Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is the largest theater of Novosibirsk and Siberia. The theater building, located on the main square of Novosibirsk is Russia’s largest theater building.

Because of its large size the theater is called “Siberian Coliseum”. The theater building is the pride and symbol of Novosibirsk. Today about 900 people are working there. Photos by Stepanov Slava.

(more…)

Tags: Novosibirsk city · Siberia

Picturesque view of Saint Petersburg is determined by architecture: straight streets, large squares, gardens and parks, rivers and numerous canals, embankments, bridges, monuments and decorative statues.

Among the other interesting places of Saint Petersburg are the fountains. Saint Petersburg is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Gulf Stream causes humid sea climate in Saint-Petersburg. Most days in the year are cloudy and gloomy. Photos by Sergei Nagorny.

(more…)

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

The first Chechen War began in the winter of 1994. Grozny was captured by the Russian army in February of 1995 after a battle. A lot of buildings and infrastructure objects of the city were damaged or destroyed because of the Russian Air Force and artillery strikes.

But the resistance to Russian troops was not ended, and numerous Chechen guerrilla raids continued to operate in the city from the nearby mountains. In August 1996, Grozny was recaptured by Chechen guerrilla in a surprise attack. The battle was ended after a ceasefire (in 1996) and peace treaty (in 1997) was signed between Russia and the Chechen Republic.

(more…)

Tags: Chechnya Republic · Grozny city

Vologda Kremlin is historical and architectural complex located in the central part of Vologda. It was founded as a fortress in 1567 by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and played the role of defensive fortification in the 16th-17th centuries.

By the 1820s the Kremlin walls and towers were dismantled. Today the territory of the Kremlin is a historical and trade center of Vologda. Several architectural monuments built at the same time as the Kremlin were preserved. They are standing on the Kremlin Square. Photos by Ilya Pokrovsky.

(more…)

Tags: churches · Vologda city

There is an abandoned village Ostashevo in Chuhlomskoy district of Kostroma oblast and 100 meters to the east this wooden wonder is standing. The building is an old two-storey house with a tower, full of various carved decoration.

The house was probably built by industrialist Markov at the end of the 19th century. It was his suburban villa (dacha). According to the other version St. Petersburg contractor M.S. Sazonov built this house for his second wife E.A. Dobrovolskaya. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov.

(more…)

Tags: Abandoned · Kostroma oblast

Catherine’s Palace is the former imperial palace, one of the largest in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. The palace is located in the town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo), 25 km south of St. Petersburg.

The architectural trends of each era the palace survived, and personal predilections of Russian rulers of the time were reflected in the history and architecture of the palace. The palace was built in 1717 under the direction of German architect Johann Friedrich Braunshtein as the summer residence of Empress Catherine I.

(more…)

Tags: Leningrad oblast · Saint Petersburg city

Yuriev-Polskiy is one of the oldest towns in Vladimir oblast. This small town with the population of about 19,000 is the part of the Golden Ring of Russia tourist route. Yuriev-Polskiy is located 68 km northwest of Vladimir and 180 km north-east of Moscow.

The town was founded in 1152 by Yuri Dolgoruky. He also ordered to build almost circular stone fort surrounded by an earthen rampart up to 7 meters height. In 1234 in the center of the fortress St. George’s Cathedral was built. It is one of the main attractions of present Yuriev-Polskiy.

(more…)

Tags: Vladimir oblast

Zaraysk is a small town (23,000 people) located in the Moscow region about 145 km from Moscow. The town was mentioned for the first time in 1146. The main attraction of Zaraysk is the Kremlin constructed in 1528-1531.

It is one of the few towns in Russia which is completely preserved. Walking down the streets of Zaraysk sometimes you have the feeling that you get in a small provincial town of the late 19th century. Photos by Maxim Yashin.

(more…)

Tags: Moskovskaya oblast

Once this place located in Moskovskaya oblast was a large estate, the family nest of Soymonov nobles. The estate was founded in the 18th century by Pyotr Alexandrovitch Soymonov. Main buildings of the estate were constructed by N.A.Soymonov including Znamenskaya church built in 1797.

Znamenskaya church is the only remaining building of the former estate of Teploye. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov.

(more…)

Tags: Abandoned · churches · Moskovskaya oblast

Excursions in Saint Petersburg never get bored because the city is fraught with many secrets and stories.

You can see the city from the view of its founder Peter the Great if you take a river tour in St. Petersburg. After going aboard of boat you will dive into the atmosphere of the times of Peter the Great because the city was originally planned as Venice of the North or New Amsterdam.

(more…)

Tags: Saint Petersburg city