Moscowcultural revolution

Don’t be put off by the 1981 Martin Cruz Smith mystery novel of the same name, in which a triple homicide occurs in this famous amusement park. Opened in 1928 and named after writer Maxim Gorky, the 300-acre Gorky Park is a favorite weekend destination of Muscovites, who grew up braving its dizzying rollercoasters as kids. Well, a lot has changed since those days. Thanks to a recent revamp funded by a $2 billion investment, some of the older fairground rides have been removed to make way for public art, food stalls and a massive ice-rink. The eco-friendly changes are being made with input from the forward-thinking Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design, which is reason enough to have a look.