travel afa 2013

The American Finance Association

Publishers of the Journal of Finance

Annual Meeting 2025

The 2025 AFA Annual Meeting will be held January 3-5, 2025 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) in San Francisco, CA.

On this page you will find information on the following:

General Paper Submission Information for the Regular Program

Faqs for afa annual meeting paper submissions, afa phd student poster session information.

The AFA paper submission site is now closed. The deadline to submit a paper was 3:00pm EST on Friday, March 15.

Papers are now submitted through the AFA website. While there is no paper submission fee, please note that (1) the submitting author must be an AFA member for the paper to be considered and (2) each individual may only submit one paper (although they can be a coauthor on other submitted papers).

NOTE:  You will need to log in to the AFA Membership website in order to submit a paper. Therefore,  please complete the following well in advance of the submission deadline:

  • Log in to the  AFA website .   Sign in at the top right.
  • Confirm your AFA membership status.   After logging in to the  AFA website , navigate to My Profile. Your membership type will be listed directly below your name. NOTE: If your membership indicates “Worldwide Directory of Finance Faculty” or has an expiration date of “NA”, you might not have an active AFA membership but are part of the Finance Faculty database. Please purchase a regular AFA membership or contact the Membership Services team for assistance.
  • Students membership are available for a lower fee, but these memberships can take up to 24 hours to become active. If you plan to register as a student member of the AFA, please be sure to register at least one business day prior to submission of your paper.
  • Update your AFA profile.  Please review and complete your AFA profile at this time.

Please contact the  Membership Services team if you have any problems accessing your membership or profile information. If you have problems or questions related to paper submissions, please contact  Annette Clark  for assistance.

The AFA Annual Meeting paper submission process is entirely separate from the Journal of Finance paper submission process.

Please include the name and email for each author on the paper that is submitted. 

Please follow Title Case guidelines for capitalization of your paper title.

All papers must be accompanied by an abstract of at least 200 words, but no more than 1,000 words.

All papers must be submitted as PDF files.

Complete papers will be given preference, but extended abstracts of several pages may also be submitted.

Submitted papers should not have been accepted for publication.

The author submitting the paper to the Annual Meeting must be a member of the American Finance Association for the paper to be considered.

Each individual may only submit one paper (although they can be a co-author on other submitted papers). To enable wider participation, please submit only one paper and do not submit the same paper to other associations that meet at the same time as the AFA/ASSA.

NOTE: Papers may only be presented once during the ASSA meetings – authors of papers accepted for presentation by more than one association will need to select one session in which to present their paper and withdraw the paper from other sessions.

Submissions for the AFA PhD Student Poster Session will open in mid-June . Poster submissions are invited on all topics in finance and may describe research projects, results of work in progress, presentation of data, or recently completed work.

  • Students may re-submit work that was not accepted into a regular session for consideration for the AFA PhD Student Poster Session.
  • Students with a paper on the regular program should resubmit that for the AFA PhD Student Poster Session and also notify [email protected] in order to be considered for a Travel Grant.
  • Travel Grants will be provided to PhD students with a paper in the AFA PhD Student Poster Session.
  • The PhD Student/submitter must be a member of the AFA (discounted memberships are available for PhD Students).

Last revised: March 17, 2024

AFAR

14 Must-Read Books Before Your Next Trip to Italy

Posted: December 20, 2023 | Last updated: December 20, 2023

<p>A selection of titles to tide you over until your next Italian trip</p><p>Photo by Catarina Belova/Shutterstock</p><p><a class="Link" href="https://www.afar.com/travel-guides/italy/guide" rel="noopener">Italy</a> and its wonders have been the stuff of legend since before the poet Virgil wrote the <i>Aeneid </i>more than 2,000 years ago<i>.</i> Although we suspect you don’t need much additional inspiration to get you dreaming of everyone’s favorite boot-shaped country, here are 14 books, including a few classics, just in case. </p>

A selection of titles to tide you over until your next Italian trip

Photo by Catarina Belova/Shutterstock

Italy and its wonders have been the stuff of legend since before the poet Virgil wrote the Aeneid more than 2,000 years ago . Although we suspect you don’t need much additional inspiration to get you dreaming of everyone’s favorite boot-shaped country, here are 14 books, including a few classics, just in case.

<p><a class="Link" href="https://www.afar.com/travel-guides/italy/guide" rel="noopener">Italy</a> and its wonders have been the stuff of legend since before the poet Virgil wrote the <i>Aeneid </i>more than 2,000 years ago<i>.</i> Although we suspect you don’t need much additional inspiration to get you dreaming of everyone’s favorite boot-shaped country, here are 14 books, including a few classics, just in case. </p> <h2>“Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails From Milan to Palermo” by Tim Parks (2013)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/italian-ways-on-and-off-the-rails-from-milan-to-palermo-tim-parks/11174571?ean=9780393348828" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>Parks, a British novelist, has long lived in and written about Italy. In this travelogue by train, he makes pungent and entertaining observations from the perspective of someone who is not a native but loves his adopted home. It is partly a casual guide to using the Trenitalia national rail system, part personal memoir of a keen observer.</p>

“Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails From Milan to Palermo” by Tim Parks (2013)

  • Buy now : bookshop.org

Parks, a British novelist, has long lived in and written about Italy. In this travelogue by train, he makes pungent and entertaining observations from the perspective of someone who is not a native but loves his adopted home. It is partly a casual guide to using the Trenitalia national rail system, part personal memoir of a keen observer.

<h2>“Tuscany: Simple Meals & Fabulous Feasts From Italy” by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi (2018)</h2> <ul>   <li> <b>Buy now:</b> <a class="Link" href="https://amzn.to/485Vd6Z" rel="noopener">amazon.com</a></li>  </ul> <p>Married couple Giancarlo (an Italian restaurateur) and Katie Caldesi (a British artist) bring Tuscan cooking to life in this collaboration. Master the fundamentals, like how to make a great <i>soffritto</i> or tomato sauce, or get more complex by attempting your own filled ravioli. The colorful pages and tasty recipes, culled from the pair’s years of expertise honed in their own restaurants and cooking schools, are as enticing as a panna cotta on a summer day in Pisa.</p> <h2>“Beautiful Ruins” by Jess Walter (2012)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/beautiful-ruins-jess-walter/9038753?ean=9780061928178" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>This novel is set in a fictional town—Porto Vergogna—near the famed Cinque Terre, in the early 1960s. Porto Vergogna hopes to expand the Cinque Terre from five to six; alas, it only has proximity going for it. Walters is a novelist always worth reading, but this is his only novel set in Italy. OK, partly set in Italy. It jumps back and forth in time and place with “recent” Los Angeles and a few other places. However, once you encounter the aspirational Hotel Adequate View and its Italian owner in the first chapter, you will want to read it all. </p>

“Tuscany: Simple Meals & Fabulous Feasts From Italy” by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi (2018)

“tuscany: simple meals & fabulous feasts from italy” by katie & giancarlo caldesi (2018).

  • Buy now: amazon.com

Married couple Giancarlo (an Italian restaurateur) and Katie Caldesi (a British artist) bring Tuscan cooking to life in this collaboration. Master the fundamentals, like how to make a great soffritto or tomato sauce, or get more complex by attempting your own filled ravioli. The colorful pages and tasty recipes, culled from the pair’s years of expertise honed in their own restaurants and cooking schools, are as enticing as a panna cotta on a summer day in Pisa.

“Beautiful Ruins” by Jess Walter (2012)

This novel is set in a fictional town—Porto Vergogna—near the famed Cinque Terre, in the early 1960s. Porto Vergogna hopes to expand the Cinque Terre from five to six; alas, it only has proximity going for it. Walters is a novelist always worth reading, but this is his only novel set in Italy. OK, partly set in Italy. It jumps back and forth in time and place with “recent” Los Angeles and a few other places. However, once you encounter the aspirational Hotel Adequate View and its Italian owner in the first chapter, you will want to read it all.

<h2>“The Eight Mountains” by Paolo Cognetti (2017)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-eight-mountains-paolo-cognetti/6772929?ean=9781501169892" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>The 2017 winner of Italy’s esteemed Strega Prize for fiction gets an English translation here. The first-person novel revolves around Pietro, a boy from <a class="Link" href="https://www.afar.com/travel-guides/italy/milan/guide" rel="noopener">Milan</a>, and the friendship he develops with Bruno, a boy whom he meets while trekking in the Dolomites with his family. But it’s also a coming-of-age narrative that grapples with Pietro’s relationship with his father and the mountains they both love.</p> <h2>“Renaissance Woman: The Life of Vittoria Colonna” by Ramie Targoff (2018)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/renaissance-woman-the-life-of-vittoria-colonna/18925026?ean=9780374538224" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p> In this biography of Italian poet and noblewoman Vittoria Colonna, Dr. Ramie Targoff, professor of English at Brandeis University, peers into the life of one of the most remarkable women from the Renaissance. Targoff draws readers into the world of 16th-century Italy, exploring how Colonna became a sonneteer and befriended popes and artists alike (her most notable friendship was with Michelangelo himself).</p> <h2>“Everyone in Their Place” by Maurizio de Giovanni (2013)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/everyone-in-their-place-the-summer-of-commissario-ricciardi-maurizio-de-giovanni/11309624?ean=9781609451431" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>This is the third of the “four seasons” series of mysteries featuring Commissario Ricciardi. The setting is early 1930s Naples. An impending visit by Benito Mussolini adds urgency to solving the murder of a duchess linked to the local social and fascist elite. The author, a native of Naples, uses his knowledge of the city to bring it to life.</p>

“The Eight Mountains” by Paolo Cognetti (2017)

The 2017 winner of Italy’s esteemed Strega Prize for fiction gets an English translation here. The first-person novel revolves around Pietro, a boy from Milan , and the friendship he develops with Bruno, a boy whom he meets while trekking in the Dolomites with his family. But it’s also a coming-of-age narrative that grapples with Pietro’s relationship with his father and the mountains they both love.

“Renaissance Woman: The Life of Vittoria Colonna” by Ramie Targoff (2018)

In this biography of Italian poet and noblewoman Vittoria Colonna, Dr. Ramie Targoff, professor of English at Brandeis University, peers into the life of one of the most remarkable women from the Renaissance. Targoff draws readers into the world of 16th-century Italy, exploring how Colonna became a sonneteer and befriended popes and artists alike (her most notable friendship was with Michelangelo himself).

“Everyone in Their Place” by Maurizio de Giovanni (2013)

This is the third of the “four seasons” series of mysteries featuring Commissario Ricciardi. The setting is early 1930s Naples. An impending visit by Benito Mussolini adds urgency to solving the murder of a duchess linked to the local social and fascist elite. The author, a native of Naples, uses his knowledge of the city to bring it to life.

<h2>“Bella Figura: How to Live, Love, and Eat the Italian Way” by Kamin Mohammadi (2018)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/bella-figura-how-to-live-love-and-eat-the-italian-way-kamin-mohammadi/8632794?ean=9780804173292" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>Ten years ago, Kamin Mohammadi was laid off her job as an editor in <a class="Link" href="https://www.afar.com/travel-guides/united-kingdom/london/guide" rel="noopener">London</a>. A friend offered her use of an apartment in Florence, and so she went to Tuscany. <i>Bella Figura </i>takes readers along for that first year of Italian living, in which Mohammadi learns the value in living life at a slower pace. The story is intimate, with stories about falling in love with the place but also heartbreak. Chapters are divided by month and begin with a nice little inventory: In January, the scent of the city is woodsmoke; her new Italian word of the month is <i>salve</i>. At the end of each chapter are recipes.</p> <h2>“Eating My Way Through Italy: Heading Off the Main Roads to Discover the Hidden Treasures of the Italian Table” by Elizabeth Minchilli (2018)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/eating-my-way-through-italy-heading-off-the-main-roads-to-discover-the-hidden-treasures-of-the-italian-table-elizabeth-minchilli/8524522?ean=9781250133045" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>A resident of Italy for 30 years, Elizabeth Minchilli has become an expert on the country’s cuisine. In <i>Eating My Way Through Italy</i>, she provides the tools for readers to get off the beaten path, as the book’s subtitle suggests. Divided geographically, written conversationally, and even including tips for where to stay, Minchilli’s book reminds readers how distinct—and delicious—Italy’s regional cuisines are.</p>  <h2>“Memoirs of Hadrian” by Marguerite Yourcenar (1951)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/memoirs-of-hadrian-marguerite-yourcenar/10393155?ean=9780374529260" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>This absorbing historical novel is an “autobiographical letter” written by Emperor Hadrian to his successor, Marcus Aurelius, as Hadrian recalls his life and his love for handsome young Antinous. If all you know about this emperor of ancient Rome is Hadrian’s Wall (begun in 122 C.E. after Hadrian visited Britain), you will want to learn more about him and his era. </p>

“Bella Figura: How to Live, Love, and Eat the Italian Way” by Kamin Mohammadi (2018)

Ten years ago, Kamin Mohammadi was laid off her job as an editor in London . A friend offered her use of an apartment in Florence, and so she went to Tuscany. Bella Figura takes readers along for that first year of Italian living, in which Mohammadi learns the value in living life at a slower pace. The story is intimate, with stories about falling in love with the place but also heartbreak. Chapters are divided by month and begin with a nice little inventory: In January, the scent of the city is woodsmoke; her new Italian word of the month is salve . At the end of each chapter are recipes.

“Eating My Way Through Italy: Heading Off the Main Roads to Discover the Hidden Treasures of the Italian Table” by Elizabeth Minchilli (2018)

A resident of Italy for 30 years, Elizabeth Minchilli has become an expert on the country’s cuisine. In Eating My Way Through Italy , she provides the tools for readers to get off the beaten path, as the book’s subtitle suggests. Divided geographically, written conversationally, and even including tips for where to stay, Minchilli’s book reminds readers how distinct—and delicious—Italy’s regional cuisines are.

“Memoirs of Hadrian” by Marguerite Yourcenar (1951)

This absorbing historical novel is an “autobiographical letter” written by Emperor Hadrian to his successor, Marcus Aurelius, as Hadrian recalls his life and his love for handsome young Antinous. If all you know about this emperor of ancient Rome is Hadrian’s Wall (begun in 122 C.E. after Hadrian visited Britain), you will want to learn more about him and his era.

<h2>“Venice Stories” edited by Jonathan Keates (2018)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/venice-stories-jonathan-keates/8586169?ean=9781101908068" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>Short stories and excerpts from longer works about Venice make up this addition to the Everyman’s Library Pocket Classic Series. From the 18th-century writings of the one-and-only Casanova to a vignette set in Venice during the Napoleonic era, written by Lambda Literary Award–winner Jeanette Winterson, the collection crafts a masterful portrait of the floating city. Another plus: the spooky “Don’t Look Now” story by Daphne du Maurier, which inspired the atmospheric 1973 movie of the same name.</p> <h2>“SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome” by Mary Beard (2015)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://amzn.to/3v3pCEp" rel="noopener">amazon.com</a></li>  </ul> <p>One of the most acclaimed works by popular British historian Mary Beard, <i>SPQR</i> takes its title from an abbreviation for <i>Senatus Populusque Romanus</i>, meaning the senate and people of Rome. Beard covers more than 900 years of Roman history, which could be a trudge in the hands of a lesser writer. While noted figures like Augustus and Caligula appear, her focus is more on the lives of Rome’s ordinary residents. Prefer to focus on the rulers? See her latest book, <i>Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World</i> (2023), or read her illustrated art history <i>Twelve Caesars: Images of Power From the Ancient World to the Modern </i>(2021). This former Cambridge classics professor has a talent for making ancient history accessible and engaging for general readers.</p> <h2>“Sicilian Splendors: Discovering the Secret Places That Speak to the Heart” by John Keahey (2018)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://amzn.to/4arnyX2" rel="noopener">amazon.com</a></li>  </ul> <p>Consummate traveler John Keahey, who has roamed Italy for decades and penned books about Tuscany and Venice, turns his inquisitive eye to <a class="Link" href="https://www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-go-in-sicily-if-you-liked-the-white-lotus" rel="noopener">Sicily</a>. In a travelogue that’s both personal and historical, even a quest for procuring new shoelaces in a small town teaches about local legend and hospitality. Keahey encounters enthusiastic and welcoming characters everywhere, and readers get a glimpse of Tyrrhenian coasts they may have never seen before. He also contextualizes the island’s rich and complex history and sees beyond Sicily’s mafia-laden stereotypes to reveal its warm heart. </p>

“Venice Stories” edited by Jonathan Keates (2018)

Short stories and excerpts from longer works about Venice make up this addition to the Everyman’s Library Pocket Classic Series. From the 18th-century writings of the one-and-only Casanova to a vignette set in Venice during the Napoleonic era, written by Lambda Literary Award–winner Jeanette Winterson, the collection crafts a masterful portrait of the floating city. Another plus: the spooky “Don’t Look Now” story by Daphne du Maurier, which inspired the atmospheric 1973 movie of the same name.

“SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome” by Mary Beard (2015)

  • Buy now : amazon.com

One of the most acclaimed works by popular British historian Mary Beard, SPQR takes its title from an abbreviation for Senatus Populusque Romanus , meaning the senate and people of Rome. Beard covers more than 900 years of Roman history, which could be a trudge in the hands of a lesser writer. While noted figures like Augustus and Caligula appear, her focus is more on the lives of Rome’s ordinary residents. Prefer to focus on the rulers? See her latest book, Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World (2023), or read her illustrated art history Twelve Caesars: Images of Power From the Ancient World to the Modern (2021). This former Cambridge classics professor has a talent for making ancient history accessible and engaging for general readers.

“Sicilian Splendors: Discovering the Secret Places That Speak to the Heart” by John Keahey (2018)

Consummate traveler John Keahey, who has roamed Italy for decades and penned books about Tuscany and Venice, turns his inquisitive eye to Sicily . In a travelogue that’s both personal and historical, even a quest for procuring new shoelaces in a small town teaches about local legend and hospitality. Keahey encounters enthusiastic and welcoming characters everywhere, and readers get a glimpse of Tyrrhenian coasts they may have never seen before. He also contextualizes the island’s rich and complex history and sees beyond Sicily’s mafia-laden stereotypes to reveal its warm heart.

<h2>“Abandoned Italy” by Robin Brinaert (2018)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://amzn.to/3toM6PF" rel="noopener">amazon.com</a></li>  </ul> <p>For eight years, Robin Brinaert has traveled Italy seeking abandoned places, the skeletons of buildings much more modern than the Colosseum. This photo book showcases the results of this quest, revealing places throughout Italy—a duchess’s hunting lodge, an old <i>Pinocchio</i> film set, a former asylum—and uncovering backstories that allow readers to see Italian ruins through a different lens.</p> <h2>“The Stones of Florence” by Mary McCarthy (1959)</h2> <ul>   <li><b>Buy now</b>: <a class="Link" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-stones-of-florence-mary-mccarthy/6683930?ean=9780156027632" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">bookshop.org</a></li>  </ul> <p>This singular history is not a new book, but its subject is timeless. And you may well wish you had visited the city some 60 years ago before it became overrun by tourists. Not that Florence has ever lacked for admiring visitors. Try to get a hold of the illustrated edition published later. <i>Stones of Florence</i> began as a long essay in <i>The New Yorker</i>; it has gone on to become a classic of insight about its famous city.</p> <p><i>This article was originally published in 2018 and most recently updated on December 19, 2023, with current information.</i></p>

“Abandoned Italy” by Robin Brinaert (2018)

For eight years, Robin Brinaert has traveled Italy seeking abandoned places, the skeletons of buildings much more modern than the Colosseum. This photo book showcases the results of this quest, revealing places throughout Italy—a duchess’s hunting lodge, an old Pinocchio film set, a former asylum—and uncovering backstories that allow readers to see Italian ruins through a different lens.

“The Stones of Florence” by Mary McCarthy (1959)

This singular history is not a new book, but its subject is timeless. And you may well wish you had visited the city some 60 years ago before it became overrun by tourists. Not that Florence has ever lacked for admiring visitors. Try to get a hold of the illustrated edition published later. Stones of Florence began as a long essay in The New Yorker ; it has gone on to become a classic of insight about its famous city.

This article was originally published in 2018 and most recently updated on December 19, 2023, with current information.

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AFAR Travel Vanguard 2023 Nomination

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AFAR’s mission is to make a positive impact on the world through high-quality storytelling that inspires, enriches, and empowers travelers who care. We believe in the power of travel to make the world a better place through experiences that enrich the traveler personally, support the communities visited, and are sensitive to the effects on our planet.

The AFAR Travel Vanguard, which dates back to 2016, honors organizations that have achieved something exceptional with respect to sustainability, diversity, inclusivity, and/or accessibility. AFAR defines “sustainability” along four pillars: environmental, social, cultural, and economic.

In focusing on organizations, we are honoring how change truly occurs: in the hands of many committed individuals. We hope the recipients of the 2023 AFAR Travel Vanguard can serve as inspiration for others in the ever-evolving travel industry.

For reference, here are the AFAR Vanguard honorees from 2022.

Please note that sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 2023 AFAR Travel Vanguard. Please contact Bryan Kinkade ( [email protected] ) to learn more.

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Russian Tours and Cruises from Express to Russia

  • Gorky Central Park of Culture and Recreation, Moscow
  • Guide to Russia

What is the history of Gorky Park?

  • In the pre-revolutionary period, Gorky Park was a city dump and wasteland, which was cleared in 1923 to host the All-Russian Agricultural and Artisan Industrial Exhibition
  • In 1928, a huge park was planned on the former site of the exhibition. It would not just be a place of leisure, but a place to proudly display Soviet culture and daily life
  • Gorky Park has remained a cultural hub ever since, and has been renovated and added to over the years to make it one of Moscow’s top attractions today

Gorky Central Park of Culture and Recreation

Gorky Park is the most famous park of Moscow, created during the Soviet period as a hub for relaxation and cultural activities. The park is beloved by Muscovites and tourists alike, who visit in all seasons to stroll, enjoy sports, admire the park’s attractions, and attend cultural events. Gorky Park is the central part of an ensemble of four green spaces – Muzeon Park of Arts, Neskuchny Garden, and Sparrow Hills Nature Reserve – which curve around the southern bank of the Moskva River to the south-west of Moscow city centre. Here you may spend some time and enjoy nature and contemprary art during your vacation in Moscow .

History of Gorky Park

Imperial russia.

In the 17th century, the eastern bank of the Moskva River beyond Moscow’s city limits was home to floodplain meadows, where palace horses grazed. From the mid-1850s, events such as cockfights, fistfights, and races were held here, and by the 20th century this area had become a city dump where the unemployed and homeless people of Moscow lived, which remained this way until the Soviet period. This wasteland lay in stark contrast to the adjoining Neskuchny Sad – ‘merry garden’ – which lay to its south, an area of aristocratic country estates and elaborate gardens.

Soviet Russia

Gorky Central Park of Culture and Recreation

Photo from  https://parkseason.ru/

Following the October Revolution, Vladimir Lenin travelled around Moscow to find a suitable site for the first All-Russian Agricultural and Artisan Industrial Exhibition, which would reveal opportunities for socialist development of agriculture and industry. Lenin decided on the wasteland alongside the Moskva River, which was cleared with a programme of community work. In 1923, the exhibition began. It encompassed 250 pavilions dedicated to different themes of agriculture and industry, and was divided into thematic zones, such as villages, livestock, crops, engineering, railways, republics of the USSR, and foreign countries. The organisation of the exhibition demarcated the future layout and size of Gorky Park, and the paths, ‘zones’, and main square of the exhibition have been preserved until the present day. In March 1928, Moscow City Council decided to establish a park of culture and recreation on the site of the former exhibition, which would also encompass the Neskuchny Garden. Moscow’s residents were instrumental in the construction of the park – they voiced their desires for events spaces, physical education and leisure facilities, and gave up their weekends to build the park. The park’s main architect was Konstantin Melnikov.

Did you know? Konstantin Melnikov also helped to construct Lenin’s Mausoleum and the Rusakov Worker’s Club, one of Moscow’s Constructivist masterpieces .

Over 100,000 Muscovites flocked to the opening of the park on 12th August 1928. The brand-new park was equipped with two theatres, a cinema, nursery, reading room, restaurant and café, music stages, sports arenas, rowing boats, and even a giant helter-skelter slide. Unfortunately, because of the vast size of the crowd and the general excitement, the park was damaged and closed until September.

Did you know? The park was not named after Maxim Gorky, writer and founder of Socialist Realism, until 1933.

In 1929, Betty Glan – at the mere age of 26 – became director of the park. She decided to reconceptualise it, uniting leisure, design, and ideology with the help of Moscow’s most eminent architects, designers and artists. Over the next decade, more cultural venues were established in the park, the Pushkinskaya Embankment along the Moskva River was developed, and the landscaping of the park was carefully cultivated. Architect Alexander Vlasov was particularly influential, and won the Grand Prix at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris for his design of Gorky Park. This period under Glan’s directorship until 1937 was known as the ‘golden age’ of Gorky Park, which became not just a place for recreation, but a public space where Soviet culture and everyday life could be proudly displayed.

Did you know? During the Second World War topical events were held in Gorky Park, such as the championship in bayonet combat, grenade-throwing competitions, and air defence training. What’s more, an exhibition of captured enemy weapons – tanks, artillery, aeroplanes, and more – was organised in Gorky Park and continually updated throughout the war.

In the post-war decades new attractions were continually added to Gorky Park. These included the majestic 24-metre triumphal arch at the entrance to the park, an astronomical observatory (which remains open today), the famous Ferris wheel (unfortunately dismantled in 2008), and a fountain with lights and music.

Russia today

Gorky Central Park of Culture and Recreation

Photo from  https://countryscanner.ru/

The Gorky Park ensemble continued to flourish as a centre of culture and recreation in post-Soviet Russia. The adjoining Muzeon Park of Arts was founded in 1992, and Garage Museum of Contemporary Art was established in Gorky Park in 2008. The ensemble underwent serious reconstruction in 2011. Many new sports facilities were added, including centres for beach sports and extreme sports, bicycle paths and sports equipment rental hubs, and much effort was devoted to reviving original buildings, sculptures, and landscape compositions. Two years later, the embankment of the Moskva River from the southern tip of Zamoskvorechye Island all the way to Sparrow Hills was redeveloped and pedestrianised, making it possible to peacefully walk or cycle along the Moskva for many kilometres.

What can you do at Gorky Park today?

  • Explore the park and see architectural attractions, fountains, and beautiful gardens
  • Visit Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and the Gorky Park Museum
  • Go boating on the lakes and stroll down the Pushkinskaya Embankment
  • Rent bicycles or scooters, skateboard, and visit the sports centres

What can you do at Gorky Park?

Park attractions.

While exploring the treelined paths of Gorky Park, you’ll come across a number of attractions. To the west of the main entrance, near the river, is a beautiful geometric bandstand used for music and literary evenings in the Soviet period. As you head down the central alley of Gorky Park from the main entrance, you’ll see a statue of Maxim Gorky on your right, and discover the light and music fountain with its dancing jets of water – find the schedule of its performances here .

Did you know? Don’t be afraid to feed the red squirrels and birds you encounter on your walk around Gorky Park – there are even vending machines which sell special food for the animals!

The southern section of Gorky Park is occupied by the Golitsynsky Garden. In 1802, the Golitsyn Hospital was founded here as a hospital for the poor; it still adjoins Gorky Park today. Gardens were created as a relaxation place for patients, extending from the hospital building to the riverbank, and included landscaped gardens, a Chinese Bridge, and two ponds. On the riverbank is the Rotunda of the Golitsyn Hospital, which has been preserved since the 19th century. There is also a rose garden and fountain by the Bolshoi Golitsynsky Pond.

Did you know? In the Golitsynsky Garden is also located an unusual architectural monument – a public toilet designed by Alexander Vlasov in the 1930s, which is recognised as an ‘object of cultural heritage’!

Outdoor activities

Gorky Central Park of Culture and Recreation

Gorky Park’s extensive and varied grounds aren’t only good for walks! You can relax on the water by renting boats to sail on the Pionersky and Bolshoi Golitsynsky Ponds, or visiting the Olivkovy Beach on the Pushkinskaya Embankment to sunbathe. As well as this, you can hire bicycles, electric scooters, longboards or even roller skates to explore the park and embankments, play table tennis, visit the sports complex to play football, basketball, handball, badminton or volleyball, or visit the Vans skatepark or Nike sports centre for workouts and classes such as rooftop yoga.

Gorky Park Museum

Gorky Central Park of Culture and Recreation

Photo from  http://themedium.ru/

Visit the Gorky Park Museum, located in the left pier of the entrance arch. The current exhibition is dedicated to Gorky Park in the ‘golden age’ of the 1930s, and shows the development of Moscow’s central park through the eyes of Betty Glan. There is an observation deck on top of the arch, which offers a lovely view over the park and Moscow’s skyline.

Did you know? In the entrance arch there is also a gift shop where you can purchase balls, frisbees, blankets, and other items to enjoy your visit to Gorky Park.

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art

Garage Museum

Photo from  https://muzeolog.com/

In Gorky Park you will find Garage Museum, Russia’s first philanthropic institution dedicated to contemporary art, founded in 2008 by Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova. 10 major exhibitions are hosted each year to showcase the work of established and up-and-coming artists. Also organised are a rich programme of events including curator-led excursions, workshops, masterclasses, lectures, concerts, performances, festivals, and film screenings at Garage’s outdoor cinema. Read our article about Garage Museum of Contemporary Art to learn more.

Food and drink

There are plenty of excellent cafes and restaurants dotted around Gorky Park, where you can stop for a quick coffee or enjoy a long meal with a view. They include the stylish lakeside café Ostrovok (Little Island) and upmarket restaurant Vremena Goda (Seasons) which serve European and Russian food, colourful lakeside Thai restaurant Lebedinoe Ozero (Swan Lake), trattoria Merkato with its huge summer terrace, restaurant Syrovarnya (Cheese Factory) with a menu focused on its homemade cheese, food-truck court Restoparking which is stylised as a drive-in café, and ice-cream and tea shop Chaynaya Vysota.

What’s nearby?

Gorky Park is bordered by Muzeon Park of Arts, Neskuchny Garden, and Sparrow Hills Nature Reserve. This huge ensemble curves for eight kilometres along the bank of the Moskva River, providing a beautiful oasis of green in Europe’s biggest city.

Muzeon Park of Arts

Muzeon Park

Photo from  https://new-magazine.ru/

Muzeon Park of Arts is the largest open-air sculpture museum in Russia, home to 1,000 sculptures by Soviet and Russian sculptors, including those by famous artists. A large part of Muzeon is occupied by the New Tretyakov Gallery , which houses Russia’s most complete exhibition of national art from the 20th century to the present day. The pedestrianised Krymskaya Embankment which extends alongside Muzeon has recently undergone redevelopment, and is one of Moscow’s most popular spots to relax.

Neskuchny Garden

Neskuchny Garden is the oldest park in Moscow, founded in 1728 by Prince Nikita Trubetskoy, who threw fantastic festivities in his manor house and gardens – neskuchny means ‘merry’ in Russian. Many other noble families also built their country estates in this area, which became a public park and garden after being acquired by the royal family. Today, the Neskuchny Garden is home to historical buildings, fountains, and gardens from the 18th and 19th centuries, sports facilities, an open-air theatre, and a huge greenhouse which supplies flowers to Gorky Park.

Sparrow Hills

Sparrow Hills Nature Reserve is a huge forest park lining the steep bank of the Moskva River and the only specially protected nature area near the city centre. It is home to ecological trails, ponds, natural springs, rare species of plants and animals, many spots for picnicking, cafes, and a mini zoo. At the bottom of the park lie the Vorobyovskaya and Andreevskaya Embankments, with promenades along the Moskva River, a beach, and piers offering boat trips. As with Gorky Park, Sparrow Hills is hugely popular for sports and outdoor activities in all seasons. A new winter sports complex with snowboarding, ice skating, and ski tracks and jumps is currently under construction. When the weather is pleasant, you can rent a bicycle to ride the 8 kilometres along the river from Muzeon to Sparrow Hills.

Essential information for visitors Address and contact details Gorky Park, Krymsky Val, 9, Moscow, 119049 Website:  https://park-gorkogo.com/ Email:  [email protected] Telephone: +7 (495) 995-00-20 Nearest metro: Oktyabrskaya (570m), Park Kultury (860m) Opening hours and tickets

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