The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery is a very picturesque Orthodox monastery of the Moscow diocese, founded in 1398 and located 2 km west of the city of Zvenigorod in Moscow Oblast, about 60 km west of Moscow.

In the 15th-17th centuries, the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery played the role of an outpost of the Moscow Principality in the west. The monastery was a favorite place of prayer for many Russian tsars. The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

beautiful monastery

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

“Ruskeala Express” is a tourist retro train running along the route Sortavala – Mountain Park “Ruskeala” – Sortavala in the Republic of Karelia. Today, it is the only daily steam train in Russia.

The average train speed is 40-60 km/h, the travel time is 1 hour. The interior of the train and the uniform of the train employees are made in the style of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

interesting tourist train

Tags: Karelia Republic

“Kudykina Gora” is a park located on the bank of the Don River near the village of Kamenka, Lipetsk Oblast, about 74 km west of Lipetsk.

This large park of 500 hectares, opened in 2007, is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Lipetsk Oblast offering entertainment for children and adults. “Kudykina Gora” on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

very interesting park

Tags: Lipetsk oblast

Vorkuta is a city with a population of about 52 thousand people located in the very northeast of the Komi Republic, about 180 kilometers from the coast of the Arctic Ocean. It is the sixth largest city in the Arctic Circle and the most eastern city in Europe.

After the collapse of the USSR and the crisis in the mining industry, a lot of residents left the city for the southern regions of Russia. The city’s population has more than halved since 1991. One of the major city districts is completely abandoned now. In winter, the temperature in the city can drop to minus 50 degrees Celsius and here is the result. Photos by: Lana Sator.

frozen Vorkuta

Tags: Abandoned · Komi Republic · Vorkuta city

Irkutsk is the sixth largest city in Siberia with a population of about 617 thousand people, the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast. The city is located in Eastern Siberia, on the banks of the Angara River, at its confluence with the Irkut River (hence the name of the city), about 66 km from Lake Baikal.

Irkutsk is an old Siberian city founded in 1661 and included in the list of historical settlements of Russia. Its historic center is included in the preliminary list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Irkutsk

Tags: Irkutsk city

Vyborg is a city with a population of about 74 thousand people located in the north-west of Leningrad Oblast, about 140 km from St. Petersburg. In total, more than 300 different monuments are concentrated here: architectural, historical, sculptural, archaeological, garden and park art.

The main attraction of this city and its symbol is the Vyborg Castle – one of the few fully preserved monuments of Western European medieval military architecture in Russia. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

picturesque medieval castle

Tags: Leningrad oblast · Vyborg city

Yaroslavl is one of the oldest Russian cities founded in the 11th century. In 2010, this city located about 260 km northeast of Moscow celebrated its millennium. It is depicted on a 1,000-ruble banknote.

The historical center of Yaroslavl with 140 monuments of architecture is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yaroslavl is traditionally included in the famous tourist route “The Golden Ring of Russia”. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Yaroslavl

Tags: Yaroslavl city

“Lesnoy Terem” in Astashovo is a former residence of the peasant Martyan Sazonov (1840/2-1914) located in the central part of Kostroma Oblast, about 200 km from Kostroma.

This is quite a unique phenomenon – a country residence built in the middle of a small village in a remote place. This picturesque wooden house was built in the Russian style with rich and varied carved decor. Lesnoy Terem in Astashovo on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

amazing wooden house

Tags: Kostroma oblast

Kizhi is an island in the northern part of Lake Onega in the south of the Republic of Karelia. It is known primarily for the exposition of the historical, architectural and ethnographic museum-reserve “Kizhi” located here, including the architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Most of the buildings are monuments of architecture, a lot of them were moved for exposition from other villages of this region. Kizhi Island on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

snow-covered monuments of wooden architecture

Tags: churches · Karelia Republic · Petrozavodsk city

Naryan-Mar (meaning “Red town” in the Nenets language) is a town in Russia with a population of about 25 thousand people, the administrative center and the only town in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

It is located in the Arctic Circle, in the lower reaches of the Pechora River, 110 km from the Barents Sea. The distance from Moscow to Naryan-Mar is about 1,500 km, from Arkhangelsk – 660 km. The nearest railway station – Usinsk – is located at a distance of 350 km. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

aerial view of Naryan-Mar

Tags: Naryan-Mar city · Nenets okrug