The Bykovo Estate is a manor complex located in the park in the village of Bykovo in Moscow Oblast, about 40 km southeast of the center of Moscow. This is an outstanding example of Russian architecture and gardening art of the era of Emperor Nicholas I. The territory of the estate and the adjacent park is about 30 hectares.

The main architectural attraction of the Bykovo Estate is the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God – a famous monument of Russian pseudo-Gothic architecture of the 18th century. The Bykovo Estate on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

unusual Orthodox church

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Veshalovka is a village with a population of about 700 people located in Lipetsk Oblast, about 29 km northwest of Lipetsk and 410 km south of Moscow.

The main attraction of Veshalovka is the Orthodox Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” (1794) or simply Znamenskaya built in the pseudo-Gothic style, which is unusual for this part of Russia. Today, it is an architectural monument of federal significance. Veshalovka on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

very picturesque church

Tags: churches · Lipetsk oblast

Smolensk, the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, is one of the oldest cities in Russia. First mentioned in 863, it is located in the west of the country. In the history of Russia, it is known as the “shield city”, which for many centuries served as the defense of Moscow.

Let’s see how Smolensk looked in the last decade of the Russian Empire, in 1912. This is possible thanks to unique color photographs taken by Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944), a pioneer of color photography in the Russian Empire.

unique views of Smolensk

Tags: Smolensk city

The Resurrection Church in Kadashi Sloboda (1687-1695) is a picturesque Orthodox church located in Yakimanka District in Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow (2-Y Kadashevskiy Pereulok, 7).

This church is an outstanding architectural monument built in the style of “Moscow Baroque” characterized by elegance of proportions and delicate silhouette. In 2014-2016, a complete restoration of the facades of the church and the bell tower was carried out. The Resurrection Church in Kadashi Sloboda on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir d’Ar.

beautiful Moscow church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

The Polar Urals is the northernmost part of the Ural Mountains. As well as throughout the Ural watershed, it is a geographical border between Asia and Europe, as well as an administrative border between the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Komi Republic.

These are harsh and sparsely populated places, but due to the fact that the Vorkuta-Labytnangi Railway crosses the Polar Urals, it is relatively easy to get here. In winter, the Nenets come to the mountains of the Polar Urals with their herds of deer. Photos by: Sergey Karpukhin.

the life of nomadic herders

Tags: Salekhard city · Yamalo-Nenets okrug

“The Kingdom of Permafrost” is a unique complex, which is a huge, always frozen cave near Mount Chochur-Muran on the outskirts of Yakutsk. In Soviet times, this place was used as a huge cellar for storing food.

The tourist complex first opened its doors to all visitors in 2008. Since then, it has become one of the main tourist sites in Yakutsk. Photos by: zavodfoto.

beautiful frozen cave

Tags: Sakha Republic · Yakutsk city

Yepifan, founded on the left bank of the Don River in 1566, is a village with a population of about 2,200 people located in the east of Tula Oblast, about 94 km southeast of Tula. This village is included in the list of historical settlements of Russia.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built here from 1680 to 1720, is one of the most picturesque churches in the region. Yepifan on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

beautiful church on a hill

Tags: churches · Tula oblast

Today, Yekaterinburg, the fourth largest city in Russia (about 1.5 million people), is the largest administrative, cultural, scientific, and educational center of the Urals.

And here is how Yekaterinburg looked a little over a century ago with a population of about 60 thousand people. These unique color photographs were taken by Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944), a pioneer of color photography in the Russian Empire, in 1909.

The general views of the southern part of Yekaterinburg.

unique photos of Yekaterinburg

Tags: Ekaterinburg city · Sverdlovsk oblast

Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh on the Kulikovo Field, built in 1913-1917, is a monument-church standing on the alleged site of the Battle of Kulikovo (1380) in the southeast of Tula Oblast, about 122 km from Tula.

The architect of the church was Alexey Viktorovich Shchusev. An interesting feature of this church is that one of its towers is crowned by a dome in the shape of a helmet. The Kulikovo Field on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

very picturesque church

Tags: churches · Tula oblast

The Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery is a monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church located in the town of Istra in Moscow Oblast, about 40 km northwest of Moscow.

The monastery was founded by Patriarch Nikon in 1656. According to his plan, the complex of holy places in Palestine was to be recreated near Moscow. By the end of 2016, restoration work was completed in the monastery. New Jerusalem Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

one of the best monasteries in Russia

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast