Izborsk, first mentioned in 862, is one of the oldest Russian towns. Today, it is a tourist center with the status of the state historical, cultural and natural museum-reserve located in the Pechora district of the Pskov region, 32 km south-west of Pskov.

The main attraction of Izborsk is its old limestone fortress built in the first half of the 14th century. Inside you can also see the Nikolsky Cathedral of the 14th century. Izborsk Fortress on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

picturesque stone fortress

Tags: Pskov oblast

The ensemble of the Monastery of St. Jacob Saviour (Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery in Russian) stands on the shore of Lake Nero on the western outskirts of Rostov Veliky (Rostov the Great) – one of the oldest towns in Russia, located 58 km south-west of Yaroslavl.

The panorama of this monastery with a picturesque combination of architectural forms of various styles – pseudo-Gothic towers, baroque and classical churches – gives the impression of a fairy tale castle perfectly fitting the lake landscape. Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

fly over the monastery

Tags: churches · Yaroslavl oblast

The Borisoglebsky Monastery in Torzhok, a town located 63 km north-west of Tver, is considered the oldest monastery in the Tver region.

It was founded by the boyar Efrem, a former stableman of Kiev Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, in 1038. That year a stone church was built, named in honor of Boris and Gleb – the first saints of Kievan Rus. Torzhok on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

beautiful old monastery

Tags: churches · Tver oblast

Krasnoye is a village with a population of about 400 people located in the Staritsky district of the Tver region, 100 km south-west of Tver.

The main attraction of the village is a beautiful pseudo-Gothic church – the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior (1785-1790) built on the territory of the former estate of the noble family of Poltoratsky. Krasnoye on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

magnificent church

Tags: churches · Tver oblast

The Central Children’s Store on Lubyanka or Tsentral’nyy Detskiy Magazin (in Russian) is a department store with goods for children and youth built in the center of Moscow in 1953-1957. Opened in 1957, it became the biggest children’s store in the USSR.

In 2005, the building received the status of a cultural heritage site of the regional level. In 2006-2015, the building was completely reconstructed. The Central Children’s Store on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

center of Moscow from the roof

Tags: Moscow city

This album of projects of urban and rural buildings of the Russian Empire was compiled by the engineer-architect V.G.Zalessky with the participation of a number of other engineers and architects in 1881 – a very interesting document of its time with beautiful illustrations. Source: humus.

architecture of the Russian Empire

Tags: Russian Empire

Rostov Boris and Gleb Monastery, founded in 1363, is an Orthodox monastery located in the village of Borisoglebsky in the Yaroslavl region, on the road from Rostov to Uglich, 76 km south-west of Yaroslavl, part of the famous tourist route “The Golden Ring of Russia”.

The architectural complex of the monastery was fully formed in the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was one of the richest in the Rostov metropolia, while the Moscow princes and the first Russian tsars considered it as their “home” monastery. After the 17th century, the architectural ensemble remained almost unchanged. Rostov Boris and Gleb Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Mikhail Aritkin.

picturesque old monastery

Tags: Yaroslavl oblast

The Resurrection Monastery or New Jerusalem Monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church is located in the town of Istra in the Moscow region, 73 km north-west of Moscow.

The monastery was founded by Patriarch Nikon in 1656. According to his plan, a complex of holy places of Palestine was to be recreated near Moscow. The New Jerusalem Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Mikhail Aritkin.

amazing monastery

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Sheremetev Castle is a picturesque palace and park ensemble and an architectural monument of federal significance located in the village of Yurino in the Republic of Mari El, on the bank of the Volga River.

In 1812, Yurino was bought by the landowner Vasili Sheremetev. The construction of the castle, which lasted from 1874 to 1915, involved three generations of Sheremetevs and seven architects. Sheremetev Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

magnificent brick palace

Tags: Cheboksary city · Mari El Republic · Yoshkar-Ola city

The Holy Trinity Convent in Murom, one of the oldest cities in Russia located in the Vladimir region, 129 km southeast of Vladimir, is known for preserving the relics of St. Peter and Fevronia, who are revered in the country as patrons of the family and marriage.

It was founded in the second quarter of the 17th century (1643) by the Murom merchant Tarasy Borisovich Tsvetnov. Holy Trinity Convent in Murom on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

fly over the convent

Tags: Murom city · Vladimir oblast