Rublevka or Rublyovka is the unofficial name of a prestigious residential area in the western suburbs of Moscow, Russia, located along Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway, Podushkinskoe, 1st Uspenskoe and 2nd Uspenskoe highways. There is no official administrative unit called “Rublyovka”, but this name has become popular in society and in mass media. The area features good ecology and rather clear air in comparison to Moscow and the rest of its suburbs. Many Russian government officials and successful businesspeople reside in the gated communities of Rublevka. Real-estate prices there are among the highest in the world. The New York Times called it “home to the sprawling villas of Russia’s ruling class”.
The district is 40 minutes to Moscow via a two-lane paved road; however, the road is sometimes closed due to travels by Vladimir Putin and other important Russian officials. There is a high-end shopping mall, Barvikha Luxury Village, where such brands as Prada, Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana are offered. The mall includes Bentley and Ferrari/Maserati dealerships. There is also a wedding palace and a concert hall. Gated communities include Tagankovo.
Rublyovskoe Highway has been a place for the privileged ever since it was the Tsars road in the 16th century: for the entire Romanov dynasty. Russian rulers Mikhail Fyodorovich, Aleksey Mikhaylovich, Peter the Great and Catherine the Great made pilgrimages to the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery by this road. Also this picturesque area was always the favorite place for the royal falcon hunting. Here, near the sovereigns, the Russian nobility also made their homes, particularly the Princes Yusupov, Shuvalov and Golitsyn. At the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Zubalov family owned the estate Rubllevka.
In the mid-1990s, Rublyovka, which borders on the pristine and well-forested bank of the Moscow River was swiftly privatized by stars of show-business, the demi-monde, officials and industrial magnates, and turned into a kind of a !millionaires’ ghetto”, or a Russian Beverly Hills, “where it is outrageous not to be good-looking”. Here you can find the most expensive market in the world, and the most expensive sports club, as well as the most exclusive boutiques and the highest fences, with an army of thousands of security guards”.
