to 1,000 roubles per meal.

Beauty salons Market Vell and Chertanovsky Tsirulnik, both located at Ulitsa Chertanovskaya, are known locally for good service and affordable prices.

Residents also enjoy the Pandzher sports complex and Air Fitness sports club at Sumskoy Proyezd. An annual membership at Air Fitness will set you back 16,000 roubles – a fairly decent deal.

Ashkhabad, Cinema Park and Season Cinema are popular with local movie-goers, while golf lovers should check out Miniros golf club at Varshavskoye Shosse – it has a reputation for great facilities.

Equestrians must visit Bittsa, a unique horse-riding complex at Balaklavsky Prospekt. Among such complexes in Moscow, Bittsa in particular is praised by locals for offering great classes for kids and adults and, famously, special classes for people with disabilities.

Chertanovo is also known for good public healthcare facilities and a vast number of local pharmacies. There are also 31 local public schools and 51 kindergartens.

Buying and renting property

Many Chertanovo residents refer to their home as the centre of the world, because they’re spoiled by good infrastructure – and the property prices are not as bad as in many other areas of Moscow.

According to Anna Levitova, managing partner at Evans Property, Chertanovo is a well-planned area of Moscow, and local real estate makes for a good investment. The average price for a square meter in Chertanovo is 136,000 roubles ($4,500). Evans property offers apartments at Galaktika Residence for 115,000 roubles ($3,750) per sq. metre at busy Ulitsa Chertanovskaya.

Levitova told The Moscow News that people aged 34 and over with average or above average income tend to buy property in Chertanovo.

Rent stands at around 26,000 roubles ($850) for a one-bedroom apartment and about 50,000 roubles ($1,630) for a three-bedroom place.

MIAN property agency offers business-class apartments for rent in Chertanovo for 120,000 rubles ($3, 910) per month. “Our realtors can find a good four-to-five room apartment in the area, if you like,” Vasily Mitko, general director of MIAN, told The Moscow News.

Alexander Ziminsky, director of the elite property department at Penny Lane Realty, said that while his company currently has no apartments for rent in Chertanovo, realtors tend to believe that Chertanovo is a good place to live.

“Chertanovo has good roads – wide and with a good surface,” said Ziminsky when asked about the neighbourhood’s highlights. “And there is even a unique disco-bar which opened there in the summer. It’s specifically designed for the hearing-impaired, and patrons are served by waiters who know sign language.”

The apartment question

Rodion Tarasov is a 24-year-old PR agent who has lived in Severnoye Chertanovo all his life.

Rodion likes his neighbourhood for its infrastructure and great planning – “it’s very comfortable,” he told The Moscow News.

“There are a lot of green zones in the area – from the remainders of various communal farm gardens to Bittsevsky Park, all of which are good for having walks with family members,” he said. “Of course, you shouldn’t wander off into the far-reaching areas.”

Tarasov said that Chertanovo is rich in shopping centres and supermarkets – “there is Metro, Retail-park and Global-city here.”

The area, according to Rodion, has a lot of educational institutions for teaching kids – “tens of schools and kindergartens.”

“There is also a famous Centre of Extracurricular Activities – the former House of Pioneers no. 1,” he pointed out.

Even though Rodion likes Chertanovo, he did mention that the neighbourhood suffers from a lot of traffic jams.

Advising potential new residents, Rodion said that you shouldn’t “believe in Chertanovo gopniks (local criminals) – there are really almost none of them here. Also, do not live next to Varshavskoye Shosse – it’s very polluted. Finally, use public transport – it will quickly get you to work.”

Source: The Moscow News