The Nagatinsky Zaton district in the south of Moscow served as a royal dacha well into the 18th century.

In 1960, long after the time of tsars had passed by, the five villages in the area – Nagatino, Kolomenskoye, Diyakovo, Sadovaya Sloboda and Novinki – were officially added to the city of Moscow.

Today, Nagatinsky Zaton is one of the most picturesque districts in Moscow – this is where the popular Kolomenskoye nature reserve is located. When the weather is good, visitors stroll through the park to reach a beautiful embankment on the Moskva River, where scenic boat rides are available.

Infrastructure

Nagatinsky Zaton residents say they are happy with the district’s infrastructure, pointing out that there are plenty of food and shopping options.

The Belaya Noch restaurant on Klenovy Boulevard, serving everything from Azerbaijani to Russian cuisine, comes highly recommended by locals. Kofevar Kapuchinoff is a good place to have coffee in the neighbourhood, and it’s conveniently situated next to the entrance to Kolomenskoye national park.

Meanwhile, the Perekryostok chain store on Kolomenskaya Ulitsa, residents say, offers affordable grocery shopping and is within a short drive from any point in the district. The district’s recently renovated cinema, Orbita, is located at Prospekt Andropova. Residents also recommend the swimming pool at the Water Transport Academy on Sudostroitelnaya Ulitsa.

Besides the academy, the Moscow Institute of Law is the other institution of higher learning located in Nagatinsky Zaton. Some 11 schools and 15 kindergartens in Nagatinsky Zaton provide educational services to the youngest residents of the district.

Nagatinsky Zaton does suffer from a lack of good hospitals. There is just one polyclinic for adults – located on Zatonnaya Ulitsa, and not rated very highly by residents who have posted feedback about it online.

Public transport options in Nagatinsky Zaton include the Kolomenskaya metro station and a number of tram lines, along with buses and trolleys. The Kashirskoye shosse and Varshavskyoe shosse link up with the district, making it easier for residents to commute – though rush-hour traffic is often a problem.

Real estate prices

Moving to Nagatinsky Zaton is a good idea, experts say. “This is a district with a great future: a new metro station will be built there in and roads will get reconstructed,” Anna Levitova, executive partner at Evans Property, told The Moscow News.

The average price for a square metre in Nagatinsky Zaton is 137,000 roubles ($4,485) in a typical khrushchyovka, according to Levitova.

Alexander Ziminsky, director of the elite property department at Penny Lane Realty, said that price for a square metre in a new paneled condo building range from 115, 000 to 125,000 roubles ($3,765 – $4092), while a flat in a business class apartment building will cost up to 170,000 ($5,565) per square metre.

“It is a quiet, green area on the banks of the Moskva River, with excellent specific characteristics,” Vadim Lamin, head of the elite rental department at Penny Lane, summed up Nagatinsky Zaton.

Apartment question

Anna Gerasimova, 37trains chefs for a living and has lived in the Nagatinsky Zaton district for 25 years.

“I moved here with my parents, and now my family and I bought a place of our own. I wouldn’t ever move away from here,” she told The Moscow News.

Anna said that the area’s shopping infrastructure is “pretty good. We have small grocery shops and pharmacies on my street – Yakornaya. There is also a Kopeika chain store nearby.”

She pointed out that the worst problem in the district has to do the hospitals – “there are just a couple of polyclinics for kids, for example, and all are too busy and provide fairly bad service,” she said.

For eating out, Anna recommends a pizza place called Pronto on Ulitsa Novinki. “They have a good menu and it’s affordable,” she said.

“There is the Kolomenskoye nature reserve, which overrides the flaws of the district – so I recommend that people come to live here,” she said.

Anna added that Nagatinsky Zaton can become your home for an entire lifetime – “like it turned out for me”.

Source: The Moscow News