A lot of interesting things can be told about the area of Moscow called Maryina Roshcha. According to rumors, in the old days there were evil spirits and plague burials were located here, in a word, the place is not good. No wonder it at all times, like a magnet, attracted robbers, bandits and other bad people. And also magic rituals were held here.
Until the 18th century, this area was covered with forest from the Garden Ring itself. After it was cut down in 1743 by Count Sheremetev, the new owner of the village of Maryino, Maryina Roshcha was formed, stretching from Sushchev to Ostankino. Historians still argue about the origin of the name of the village and the grove. Maryina Roshcha gained fame thanks to the sentimental story of Zhukovsky. But even earlier, folk legends arose about the local girl Marya and her lover, the serf lackey Ilya.
Ilya fled from his masters and became the chieftain of a bandit gang. He took Marya to his forest, where he settled with her in a dugout. Over time, she became a famous healer and sorceress. Many people came to see her, but it was believed that it was dangerous to deal with her, since she was the friend of a robber.
According to another version, Marya was not a healer, but a robber atamanshe, her name was Manka Rostokinskaya. Together with her robbers, Manka robbed merchants passing through the grove, so the grove became Maryina …
Even during the time of Catherine II, Maryina Roshcha served as a favorite resting place for Muscovites. On Semik - the third week from Easter - the holiday of mermaids was celebrated here. These days, the girls gathered magical herbs in the grove, carried a birch tree dressed by the bride through the streets and let wreaths into the pond, wondering at the groom. They glorified the patroness of this place - Marya, drank intoxicating drinks, and when leaving, they left offerings on the grass - an Easter egg or a piece of cake.
The place was not chosen for magical actions by chance. Unclean spirits were found in Maryina Roscha. There was a barn where unidentified dead people were brought from all over Moscow. And after the plague epidemic, the first plague cemetery in Moscow arose. Catherine forbade burying the dead from a terrible disease within the city limits, for fear of infection.
It was said that the dead, who died without repentance, could pursue lonely travelers. And the suicidal girls turn into mermaids and play in the pond. Therefore, only noisy companies came here. Although the place was clearly disastrous - after all! - Maryina Roshcha was still popular with young people - after all, it is the evil spirits who patronize fortune telling and other magical rituals.
By the middle of the 19th century, Gypsies, Moscow thieves and bandits found refuge in Maryina Roshcha; “squalid houses” were built here for beggars and vagrants. It is clear that this did not contribute to the reputation of the place. In the 1880s, the Sheremetevs sold their estates, and Maryina Roshcha became a workers' quarter. And it was called the grove more by tradition - the last trees were cut down.
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In the 20-30s of the last century, gangs began to operate in the area again, justifying the bad reputation of this place. The true history of the famous Black Cat gang is connected with Maryina Roshcha. Police Colonel Vladimir Chvanov became the prototype of operative Vladimir Sharapov in the Weiner brothers' novel "The Era of Mercy", which was later used to stage the famous film "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed". He has a very remarkable and even heroic biography. At twenty, he was discharged from the front as a result of a severe injury. Returning home, he immediately entered the service at the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department. The young opera was sent to the most difficult area - to Maryina Roshcha, where thieves' gangs raged. True, the thieves lived "according to concepts." Chvanov quickly realized that in dealing with such a "contingent" certain rules must be observed:the first is to try to see a person even in the most inveterate criminal, the second is to be honest and keep your promises.
Somehow he had to negotiate with the urks. They made an appointment at the cemetery, in a deserted place. They were ordered to come by all means alone and without weapons. They were assured that they themselves would come unarmed. But the urks did not keep their promise. The leader of the gang began the conversation with threats: “When, cop, will you calm down? Have you decided to put the entire Maryina Roshcha behind bars? And he pointed a revolver at Chvanov. The latter did not show that he was frightened, and said: “What a thief-legalist you are if you don't keep your word! I fulfilled the agreement, and you, you lousy mongrel …”After that, the Murovite turned around and went home. The bandit didn't shoot.
Now Maryina Roshcha is an ordinary dormitory area of the capital with "khrushchobs". But the terrible glory has not been forgotten - the place is still considered bad …
Irina Shlionskaya