The main attractions in the vicinity of the Altay Hotel are parks. Only five minutes' walk from the hotel will bring guests into Moscow's Main Botanical Gardens, owned and managed by the Russian Academy of Science. Founded as the Apothecaries' Garden in the 17th century, to provide medicinal herbs for the Russian army and royal family, the modern garden was properly developed after the Second World War, and can boast a huge range of rare and exotic flora in its 360 hectares, including a rose garden with over 2500 varieties.
At the south, the Botanical Gardens border Ostankino Park, which was once the main Moscow estate of the extremely prominent Sheremetev family. An attractive landscape garden, the park's biggest attraction is the beautiful neoclassical Ostankino Palace, made entirely of wood. Built 1792-1798, this remarkable pink-and-white building now houses the Ostankino Museum, which comprises a variety of collections connected both to the Sheremetev family and to the museum of serf art that was established here after the Revolution. To the south of the park is the Ostankino TV Center, with Moscow's famous TV Tower. Standing 540m tall, it was built in 1967, and was the tallest free-standing structure in the world for nearly a decade. The tower is best known to foreigners for the role it played in the failed 1993 coup against Boris Yeltsin.
To the east of Ostankino Park, the VVTs ("All Russian Exhibition Centre") is one of Moscow's most extraordinary visitor attractions. Built between 1935 and 1939 as a showcase for the industrial, technological and scientific might of the Soviet Union, it is a formal park that contains over eighty pavilions – many of which have remarkable architectural designs – as well as fountains and monuments, including Vera Mukhina's renowned Worker and Collective Farm Girl statue (which is currently being restored). The park is still used for exhibitions and events, and is well worth visiting.
At the south, the Botanical Gardens border Ostankino Park, which was once the main Moscow estate of the extremely prominent Sheremetev family. An attractive landscape garden, the park's biggest attraction is the beautiful neoclassical Ostankino Palace, made entirely of wood. Built 1792-1798, this remarkable pink-and-white building now houses the Ostankino Museum, which comprises a variety of collections connected both to the Sheremetev family and to the museum of serf art that was established here after the Revolution. To the south of the park is the Ostankino TV Center, with Moscow's famous TV Tower. Standing 540m tall, it was built in 1967, and was the tallest free-standing structure in the world for nearly a decade. The tower is best known to foreigners for the role it played in the failed 1993 coup against Boris Yeltsin.
To the east of Ostankino Park, the VVTs ("All Russian Exhibition Centre") is one of Moscow's most extraordinary visitor attractions. Built between 1935 and 1939 as a showcase for the industrial, technological and scientific might of the Soviet Union, it is a formal park that contains over eighty pavilions – many of which have remarkable architectural designs – as well as fountains and monuments, including Vera Mukhina's renowned Worker and Collective Farm Girl statue (which is currently being restored). The park is still used for exhibitions and events, and is well worth visiting.
