Vyborg is a town with a population of about 79,000 people located in the Leningrad region, on the shore of the Vyborg Gulf, in the north-eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, 120 km from St. Petersburg, and 35 km from the border with Finland.

Since 2010, this town, founded in the Middle Ages by the Swedes, is the only historic settlement on the territory of the Leningrad region. Until 1940, it was the second largest town in Finland. Photos by: Dmitriy Gazin.

walk around the town

Tags: Leningrad oblast

Kolomna is a city with a population of about 143 thousand people located about 113 km southeast of Moscow. This is one of the oldest (the first mention in 1177) and the most beautiful cities of the Moscow region.

One of the main attractions of Kolomna is a partially preserved rare monument of ancient Russian defensive architecture – the grandiose Kolomna Kremlin (1525-1531). Photos by: maximus101.

magnificent fortress

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

The village of Pet, located in Pitelinsky district of the Ryazan region, is known for its amazing church. Vvedensky Church was built in eclectic style with elements of Art Nouveau and neo-Russian style in 1912-1913.

After 1917, the church was used as a warehouse to store agricultural tools, grain, and even meat. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

very picturesque church

Tags: churches · Ryazan oblast

Church of Elijah the Prophet, standing on Sovetskaya Square in the center of Yaroslavl, is an outstanding architectural monument of Yaroslavl school of architecture of the 17th century. This church almost completely preserved its original appearance.

The church was built in 1647-1650-ies at the expense of citizens of the town, the Yaroslavl merchants Vonifatiy Skripin and Ioannikiy Skripin who traded in furs, church utensils and precious stones. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

beautiful church

Tags: churches · Yaroslavl city

Murom is a historical Russian city first mentioned in 862. It is located on the left bank of the Oka River in the Vladimir region, 137 km from Vladimir.

This small city with a population of about 110 thousand people has a surprisingly large number of old places of worship. Photos by: Kirill Moiseev.

Resurrection Monastery founded in the 13th century.

Murom – the city of churches

Tags: churches · Vladimir oblast

Suzdal is one of the most beautiful old Russian towns located in the Vladimir region. First mentioned in 1024, this town-museum has a lot of historical and architectural monuments.

By the middle of the 11th century, it became a major trade and craft center. The period from the 16th to 17th centuries was marked by an active stone construction (monastery and church buildings). The architectural ensembles that have survived to the present day were formed during this period. Photos by: Andrei Kireev.

amazing ancient town

Tags: Suzdal city · Vladimir oblast

Church of the Intercession at Fili is an Orthodox church located in Filevsky Park district, in the western administrative district of Moscow (Novozavodskaya Street, 6).

This architectural monument of federal importance is a fine example of early Moscow baroque. The church was built by the boyar Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin, the uncle of Peter I, in 1690-1694. Photos by: Pavel Labutin.

beautiful church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

The Republic of Ingushetia is located on the northern slopes of the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. This region is also sometimes called “the land of towers.”

The towers of Ingushetia are unique in its architecture and occupy an important place in the history of the Caucasus. Also they are remarkably scenic as you can see in this video.

Tags: Ingushetia Republic

St. George’s Cathedral, a white-stone church located in the central part of the ancient Russian town of Yuryev-Polsky in the Vladimir region, is an outstanding monument of ancient Russian architecture.

The cathedral was built by Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich in 1230-1234. In 1326-1327, on the model of St. George’s Cathedral, the first stone church was built in Moscow – the Cathedral of the Assumption. Photos by: Pavel Labutin.

beautiful ancient temple

Tags: Vladimir oblast

Ekaterinburg (in 1924-1991 – Sverdlovsk), the fourth largest city of Russia, is an administrative center of the Sverdlovsk region and the Urals Federal District. It is the biggest administrative, cultural, scientific, and educational center of the Urals.

Over almost three hundred years of its existence, Ekaterinburg was rebuilt several times. The project “Ekaterinburg. Then and Now” shows how much the city has changed over the 100 years. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Ekaterinburg – past and present

Tags: Ekaterinburg city