Pokrovka Street 20/1, Bld 1  

55.758193, 37.647403 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Entrance door of one of the cafes from the side of the boulevard. Posters on the door
How many times is "English menu" mentioned on the posters?
3

Историческая справка

On the other side of the road, there is an infamous place which is called "Yama".

"Yama" (Pit) is a popular nickname for the amphitheatre in Khokhlovskaya Square.

The amphitheatre was built by the French architect Irene Djao-Rakitine and the architectural firm "Strelka KB" under "My Street" programme in 2017. In the early 2000s, an underground car park was planned for this spot, but the works were stopped in 2007 after the discovery of a section of the 16th century White City fortress wall that marked the border of Medieval Moscow. The abandoned construction quarry had long been an obstacle for pedestrians walking along the Boulevard Ring.

The architects set themselves a task of using the already existing construction pit as a potential for building an amphitheatre that was supposed to activate the cultural life of the area and draw people's attention to a historical sight.

In a short period of time, the square has become a place of attraction for the locals, tourists and especially for young people. It has turned into a venue for spontaneous exhibitions, lectures, fruit swaps. The nickname "Yama" appeared in summer 2018 when a group of six friends decided to create a unique Instagram account for the place (@yamamoscow). Now the account has over 19 thousand followers.

Despite that, the place has a bad reputation with the locals. A lot of people come here to have a drink and in summer they usually stay in Yama till the dawn. The local residents often complain about crowds of teenagers and persistent noise at night.

Since June 2019, Yama has become the epicentre of the conflict between its regular visitors and activists of the "Lev Protiv" ("Lion Against") movement that are regularly patrolling this area with the help of the police forces, demanding from people to stop drinking alcoholic beverages. Often these demands turn into fights and arrests. Nowadays, this place is guarded by police units virtually around-the-clock.

Nevertheless, Khokhlovskaya Square still remains a "place of power" for hundreds of young people. And the nickname "Yama" has become so popular that even the new amphitheatre near the Polytechnic Museum is now called "Yama 2.0".

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Статистика взятия: 41/73 (56%).

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  • Лев & Единорог: 41/73 (56%)