Central Scherbakov Park of Culture and Leisure
Coordinates: 47°59′42″N 37°47′28″E / 47.99500°N 37.79111°E
Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after Shcherbakov is a recreation park in Donetsk. It is located in Voroshylovskyi Raion, in the west it matches with stadium Shakhtar, and in the north there is the Second city pond.
Park was open in 1932. There are rides, playgrounds, alleys for hiking and other recreational facilities available for visitors. The park is named after Alexander Sergeevich Shcherbakov, who was the Secretary of the Donetsk Oblast Party Committee in 1938. However, the original name was different – at first the park was named after Pavel Petrovich Postyshev, but the park was renamed after the last had been arrested.
The park is located in Skoromoshnaya gully, which was the meeting place for workers of Yuzovsky metallurgical plant and the nearby coal mines in the 19th century. A travelling circus stayed here and mass celebrations were held. In 1891 the river was blocked by a dam, resulting in a first city pond that provided the steel works with water. In 1931 they decided to create a park, and in September 1932 10 000 Komsomol members and the city pioneers started work on park creation. 120 hectares of the open steppe land area near river Bakhmutka (First city pond) in the Skomoroshnaya gully was allocated for the park. In 1933 the alleys were established lined with chestnut trees, lime trees and poplars. On opening day about sixty thousand people visited the park. Amusement rides started functioning in 1934. Later, the area of the park was increased to 200 hectares, yet reduced to 96 hectares by 2000. At the initial planning except the Central Park there were separate functional zones: a Central Beach park, Amusement park, Regional Park "Medium Ponds", landscape park "Urban forest" and the "Upper" landscape park. The park is located along the coastline of connected ponds, and landscape compositions, most open to the water area direction. In the center the terraces are situated, the lowest of which is the parterre, which is the basis of the composition. The stadium Shakhtar is built on the upper terrace in 1936 (designed by architects Georgy Nawrocki and S. Severin). In 1932 the park held an agricultural exhibition, for which pavilions were built. Before 2008 entrance to the park from Stadionnaya street looked like a group of columns with cornices; in 2008 it was decorated with ornate metal gates and became a major entrance. In the postwar period in the park there were about a hundred names of tree and shrub species, and the 1955 edition "Donbass Parks" referred to Shcherbakov park as to one of the best parks in Donbas. On November 15, 2008 Donetsk journalists established "Alley of Journalists". In 2006 reconstruction of the large park started, "Donetskproekt" fulfilled the pre-design for improvement of the waterfront in the park. During the reconstruction the pond embankment was reinforced and purged. In 2008 forged pavilion was established in the park and rosary with variety of roses was made.
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