Ramenki
University Moscow
The Moscow State University main building, Mosfilm, the Ramenka river valley and the wide avenues of the south-west — a district where science, cinema and nature live side by side.
About the district
The name comes from the small Ramenka River; the old word “ramen” meant forest or forest edge. The villages here became part of Moscow in 1960, when the city boundary moved out to the MKAD ring road.
In 1949–1953 the 240-metre main building of Moscow University with its spire was built on the Lenin (Sparrow) Hills. Until 1990 it remained the tallest building in Europe.
The Mosfilm studio has worked on Mosfilmovskaya Street since the 1930s. In 2017 the metro arrived, with the opening of Lomonosovsky Prospekt and Ramenki stations.
- Okrug
- Western Administrative Okrug
- Status
- District
- Population
- 154,283 (as of 2025)
- Area
- 18.7 km²
- Stations within the district
- 6
Population is from Wikidata as of the date shown; the area is calculated from the OpenStreetMap boundary; stations are listed by their position inside the boundary.
What to see
Moscow State University main building
The tallest of the Seven Sisters and a symbol of Moscow’s education.
Mosfilm studio
One of Europe’s largest film studios, with a museum of equipment and costumes.
Ramenka River valley
A nature reserve with woodland, slopes and trails along the stream.
Trinity Church at Troitse-Golenishchevo
A 17th-century church on the site of a former country residence of the Moscow metropolitans.
MSU Botanical Garden
The university garden on the Sparrow Hills with apple-tree alleys.
Where to walk
- 01
University alleys
The axis from the main building to the Sparrow Hills viewpoint, past fountains and apple trees.
- 02
Ramenka valley
Forest trails in a ravine amid residential blocks — unexpected nature in the city.
- 03
Michurinsky Prospekt
Boulevards and new public spaces around the metro stations.
Architecture
Ramenki was built on a grand scale: avenues, the university campus and large residential blocks are interspersed with ravines and natural valleys.
MSU main building
Lev Rudnev and co-authors’ ensemble: a central tower, wings and inner courtyards.
New university buildings
The Fundamental Library and teaching buildings extending the university axis.
Trinity Church
A surviving church on the high bank of the Ramenka.
Transport
The Solntsevskaya line, opened here in 2017, linked the district with the centre. Michurinsky Prospekt has an interchange with the Big Circle Line.
On the transport mapStations within the district
Suburban trains
Did you know
- 01
The MSU main building was the tallest building in Europe until 1990.
- 02
“Ramen” is an old word meaning forest or forest edge.
- 03
Lomonosovsky Prospekt and Ramenki stations opened in 2017.
Photo gallery
MSU main building above a pond — illustration
- Иллюстрация, созданная с помощью нейросети; предоставлена автором проекта / AI-generated illustration supplied by the project author
On the map
Boundaries: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Boundary from OpenStreetMap, November 2026.