Once upon a time, there were swamps on this place, but they were gradually drained. The Rachka River, which flowed here, was crossed by the walls of the White City, and a pond formed near the walls. At first it was called Pogany, there are several versions of the origin of this name Many people think that it comes from paganus, which means “pagan.”

This story is connected with boyar Kuchka, who did not respect the founder of Moscow, Yuri Dolgoruky, enough, for which he was first killed and then drowned in a pond. A historically confirmed fact: there were executions on the site of Chistye Prudy, but at the time of Ivan the Terrible. By order of the tsar, 120 boyars were brutally tortured and executed at this place.

But the most common version is related to the fact that earlier Pogany Pond had meat rows. The whole of Moscow came to the slaughterhouses (by the way, they were located on the street with the telling name Myasnitskaya). When cutting meat, butchers threw off unnecessary parts that were not for sale directly into the pond. This fact could not but outrage Prince Menshikov, who lived nearby. He ordered the ponds to be cleaned. After that, the name “filthy” disappeared, and the ponds became Clean.

In 1911, it was on the ice of Chistye Prudy that world figure skating champions trained. By 1960, the pond was equipped and a boat station was opened. In winter, people skate here, and closer to summer, representatives of informal subcultures gather in a small area near the monument to Griboedov.

Open-air photo exhibitions are often held on Chistoprudny Boulevard. There is an oceanarium nearby.