Oak Park

About this place

Oak Park, officially Chingiz Aitmatov Park, is among the oldest and calmest green spaces in Bishkek. Set in the heart of the capital, it combines mature trees with an open-air sculpture museum. City residents come to walk and sit, and it makes an easy break between the nearby museums. The park's story begins in 1890, when gardeners led by the botanist Fetisov planted trees around the former St Nicholas Church, built in 1885 and now an art gallery. In 1914 Kyrgyzstan's first cinema opened in the park. The sculpture collection began in 1984 with a sculptors' symposium, and in 2010 the park was renamed after the writer Chingiz Aitmatov. You walk beneath big oaks among about 90 sculptures of metal, concrete and wood, scattered through the grass as if they were part of the garden. Tulip beds burst into strong colour in spring, and there is a 12-bowl fountain, a statue of Kurmanjan Datka and an Eternal Flame monument with iron cannons. The park lies in the city centre, about 300 m in a straight line from the Gapar Aitiev Museum and about 1.2 km from the Central Mosque. Entry is free and it stays open all day. Spring is the loveliest time for the tulips, summer brings welcome shade, and late afternoon softens the light. An hour is enough, and it combines easily with the main square and the museum.