VDNH for Book Lovers: Ten Best Reading Nooks at Russia's Main Exhibition

9 August is the International Book Lovers Day. And VDNH is very popular among those who love good literature. Specially for the occasion, Russia's Main Exhibition has compiled a selection out of its ten best reading nooks.

The Exhibition's guests are invited to visit places where they can not only relax while reading, but also have a cup of coffee in an aesthetically pleasing setting or take part in discussions and educational programmes that will be of interest to both adults and children. Note that VDNH is complying with all pandemic-related restrictions.

1. Pavilion No. 58. The Slovo Centre is located opposite the famous Stone Flower Fountain. It is surrounded by numerous benches where you can sit down with a book and enjoy a scenic view over the fountain. After that, you can drop by at the Slovo Centre and find out what the first books looked like, from ancient religious manuscripts to early schoolbooks. The exposition features a replica of The Euphrosynus Collection: a 15th century book with an illuminated spread that features a miniature with a monogram of Euphrosynus, scribe at the Beloozero St. Cyril's Monastery. The original is stored at the Russian National Library.

2. The Book Pavilion also has a library of its own, along with a café for late-time visitors that are feeling peckish. The Pavilion boasts an extensive collection of the best modern editions of fiction and nonfiction releases, including rare and short-run books. This space regularly hosts lectures on art and architecture, workshops, discussions and film screenings, which will keep boredom at bay.

3. The South Rosary is a blooming oasis where you can savour romantic literature amid a sea of green.

4. To the left of the Central Pavilion (Pavilion No. 1), you will find a reading hall, perfect not just for enjoying a nice book but also for marvelling at the flower compositions of the North Rosary, designed by experts from different countries. The skill of Russian flower breeders is represented by the Golden Autumn tea rose hybrid. This place merges together multiple cultures, creating a favourable setting for reading foreign literature.

5. At the Landscape Park, lies the Third Kamensky Pond. You can come to its bank to retire into the secluded shade of the willow trees, shielded from the scorching sun, and immerse yourself in an adventure novel as you watch the boats glide along the pond surface, beckoning you to travel around the world.

6. Also in the Landscape Park, you will find a maze (part of the Nature of Entertainment zone): a great opportunity to get lost with a book in your hands and get in touch with your feelings, which will be greatly encouraged by this place's layout. The plants that shape this green maze are grouped into four types of sections associated with four different groups of emotions: fear, contentment, love and awe. Thanks to the cosy benches dotted throughout the maze, you will be able to take a break in the zone of your choice and crack open a book on mental health or self-improvement. Everything around you will inspire you to ponder the nature of human behaviour, feelings and emotions, pushing you towards achieving inner harmony.

7. At the Main Beach, there is a boardwalk with comfy loungers and a canopy, which helps visitors to bask in nature comfortably even in hot weather. Which is precisely why you can come here not just to sunbathe, but also to read, calmed by the warble of the artificial stream that encircles the beach zone.

8. The Belvedere in Ostankino Park is a green hilltop rotunda that gives the park's guests a chance to gaze at a green vista with flowering meadows at the foot of the hill. The word belvedere is Italian for ‘pretty view’. The rotunda has a roof, so even the scorching rays of the sun won't keep you from appreciating the Russian classics, who always sang praise to their homeland's nature with particular passion.

9. The Ostankino Park Gazebo beckons those who have been worn out by the chaos and bustle of the big city, dreaming of some relaxing reading on a cosy bench in a scenic park. As you find yourself here, among lush shady canopies, you might remember some beautiful nature poetry by Ivan Bunin.

10. The gazebos along the Ring Road, accessible from the Botanical Garden, are relatively remote and filled with shade; an excellent location choice for walking and reading on a hot day.