The building of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the former main imperial palace of Russia, was constructed by the Italian architect B.F.Rastrelli in magnificent Elizabethan Baroque style with elements of the French Rococo in the interiors in 1754-1762.

Since Soviet times, the palace is occupied by the main exhibition of the State Hermitage – one of the largest and most significant art and historical museums in Russia and abroad. Photos by: deletant.

luxurious historical interiors

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Russia’s only amber museum is located in the defensive tower “Der Dona” in Kaliningrad (Marshal Vasilevsky Square, 1).

The museum exhibition occupies 28 halls with a total area of ​​more than one thousand square meters. A significant part of the collection consists of amber pieces with inclusions of fragments of ancient flora and fauna. Photos by: Alexander Lipilin.

very interesting exhibits

Tags: Kaliningrad city

In Kazan, the capital city of Tatarstan Republic, there is an amazing place that combines the world’s major religions. It is called the Temple of All Religions or the Temple of Seven Religions or the Universal Temple.

The temple combines images of religious buildings of different faiths in an attempt to achieve harmony and peaceful coexistence. Photos by: Anton Petrus.

unique colorful temple

Tags: churches · Kazan city

On the central squares and streets of almost every city, town, and even village of the former Soviet Union, you can easily find a monument to Vladimir Lenin. Yelabuga, a small town in the Republic of Tatarstan, is no exception.

The town has probably the most unusual monument to Lenin in Russia. Just look at this marvel of monumental sculpture – the high stele with the tiny bust of Lenin on top. Photos by: Anton Petrus.

marvelous monument

Tags: Tatarstan Republic · Yelabuga city

“Vitoslavlitsy” is an open air museum of folk wooden architecture located near St. George Monastery, about 4 km from Veliky Novgorod, on the southern shore of Lake Myachino.

The museum, opened on May 16, 1967, has about thirty monuments of the ancient Russian wooden architecture of the 16th century, residential and other buildings of the 18th-19th centuries.

explore the museum

Tags: Novgorod oblast

Kizhi churchyard or just Kizhi is a world famous architectural ensemble situated on the island of Kizhi in Lake Onega (Karelia Republic).

It consists of two churches and a bell tower of the 18th-19th centuries surrounded by a wall. In 1990, Kizhi churchyard was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is one of the most valuable objects of cultural heritage of Russia. Kizhi churchyard on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

beautiful wooden architecture

Tags: Karelia Republic

This morning four tugs have taken the cruiser “Aurora” (a famous museum ship in Saint Petersburg) to Kronstadt for dock repairs.

During the repair, the historical parts of the hull and machinery of the ship will be fully preserved. The cruiser will return to the historic berth in 2016. Photos by Mikhail Roskin published in drugoi

one interesting fact

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

The Catherine Palace is a former imperial palace located in the town of Pushkin (former Tsarskoye Selo), about 25 km from St. Petersburg. This summer residence of the Russian tsars is one of the largest palaces in the vicinity of St. Petersburg.

Construction of the building was started in 1717 by the order of Russian Empress Catherine I. It is an example of the late Baroque. Photos by deletant

beautiful architecture and interiors

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Trinity Church, built in 1827-1832, is located near Pyatino village (western edge of Ulyanovsk region). Previously, next to the church, there was a manor of noble family of Annenkov.

The church is rapidly decaying; domes and columns in the interior are crumbling. It looks like nobody cares about preserving it. Pyatino landscape is definitely one of the most fascinating Russian landscapes. Photos by av_otus

abandoned beauty

Tags: Abandoned · churches · Ulyanovsk oblast

This beautiful photo can be a good illustration of classic Russian landscape. It was taken in ancient Suzdal, city-reserve included in the Golden Ring of Russia, by Victor Peryakin.

Tags: landscapes · Suzdal city