Rublyovka

Rublevka or Rublyovka (Russian: Рублёвка) is the unofficial name of a prestigious residential area in the western suburbs of Moscow, Russia, located along Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway, Podushkinskoe, 1st Uspenskoe and 2nd Uspenskoe highways. The name derives from the name of the highway: Rublyovskoye shosse. There is no official administrative unit called "Rublyovka", but this name has become popular in society and in mass media. The area features good ecology and rather clear air (in comparison to Moscow and the rest of its suburbs).

Many Russian government officials and successful businesspeople reside in the gated communities^[1] of Rublevka. Real-estate prices there are among the highest in the world.^[2][3]

History

Rublyovskoe Highway has been a place for the privileged ever since it was the Tsars road’ in the 16th century: for the entire Romanov dynasty. Russian rulers Mikhail Fyodorovich, Aleksey Mikhaylovich, Peter the Great and Catherine the Great made pilgrimages to the Savino-Storozhevsky Monastery by this road. Also this picturesque area was always the favorite place for the royal falcon hunting. Here, near the sovereigns, the Russian nobility also made their homes, particularly the Princes Yusupov, Shuvalov and Golitsyn. The times changed, but the nobility continued to live at Rublyovka.

This is where the dachas of Lenin, Stalin were located, as well as the summer residences of all the subsequent general secretaries, from Nikita Khrushchev to Mikhail Gorbachev. Their sidekicks also settled here (Anastas Mikoyan, Felix Dzerzhinsky, Nikolai Yezhov) – side-by-side with famous scientists, artists and writers (Mstislav Rostropovich, Andrei Sakharov, Dmitry Shostakovich), and foreign diplomats. And they all lived on a small stretch of highway that is only 35 kilometers long. During the Soviet period, General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev may have gone for a walk and encountered Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who was being hunted by the KGB and hiding out at Mstislav Rostropovich's dacha. "Now President Vladimir Putin should he wish to venture beyond the wall of his residence and take a walk in the park, could well bump into the wife of Khodorkovsky, the mutinous oligarch that he has left to rot in jail".^[4]

In the mid-1990s, Rublyovka, which borders on the pristine and well-forested bank of the Moscow River was swiftly privatized by stars of show-business, the demi monde, officials and industrial magnates, and turned into a kind of a ‘millionaires’ ghetto’, or a Russian Beverly Hills, "where it is outrageous not to be good-looking". Here you can find the most expensive market in the world, and the most expensive sports club, as well as the most exclusive boutiques and the highest fences, with an army of thousands of security guards".^[4]

Multi-story super-elite structures keep popping up around Rublyovka – this is where the new elite buy apartments for their parents, employees and guests.^[5][6] Alongside the ‘new Russians’ – and increasingly, social climbers from the state apparatus, reluctant to put their new wealth on show – there still live the classic Soviet intelligentsia, people who quite seriously believe that there is nothing more interesting in the world than reading books. Ironically, they also count as millionaires, because real estate prices here – depending on how far the land is from Putin’s and Medvedev’s residences – fluctuate between $40,000 and $200,000 per 100 square meters, and increase by 30-50% every year. A vacant piece of land can fetch record prices – a phenomenon comparable only to central Manhattan.

Geography and amenities

The district is 40 minutes to Moscow via a two-lane paved road; however, the road is sometimes closed due to travels by Vladimir Putin and other important Russian officials. There is a high-end shopping mall, Barvikha Luxury Village, where such brands as Prada, Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana are offered.^[7] The mall includes Bentley and Ferrari/Maserati dealerships. There is also a wedding palace and a concert hall. Gated communities include Tagankovo.^[1]

References

See also

• Barvikha
• Homes of the Russian "elite" in Rubliovkam Blog Tolkovatelia (in Russian)
• Insider unmasks rich Russians, BBC (in English)

Coordinates: 55°45′35″N 37°20′45″E / 55.75972°N 37.34583°E / 55.75972; 37.34583