The Rostral Columns are majestic architectural monuments located in the center of St. Petersburg, on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island, which in turn is one of the most famous architectural ensembles of the city. In the 19th century, these columns were used as lanterns to illuminate the port of the capital of the Russian Empire.

They were built according to the project of the French architect Jean-Francois Thomas de Thomon in 1805-1810 and were decorated with rostra of ships (in Latin, rostra is the plural of rostrum meaning the bow of a ship). Photos by: Yuliya Baturina.

beautiful constructions

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Kineshma is a town (since 1777) with a population of about 77 thousand people, located in the northeastern part of Ivanovo Oblast, about 400 km northeast of Moscow. In 2010, it was included in the list of historical settlements of federal significance.

The town stands on the right bank of the Volga stretching along it for more than 11 kilometers. In Kineshma, both ordinary urban buildings of the 19th century and a number of architectural sights of the 19th – early 20th centuries have been preserved.

feel the vibe of the old Russian merchant town

Tags: Ivanovo oblast

The Aniva Lighthouse is an amazingly picturesque abandoned lighthouse located on Cape Aniva in the very south of Sakhalin Island in the Far East of Russia. The height of the building is 31 meters, the height of light – 40 meters above sea level.

This mysterious place is an important tourist attraction of Sakhalin. Tourists usually come here on private boats. The lighthouse is gradually destroyed by water and wind. In the coming years, it is quite possible that repairs will be carried out to preserve this unique building. The Aniva Lighthouse on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

beautiful remote place

Tags: Abandoned · Sakhalin oblast

The Main Cathedral of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or the Patriarchal Cathedral in the name of the Resurrection of Christ is a church “dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the feats of arms of the Russian people in all wars.”

It is located on the territory of the Patriot Park in the Odintsovo urban district of the Moscow region, about 50 km west of the center of Moscow. The consecration of the cathedral took place as part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War on June 14, 2020. The Patriot Park on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

unique monument of today’s Russia

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Vasilyevsky Castle (also known as Shcherbatovsky Castle) is located in the village of the sanatorium named after Alexander Herzen in Moscow Oblast, about 65 west of the center of Moscow.

It was built by the architect Peter Boitsov by order of Prince Alexander Shcherbatov in the right-bank part of his estate in 1881. Vasilyevsky (Shcherbatovsky) Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

beautiful brick castle-estate

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast · Russian Empire

Volodarsk is a small town with a population of about 10 thousand people located in Nizhegorodskaya Oblast, about 60 km west of Nizhny Novgorod. In most cases, the main tourist attraction of small Russian towns is the local museum of local lore and Volodarsk is no exception.

However, the museum in Volodarsk occupies a unique wooden building known as “Nikolai Bugrov’s Summer Dacha” – one of the few surviving houses of similar architecture in the European part of Russia. Photos by: Anna Sukhareva and Yaroslav Gunin.

amazing wooden house

Tags: Nizhegorodskaya oblast · Nizhny Novgorod city · Russian Empire

Suzdal is a town-reserve with a population of about 9,600 people located in Vladimir Oblast, about 37 km north of Vladimir.

By the abundance of monuments and the preservation of its original appearance, Suzdal is unique for Russia. You can see a large number of monuments of cult and civil architecture of the 13th – 19th centuries here. Photos by: Vladimir Lipetskikh.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1222-1225) and the Suzdal Kremlin.

amazing old Russian provincial town

Tags: Suzdal city · Vladimir oblast

Balovnevo is a village of about 600 people located in the north of Lipetsk Oblast in the central part of European Russia. In this village you can see a unique monument of architecture of federal significance built in the style of classicism with elements of Gothic – the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (1789-1823).

In November 2015, after two and a half years of restoration, the church reopened its doors to parishioners and tourists. Balovnevo on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

very picturesque church

Tags: churches · Lipetsk oblast

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

“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