Forgotten Wonderland. The Secret History of the Soviet Disneyland

Abandoned amusement parks are similar to each other: rusty slides, grassy rides, special energy and frightening silence. I propose to look at some of the darkest amusement parks in the world, in which children's laughter will no longer be heard.

The park in the city of Dadizel was opened in 1950, and closed in 2002 after an accident: a boy lost his arm while riding the Nautic-Jet ride.

This park was very popular but closed in 1999 after several fatalities.

The amusement park dedicated to the film fairy tale "The Wizard of Oz" was opened in 1970. But after a fire in 1975, arranged by former park employees, and even the destruction of valuable themed items (Judy Garland's dress from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz), the park was closed in 1980. There have been attempts to turn the park into a year-round ski resort, but they have not been successful.

The park lasted only 4 years, from 1997 to 2001, largely due to its unfortunate location. The park was built at the foot of Mount Fuji, not far from Aokigahara - the forest of suicides.

The amusement park was supposed to open on May 1, 1986, five days after the accident, but this was not destined to happen.

A park in the hills above the city of Taichung closed after the 1999 921 earthquake that killed more than 2,400 people

The Spree amusement park appeared in East Berlin (former GDR) in 1969. During its heyday, the park received over 1.5 million visitors a year. When the park ceased to generate income, its owner Norbert Witte decided to open a new park, but in Lima, Peru. In 2002, Norbert Witte, his family and several close associates left with six rides in containers for Lima, but customs officers found 167 kg of cocaine in one of the rides, and Witte was convicted of drug smuggling.

The park, located in east New Orleans, was opened in 2000 by Alfa Smartparks under the original name Jazzland. In 2002, it was bought by Six Flags Corporation. Jazzland was inundated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As a result, 80% of the park's buildings and attractions were destroyed or corroded. sea ​​water- no hope of recovery.

Ownership of this park changed hands several times before it closed in 2002. The park was listed on eBay for $1 million (£636,000) in 2002, but no buyer was found. In 2005, a teenager, having received permission from the owner, was driving through the park and stumbled upon a wire stretched between two trees, so much so that he almost was beheaded. After a successful lawsuit, Dogpatch Park passed to this teenager, as the owners were unable to pay compensation.

This park was first opened in 1880 and closed in 2003 after a number of rides were sold to other theme parks. There are rumors that the park will reopen.

Built in 1930, this entertainment complex was incredibly popular in the 70s and 80s of the last century. But by 2003, the complex ceased to generate income and only a nightclub remained from it, which after some time was also closed.

The theme of this park was the story of the Knights of the Round Table. The park opened in 1983 on the site of what used to be England's largest lake, known as Sir Lancelot's Lost Lake. The park was closed in 2009 and only ruins remain.

The amusement park in Blackpool closed in 2009 after a decline in attendance. After the demolition of buildings, they were going to build residential buildings here, but no one realized the plan.

About 30 kilometers northwest of Beijing, among corn fields and houses, the ruins of a fairy-tale castle, conceived as the decoration of Asia's largest amusement park - Wonderland, rise, which was never built. In 1998, a conflict arose between developers and farmers who refused to sell their property.

Opened in 1887, the amusement park, along with the water park, hosted visitors until it closed in 2007. Now the park is empty, but the water park continues to work

In 2018, the Dream Island amusement park is to open in Moscow. On the territory of 100 hectares of the Nagatinskaya floodplain, 10 thematic zones are planned with 40 various entertainments for adults and children.

In its very center, under a giant glass dome, an all-season indoor amusement park will open - the largest in Europe and Asia. Its area is comparable to the size of 25 football fields.

The park is conceived in such a way that its visitors can feel the spirit of not only different regions of our country, but also many parts of the world.

"1/5000 of the territory of the USSR"

The current boys and girls, who are looking forward to the opening of the park, are unaware that the first visitors to the domestic analogue of the famous Disneyland were to be their grandparents.

In the journal "Technology - Youth" No. 8 for 1960, an article "Wonderland" was published signed manager of affairs of the Central Committee of the Komsomol A. Svetlikov.

“In the western part of the suburban area of ​​Moscow,” the author wrote, “opposite the coastal park Fili-Kuntsevo, on a vast area of ​​260 hectares, it is planned to build a children's town. The authors called it "Wonderland". Imagine our great country, reduced to the size of a giant model - 1/5000 of the territory of the USSR -, and you will get an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe future wonderful vacation spot. The park is planned in the form of a relief map of the USSR. The main entrance is supposed to be made from the side of the "Far East".

"District " Sea of ​​Okhotsk“ is reserved for the “underwater kingdom”. On the bathysphere, the guys will be able to sink to the bottom and see with their own eyes the originality of the deep world, - Comrade Svetlikov painted the future beauties, - A large zoo will be located in the Ussuri Territory ... The Spaceship will take them to the depths of space .. Children will not come to the park just visitors, sightseers - they will become real masters there.

Khrushchev vs. Walt Disney

People who are familiar with the realities are well aware that functionaries at the level of the head of the affairs of the Central Committee of the Komsomol did not have the habit of indulging in dreams in the press, if before that they had not been approved at the very top. Meanwhile, the idea of ​​the park is amazing even today.

How did this project come about and why was it not implemented?

In 1959 the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited the United States. Nikita Sergeevich studied American life and advanced technologies with interest, intending to do the same in the USSR on his return, but better. He was also very interested in the Disneyland park, which opened four years earlier. The Soviet leader really wanted to go there, but it did not work out - either for security reasons, or because of the hostility of the FBI secret informant Walt Disney to the communists.

Be that as it may, but upon returning to the Soviet Union, Khrushchev announced that Soviet children should have their own park, which would wipe the nose of the Americans.

"Wonderland" with hotels, marinas and helipads

The Komsomol was assigned to control the implementation. At the beginning of 1960, a group of young architects was assembled at the Institute of the General Plan of Moscow, who were given the task of developing a concept and creating a model of the park by May 1.

The location of the future "Wonderland" was chosen by the floodplain of the Lower Mnevniki, where there was a free and suitable free territory of 350 hectares. It was planned that in the very near future a convenient transport network would be created in this area. The creators of the project even swung at the helipad, with the help of which it was supposed to deliver the guests of the park from Moscow airports. The main disadvantage was that there were no engineering communications in this area, which greatly complicated the future construction and increased its cost.

They argued for a long time about how the park should look like, until a brilliant decision came up - the territory is perfect for “imposing” a map of the USSR on it. Tundra zones, deserts, forests, seashores, attractions, hotels, sports grounds, beaches, marinas - even by Soviet standards, the idea was ambitious.

V set time the layout was presented to the court of Nikita Khrushchev, the head of the country expressed his approval. As another domestic leader used to say, the process has begun ...

Letter to the Central Committee of the CPSU

On June 28, 1960, a letter was sent to the Central Committee of the CPSU signed Secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the CPSU V. Ustinov and Secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol S. Pavlov.

"In order to further improve educational work with children, organizing a reasonable and exciting vacation for them, broadening their horizons, developing curiosity and interests, making children widely acquainted with the achievements of our Motherland in development National economy, Science and Culture The Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League and the Moscow City Committee are asked to consider the construction of a children's park in Moscow under the conditional name "Wonderland" ... area of ​​260 hectares... The territory of the park is planned in the form of a relief map of our Motherland with the most significant industrial, cultural and government centers. One of the significant buildings of the park is a model of Moscow. Here you can see the past, present and future of the capital, streets with new and comfortable houses, modern urban transport: helicopters, electric boats, etc. The attractions and facilities of the park will be created in such a way that children will see the "Wonderland" in an exciting and educational way. “- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

In the park, children will not just be visitors, sightseers, but active participants in everything that happens in Wonderland. The guys will themselves operate “rockets”, “spaceships”, “submarines”, stand up to “blast furnaces” and “martens”, will work in factories and fields ... The daily capacity of the park is expected to be up to 300 thousand people in summer, in winter - up to 200 thousand people ... The construction of the Wonderland children's park could be entrusted to Glavmosstroy, and the functions of the customer could be entrusted to the Capital Construction Department of the Moscow City Executive Committee.

The Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League proposes to declare the construction of the Wonderland children's park an All-Union shock Komsomol construction site.

How the World's Fair interfered with the children's park

Notes about the project appeared in the Soviet press, and then a resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued, which referred to the allocation of funds for the further design and construction of the 1st stage of the park.

The best forces, including famous Soviet science fiction writers Alexander Kazantsev and Ivan Efremov. It seemed that two or three years would pass, and the best park on the planet would open in Moscow...

But at the end of 1960, the examination of the Gosstroy of the USSR was completed. In general, the project was approved, but it was proposed to implement it on the territory of... VDNKh. The fact is that at that time it was planned to move the exhibition to the south-west of Moscow, where the Soviet Union intended to hold the World Exhibition EXPO-1967 on the new territory.

Our country is not lucky with EXPO. Later Yuri Luzhkov, preparing to host the World Exhibition in Moscow, even built a monorail transport system for it. But in Soviet, nor in Russian times, Moscow did not receive the right to host the EXPO.

In the Gosstroy of the USSR, it was believed that the vacated territory of VDNKh with ready-made communications for a children's park was better suited than the undeveloped expanses of Nizhny Mnevniki. The project developers began to prepare new plans taking into account the new territory, but then it turned out that VDNKh was not moving anywhere, since there would be no EXPO exhibition in the USSR.

"Give the kids" Wonderland "

The resignation of Nikita Khrushchev finally “buried” Wonderland. After that, all projects to which Nikita Sergeevich had something to do were promptly closed.

“It is necessary to take a useful initiative: to give the children Wonderland,” Comrade Svetlikov wrote almost sixty years ago.

I would like to believe that the Soviet boys and girls of the 1960s, who have already become grandparents, will nevertheless end up with their own in an amusement park, if not in Wonderland, but on Dream Island.

"Alice. Return to Wonderland is a modern multimedia amusement park. In Wonderland, thanks to colorful projections, fantasies become reality, and beloved characters come to life from the touch and actions of a person. Lewis Carroll's fairy tale was not chosen by chance: it contains funny and crazy adventures, in which park visitors become participants. Moreover, it is magic and miracles that can captivate children of all ages. The large projection space is divided into thematic zones by partitions.

The area of ​​​​space with entertainment is 500 square meters. m.

The multimedia performance takes 40 minutes, during which time visitors to the Alisa. Return to Wonderland ”become the heroes of a fairy tale. Children and adults are waiting for 10 interactive attractions associated with the same story: shrinking, sad rain, flower meadow, crazy tea party, chestnut jam, drawings come to life, candy thresher, Jabberwock scales, magnification and photozone.

The main task is to play and have fun in order to restore colors and save miracles in a fairy-tale land. To do this, park visitors must complete the mission of the quest: go wild and have fun. In interactive game zones, you need to disperse the rain, smash teapots with hedgehogs, run on scale buttons and bring your drawings to life. Is here and creative tasks and mobile games. During the passage of the quest, the guys will develop coordination of movements, imagination, accuracy, reaction speed and general motor skills.

Participants of the performance will see a variety of projections, walls with sensors, huge pencils for drawing on the walls and other attractions created in phygital format. This means a combination of real (physical) and digital (digital). Visitors get inside the cartoon, the plot of which unfolds right on the walls of an amazing space. There are no monitors and glasses in the park, to activate the games you just need to wave your arms, jump and perform simple physical actions. Because large interactive screens installed on the walls react to movements, voices and touches. Amusement park "Alice. Return to Wonderland" is open to everyone from 3 years old and without restrictions.

Prices

The cost of tickets for participating in a multimedia adventure depends on the category of visitors and the day of the week:

• Children— 950 rub. on weekdays and 1,050 rubles. on the weekend. Please note that children under the age of 5 may only be accompanied by an adult.
• adults- 650 rubles. on weekdays and 750 rubles. on weekends.
• students- 600 rubles. on weekdays and 700 rubles. on the weekend.
• family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children - 3,000 rubles. on weekdays and 3,200 rubles. on the weekend.

The right of free admission is granted to children with disabilities, disabled people of group I and veterans of the Great Patriotic War. A 20% discount is received by groups of 10 people, pensioners and large families. When buying a ticket on the website of the amusement park, you can get a 5% discount.

In the multimedia park you can order children's holiday in honor of the birthday. For a program lasting 1 hour, with the participation of 5-15 children, a quest for a fairy tale about Alice and souvenirs for all the children, you will need to pay 25,000 rubles. To order, you must leave a request on the site.

Reviews about the park "Alisa. Return to Wonderland"

Tourists note that children during the passage of the quest are accompanied by a guide, who competently regulates the time for completing tasks and gives the necessary tips. Many are amazed how some projectors and screens with modern technologies able to immerse children in a virtual adventure, with little or no other aids.

Travelers are advised to leave outerwear in the cloakroom on the ground floor. Next to the projection space “Alisa. Return to Wonderland" has several other children's entertainment.

How to get to the amusement park "Alice. Return to Wonderland"

The multimedia children's park is located at: Moscow, Meshchansky district, Teatralny proezd, 5, building 1, floor 4, Rocket Hall. To get to the amusement park "Alice. Return to Wonderland”, you need to go to the gallery of illusions Eyebirint. You can get here by bus:

• No. m3, m5, m8, m9, m10, m27, t25, n1, n2, n3, n6, n11, 38, 101, 122, 144, 158, 904, stop "Metro Lubyanka";
• No. K, m2, stop "Teatralnaya Square";
• No. 38, stop "Kuznetsky Most".

It is also convenient to get to the multimedia park by metro: the Lubyanka station (Sokolnicheskaya line) is located near the entrance to the Central Children's Museum.

To come to the Central Children's Store, you can also order a taxi ride: Yandex services operate in Moscow. Taxi, Uber, Gett, Maxim, Taxi Lucky. For travelers by car, there is paid parking in the store building.

Panoramic view of the entrance to the multimedia amusement park "Alisa. Return to Wonderland" on the 4th floor of the Central Children's House:

Wonderland was opened in 1996 and has since welcomed around 8,000 tourists and Emirati residents daily, making it one of the most popular leisure centers in the UAE. Each visitor here can easily find entertainment according to age and interests.

The amusement park Wonderland in Dubai fully justifies its name, because it has everything for an unforgettable magical vacation. The park is conditionally divided into three thematic zones to make it easier for visitors to navigate and choose entertainment to their liking.

The central street of the Wonderland Theme & Water Park is decorated in the style of a fabulous Caribbean pirate settlement. It starts from the very gate and stretches almost through the entire park. On it you will be met by cheerful animators and magicians, fervent musicians, actors with interesting theatrical scenes and talented artists who can draw your portrait or a funny caricature in a few minutes. Everything around is saturated with creative and cheerful mood! It is possible to relax and have a bite to eat in one of the cafeterias, where pleasant live music plays.

However, for the kids there is another interesting place on Main Street that they will fall in love with right away - this building Family Entertainment Centre. This is a whole complex for the tireless fun of little pranksters, divided into several gaming halls. The first floor is occupied by a cafe with a wide range of delicious dishes and sweets, on the second floor you will find several amusing rides and a hall with video games. Video Games Arcade. And if your baby has a birthday, then by prior arrangement you can rent a banquet hall for celebrations Smarties Birthday Party Room. The organizers will do everything so that the child will remember this joyful day for the rest of his life!

If the parents needed to leave for a short time, then the educators of the children's town Kids Soft Play Area take your child under vigilant supervision. You can forget about worry, because your child will be in the safe hands of qualified professionals who have undergone all the necessary pedagogical training. The organizers of the Wonderland park take a very responsible approach to the selection of personnel, hiring only professionals in their field.

Nearby is another interesting playground for active games. Skill Games Arcade. In this place, various competitions are held among children. Each child is given a chance to show ingenuity and dexterity, and the winners will be rewarded with special coupons that can be exchanged for sweets or toys.

The best end of a walk along the street will be an amazingly beautiful and magical place - mist lake, which means "Lake of Mists". But you can see this magic only in the evening, when water mist show. Don't miss this spectacle, you will not see such a water show anywhere else in Dubai. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the flat surface of a large lake is used as a screen for showing short cartoons or films. Agree, an unusual performance and how is this possible ?!

Theme park

This area of ​​the Wonderland park contains all the best rides and slides that will delight kids and their parents.

space-shot- this is the most extreme place in the entire park. Thrill seekers line up here in a long line for their portion of adrenaline. Outwardly, the attraction looks like a high tower, at the bottom of which there are chairs in a circle. All this seems harmless, but only from the outside. Armchairs are able to rush up the tower, accelerating up to 130 km / h! It seems a little more and you can actually fly into space, but it wasn’t there, you will definitely return to earth safe and sound, the engineers who designed this extreme attraction took care of this.

Go Kart in Wonderland Park is popular with visitors of all ages. The roar of the engine, the track with many turns and the applause of the audience will give you unforgettable emotions - the excitement is overflowing here! This place is most attractive for the representatives of the stronger sex.

Roller coaster or the so-called Roller Coaster (Roller Coaster in some countries) is a must ride for any good amusement park. Sharp descents, unexpected ascents, turns, "dead" loops - cause fear, which is replaced by wild delight. Be sure, having swept once, you will definitely want to come back here again.

Horror House (House of Horrors). You will begin to experience excitement already at the very entrance to the attraction. And do not look at the fact that the staff at the door greets you with a friendly smile. Inside the house you will find a dark labyrinth with the most terrible creatures of all horror films that will be waiting for you around the next turn. It is better for the faint of heart and too impressionable to stand on the sidelines!

For those who have not ventured into speed karting, the park offers a similar, but more relaxed entertainment - Bumper Cars and Bumper Boats. The first is very similar to the attraction found in almost any amusement park - these are small cars that drive around the site, trying to ram each other. Such entertainment is most often chosen by children, but adults are sometimes not averse to "playing pranks" for the company with a child. In Bumper Boats, you will be offered small bright boats as a means of transport. The boundless imagination of the child does its job and now, you are already sailing along the sea coast of an unprecedented island, to meet dangerous adventures.

And the smallest guests of the park will not remain indifferent, for them there is a go-kart in Wonderland Park - Mini Bumper Cars- these are the same bright cars, only much smaller in size. Nearby are no less exciting swings and carousels, again for kids.

Fun rides - pirate ship and Mini Pirate Ship, mentally transport you and your child to open ocean where there is a struggle with seething waves and other natural elements.

Splashland Waterpark

This is the largest zone in the Wonderland park, it occupies almost half of its territory. Here are the best water activities for the whole family, so get ready for a lot of fun and excitement. Water Park Land of Splashes will seem like a paradise island, which will give the long-awaited coolness and freshness, save you from the unbearable scorching heat of the Emirates.

Your attention is given to nine of the best water slides that will not let you get bored for a second. Friendly and welcoming staff complement the overall positive atmosphere, helping to navigate among the colorful rides.

The park has three pools designed for different types of recreation, so that everyone can choose the right one for themselves.

Adult Activity Pool- designed for adults and has a sufficiently large depth.

Children Activity Pool- for small children, the so-called "paddling pool".

Sport Pool Designed for lovers of active water sports.

And of course, you can not ignore - Surf Hill, a pool with a powerful stream of water, in which beginner surfers can hone their skiing skills.

After active entertainment, many tourists prefer to relax and unwind under the sun. You can do this not on ordinary sunbeds near the pool, but also on inflatable rafts along the Lazy River. It is shaped like a "ring", so your serenity can last as long as you want.

No less popular and entertaining attractions: children slide, Shoot The Rapid, Twister. As well as unforgettable boat rides, various water performances, competitions and fireworks shows - all this is created for your good rest.

Restaurants and cafes

During outdoor activities and walks, a lot of energy is spent, which can be replenished with the help of delicious food in the park itself. Finding a place to grab a bite to eat is not difficult, as there are four great fast food restaurants in different parts of the park. Three of them look like regular fast food, the fourth The Palm Terrace offers its guests not only sandwiches and soft drinks, but also delicious pizza with different toppings. And what a scent it is!

Also, the Wonderland amusement park offers to visit cozy cafeterias, where you can taste unsurpassed pastries and cakes, washed down with mint tea. Perhaps this is the best offer on such a hot and sultry day. Children can indulge in ice cream or cotton candy sold outside in tents.

Wonderland Ticket Price in Dubai

the price is in AED (Theme Park, Splashland Water Park, Theme Park + Splashlan Water Park)

From 5 years and older 125, 125, 150;

2 to 4 years 60, 60, 75;

Up to 2 years free.

See current prices at website http://www.wonderlanduae.com/index.php/rates

Location of wonderland amusement park

One of the famous Wonderland amusement parks is located near Creek Park and the Garhood Bridge.

How to get to Wonderland in Dubai?

You can get to the park by city bus number 22, 42, C7, you need to get off at the Creek Park Main Gate or Mayo Clinic stop. If you are afraid of getting lost, then the best transport for you will be a taxi that will comfortably take you right to the entrance.

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The USSR had plans to build its own Disneyland. They planned to call the park "Wonderland". His project was written in the journal "Technology-Youth" 1960 No. 8. First, an article from this magazine will be given with a description of the future park. And below is the story of one of the designers of the park, why it never happened to be built...

From the magazine: "... in the western part of the suburban area of ​​Moscow, opposite the coastal park Fili-Kuntsevo, on a huge area of ​​​​260 hectares, you are planning to build a whole children's town. The authors called it "Wonderland".

Imagine our great country, reduced to the size of a giant model - the territory of the USSR - and you will get an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe future wonderful vacation spot. The park is planned in the form of a relief map Soviet Union. The main entrance is supposed to be made from the side of the "Far East»."

How the Soviet Disneyland was not built

"Valentin Ivanov

"Wonderland"

In recent months, in connection with the adoption by the Government of Moscow of a program for the restoration and reconstruction of Moscow parks, talk has resumed about the desirability of creating an amusement park in the capital, similar to the American Disneyland. Unfortunately, a number of publications in the Moscow press contain unreliable information about the history of the emergence and development of this topic. The editors turned to one of the oldest urban planners and landscape architects of Moscow, Valentin Ivanovich Ivanov, with a request to tell about the fate of the first project of the "Moscow Disneyland" - the children's park "Wonderland". From 1960 to the beginning of the 2000s, Valentin Ivanovich, working at the NIiPI of the General Plan of Moscow and the Moscow Architecture Committee, took Active participation in the development of most of the project proposals for such a park.

The history of the creation of a large amusement park in Moscow dates back to the autumn of 1959, when N.S. Khrushchev visited the United States for the first time. During his stay in Los Angeles, he expressed a desire to visit the Walt Disney Park, which opened in 1955, which every year became more and more popular all over the world. Khrushchev never got to Disneyland for security reasons, but when he returned home, he noted that it would be nice to build a similar children's park in Moscow. The idea was picked up by the leaders of the Central Committee of the Komsomol - the first secretary S.P. Pavlov and business manager A.A. Svetlikov. The Institute of the General Plan of Moscow was entrusted to develop a corresponding project proposal.

For almost the entire first half of 1960, we, the then young architects Galina Mekhanoshina, Anatoly Savin and I, under the guidance of the most experienced urban planner and landscape architect Vitaly Ivanovich Dolganov, worked on this task. The deadline was set for May 1st. They worked with great enthusiasm and interest, seven days a week, almost around the clock.

At the suggestion of V.I. Dolganov, the Nizhniye Mnevniki floodplain was chosen to create the park - an island formed as a result of straightening the channel of the Moskva River during the construction of the Karamyshevsky hydroelectric complex. The floodplain was a flat territory with an area of ​​about 350 hectares, free from capital development, with single green plantings and several small reservoirs. On the south side, it was clearly visible from the high bank of Filevsky Park, in the north, across the riverbed, it was adjacent to the Krylatskaya floodplain and the territory of the future Rowing Canal, the layout of which had already been developed in the 3rd workshop of our institute under the guidance of architect P.V. Pomazanova. Together, all these territories formed the so-called North-Western recreation area, now the Moskvoretsky natural park.

The prospects for transport accessibility of the park were quite favorable. From the south, the Filevsky subway radius was already extended, from the ground stations of which it was possible to organize cable cars or ferry crossings across the Moscow River to the park. From the north, the Tagansko-Krasnopresnensky radius was designed, from the nearest stations of which the projected 5th transport ring brought motor vehicles to the main entrance to the park. From the west, from the Rublevsky highway, a ramp was planned to the floodplain and a bridge across the river leading directly to the park. In summer, the park could be reached by river trams. It also provided for the possibility of transporting visitors from airports near Moscow using helicopters; for this purpose, it was planned to organize several landing sites in the park. But all types of engineering communications had to be built from scratch: there was no engineering support in the floodplain.

After considering numerous planning options and heated debates, we settled on the most “frontal” and seemingly simple proposal: to base the general plan of the park on a map of our country with all the seas and oceans washing it, deserts and mountains. The "map" was ideally placed on the island, even almost exactly located on the cardinal points. Along the perimeter of the park, along the banks of the Moskva River, we placed a visitor service area: the main and additional entrances to the park, piers, beaches, sports grounds, catering points, etc.

As a result, by the end of April, a huge model of the park appeared on a scale of 1: 1000 with numerous facilities, attractions, playgrounds, hotels, sports pavilions and many other undertakings, with picturesque relief, open spaces, "gardens and groves" of twisted colored wire, made model-makers of the Cartolithography factory, given to us to help by the leadership of the APU of Moscow. The entire staff of the institute closely followed our activities, heads, chief architects and chief executive officers of workshops and departments often came to see us at the model, which was changing every day.

The work was completed within the stipulated time. The leaders of the Komsomol, the chief architect of Moscow I.I. Loveiko and we, the authors, had to submit the project of the park, called "Wonderland", for consideration at the very high level. How I regret now that I did not keep any records at that time! Therefore, I will try to reproduce from memory those few exciting days that we spent in N.S. Khrushchev, awaiting consideration of our work.

We were ordered to bring a model, consisting of three parts, each about 120 x 300 cm, to the Kremlin. The layout was placed in the reception Secretary General Central Committee of the CPSU, and we began to wait for the arrival of Khrushchev. From time to time it was heard: “Coming! It's coming!" However, each time the appearance of the “first” was postponed: here the Japanese ambassador “crossed the road” to us, then a group of generals, some ministers, etc.

Sometimes Nikita Sergeevich himself passed through the reception, stopped at the model and said: “Wait, wait, I will find time to get acquainted with your proposals in detail.” And we are waiting, waiting for the day, the second, the third ... On the evening of May 8, Khrushchev comes out and says: “Please excuse me: they are waiting for me at the rally dedicated to Victory Day at the Sports Palace in Luzhniki ... Come after the holiday.”

On May 10, we were again in the Kremlin and the long-awaited conversation took place. Initially, I.I. spoke about our proposals. Loveiko. He briefly outlined the essence of the project, spoke about the planning structure, the main functional areas of the park and attractions.

The questions that Nikita Sergeevich asked were discussed many times during the work on the project. At times it seemed that Khrushchev was working with us, so accurate and well-aimed were his remarks and considerations. He was interested in everything: what kind of transport and how long it would take to get to the park from the city center, who would meet visitors, what scientific achievements will be reflected in the rides, at exhibitions and in the game pavilions, what will be the individuality of our park, its difference from Disneyland, what national traditions recreational activities are taken into account in the project, and much, much more.

The news of the approval of our project proposals preceded our return to the institute. A large banner was hung in the lobby with the words: Congratulations to Workshop No. 4 on the approval of the Wonderland Park project! A day later, almost all newspapers published notes about our project. And soon a resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR appeared, which spoke of the allocation of 800 million rubles for the further design and construction of the 1st stage of the park, and also contained a number of instructions to the Central Committee of the Komsomol and the USSR Gosstroy.

We "flyed on the wings of fortune." Still, a special group was created under the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, which included artists, directors, science fiction writers, journalists, and where they included us, architects, for a more detailed development of the scenario and maintenance of the park. What names, what interesting people were part of this group! Science fiction writers Ivan Efremov and Alexander Kazantsev, Vasily Zakharchenko, editor of the most popular youth magazine in those years, Technique for Youth, and other celebrities. The well-known director Iosif Tumanov was assigned to head it, and he attracted the chief artist of the Central Children's Theater Boris Knoblok, with whom we worked on the art program of the VI World Festival of Youth and Students in 1957, to work. What a pleasure it was to be in the same company with them, not to mention the hopes for the upcoming long collaboration!

The director's group met twice. The masters delighted us with their unbridled imagination, we listened to a lot of interesting advice. Some were skeptical about the possibility of realizing such a grand undertaking, but we young people believed in luck.

In early August, Moskovsky Komsomolets devoted a long article to our project under the heading "Mickey Mouse in Wonderland", the authors of which, V. Krivosheev and A. Flerovsky, described in detail all our ideas, accompanying the material with photographs of the layout and drawings by the artist V. Zharinov .

The magazine Tekhnika-Youth is not far behind Moskovsky Komsomolets: in the same month, an article by A.A. Svetlikov "Wonderland", in which our proposals are presented in detail. One of the authors of the project, A. Savin, accompanies the article with a bird's-eye view of the park, which clearly shows the layout, main functional areas and various attractions of the park.

Young Victoria Tokareva interviews us and publishes quite detailed information about our project in the December issue of Yunost magazine, illustrated with a photograph of the central part of the Wonderland layout.

Good assessment of the project, assistance from the government, attention of the public, our colleagues and the press allowed us to hope for its early implementation. At that time, we did not yet know how many architectural projects were “in the basket”, and I did not even suspect that I would have to develop this topic more than once, which had become an unfulfilled dream of my “architectural childhood”.

In the fall of 1960, the Komsomol Central Committee was preparing to send a large group of young scientists, workers, collective farmers, athletes, and representatives of other professions to the United States. Galina Mekhanoshina and I were included in its composition. A special program was drawn up for us: we had to study the layout, architecture, arrangement of attractions at Disneyland. But we rejoiced prematurely - on the day of departure we were told the "most unpleasant news": the US Embassy did not issue visas to our group, so the trip would not take place.

The next day, a TASS message appeared in all the central newspapers: the State Department refused visas to a group of Soviet youth. The "Iron Curtain" has been lowered from the American side, and not from the Soviet side, as our enemies have always claimed. In fact, as it turned out later, the leaders of the trip handed over the documents to the US Embassy a day later than the deadline and, accordingly, the embassy issued visas also one day later. However, at that time it was beneficial for our government to once again emphasize the hostile attitude of the States towards the USSR, and it seized the opportunity. So we didn't see Disneyland then...

For almost the entire 1960 year, our design proposals for the Wonderland park were considered by the USSR State Construction Committee, headed by First Deputy Chairman N.V. Baranov. Several times we met with him and with Gosstroy experts, talked in detail about our proposals, answered numerous questions, supplemented and refined the technical and economic calculations. In the final conclusion of the examination, which generally supported the idea of ​​​​creating a children's park in Moscow in the likeness of the American Disneyland, it was recommended that the already developed territory of VDNH be used for this purpose after the latter was transferred to the south-west of Moscow, to the site where the World EXPO was to be held -1967 (as a result, the exhibition was held in Canada, in Montreal).

A. Savin and I under the guidance of V.I. Dolganov had to work at the end of 1960 and in the first half of 1961, already in the model workshop of the Construction Exhibition on Frunzenskaya Embankment, on two new versions of the park project on the territory of VDNKh. All three of our models stood for about two years in the building of the Komsomol Central Committee next to the orders and banners of the Komsomol. However, interest in this venture gradually faded. And after the resignation of N.S. Khrushchev and the Gosstroy of the USSR, and the Central Committee of the Komsomol, and the Moscow City Executive Committee hastened to forget about all his ideas.

Later we tried to transfer these rather interesting layouts to the Museum of Architecture. But according to the regime requirements that existed at that time, it was not allowed to demonstrate objects with an area of ​​​​more than 200 hectares in open expositions, and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bour park with adjacent territories was more than 500 hectares. As a result, the layouts were destroyed. I have only photographs of the first version of the layout - for the floodplain of Nizhny Mnevniki - and two versions of the general plan of the park on the territory of VDNKh. I still keep them and repeatedly showed them to the young architects of the General Plan Institute, when in 1970-1990 we had to develop new versions of the country's main children's park. But that, as they say, is another story…”