Zaklyuchye Manor is located in the Tver region. You can reach it, if you drive on the M-10 highway from Moscow to St. Petersburg, and before reaching the city of Valdai and Lake Valdai take a turn to Borovichi. About 50 km from it, there is Lykoshino station. Nearby, hidden in the woods, on the bank of a forest lake, you will find this “castle.”

The estate appeared in the late 19th century. It was built for the St. Petersburg architect and artist Alexander Sergeyevich Khrenov. Many artists, architects and writers of that time tried to disappear in nature. Photos by: Dmitriy Gazin.

picturesque abandoned castle

Tags: Abandoned · Tver oblast

Tsarskoye Selo is a museum-reserve located in Pushkin town, part of St. Petersburg. It includes a palace and park ensemble of the 18th-19th centuries, the former imperial country residence.

In the center of the Catherine’s Park, which is part of the museum-reserve, you can see the beautiful body of water called the Bolshoy (Great) Pond. Photos by: Yuri Yuhanson.

the sights of the Great Pond

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Let’s continue our flight over the sights of St. Petersburg, the second major city in Russia.

The second part of photos taken from a helicopter during the flight over the city. The first part. Photos by: Stepanov Slava.

The intersection of Bolshoy Prospekt and Andreevsky Boulevard.

fly over St. Petersburg

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

The Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas is the last and largest naval cathedral of the Russian Empire built in Kronstadt (a small town which is part of St. Petersburg) in 1903-1913. It is the tallest building in Kronstadt (70.5 meters).

This majestic cathedral is a monument to all sailors of the Russian Navy. Kronstadt, founded by order of Peter I, was the main naval base of the Baltic Fleet since 1720s. Since 2013, the cathedral is considered the main church of the Russian Navy. Photos by: Yuri Yuhanson.

wonderful cathedral

Tags: churches · Saint Petersburg city

St. Petersburg, the former capital of the Russian Empire, is a unique city with its own rules of conduct. To preserve historic buildings, the legacy of the era of the Russian Empire, the construction of high-rise buildings is not permitted in the city center.

The general plan of Saint Petersburg of the 19th century has remained practically unchanged since that time. Straight streets, strict compliance with the architectural styles, all of this can be seen particularly well from above, when flying over the city in a helicopter. Photos by: Stepanov Slava.

let’s fly over amazing Saint Petersburg

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

The mansion of Mikhail Aseev, opened after restoration in the autumn of 2014, is one of the most outstanding sights of Tambov.

This luxury two-storey house is located in the most prestigious part of the city – in the park on the picturesque bank of the River Tsna (Gogol Street, 1).

explore the mansion

Tags: Tambov city

The Hermitage is a park pavilion built in the Baroque style in the Catherine’s Park in Tsarskoye Selo, the former Russian imperial country residence located near St. Petersburg.

The pavilion, constructed in 1744-1754, served for entertainment meetings of the courtiers. The Hermitage combines white columns, pilasters, architraves, pale turquoise walls and a number of gold-plated elements. Sixty-four decorative columns, stucco garlands, masks, lush window frames don’t leave smooth surfaces. Photos by: deletant.

explore this unique place

Tags: Leningrad oblast · Russian Empire · Saint Petersburg city

St. John the Baptist Convent, founded in 1536, is located in the small town of Vyazma (population about 50,000), in the east of Smolensk region, 210 km from Moscow.

The convent itself is small, on its territory there are two churches: Church of the Ascension with a bell tower and Church of the Icon of the Holy Mother “Hodegetria.”

Church of the Ascension

the beauty of the second church

Tags: churches · smolensk oblast

Lipetsk region is located in the central part of European Russia, about 370 km south of Moscow.

In the region, there are many interesting abandoned churches and manors that have architectural and historical value. Photos by: deni spiri.

Muromtsev’s Manor and church in Balovnevo village. Vladimir Church (1797-1823) is an outstanding example of religious architecture of early classicism.

a trip to Lipetsk region

Tags: churches · Lipetsk oblast

St. Isaac’s Cathedral (the Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) is the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg, located on St. Isaac’s Square.

It is an outstanding example of late classicism with a number of new directions (neo-Renaissance, Byzantine style, eclecticism). This unique architectural structure is a high-altitude dominant of the central part of the city.

architectural masterpiece

Tags: churches · Saint Petersburg city