Vorkuta is a city with a population of about 52 thousand people located in the very northeast of the Komi Republic, about 180 kilometers from the coast of the Arctic Ocean. It is the sixth largest city in the Arctic Circle and the most eastern city in Europe.

After the collapse of the USSR and the crisis in the mining industry, a lot of residents left the city for the southern regions of Russia. The city’s population has more than halved since 1991. One of the major city districts is completely abandoned now. In winter, the temperature in the city can drop to minus 50 degrees Celsius and here is the result. Photos by: Lana Sator.

frozen Vorkuta

Tags: Abandoned · Komi Republic · Vorkuta city

Irkutsk is the sixth largest city in Siberia with a population of about 617 thousand people, the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast. The city is located in Eastern Siberia, on the banks of the Angara River, at its confluence with the Irkut River (hence the name of the city), about 66 km from Lake Baikal.

Irkutsk is an old Siberian city founded in 1661 and included in the list of historical settlements of Russia. Its historic center is included in the preliminary list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Irkutsk

Tags: Irkutsk city

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

Yaroslavl is one of the oldest Russian cities founded in the 11th century. In 2010, this city located about 260 km northeast of Moscow celebrated its millennium. It is depicted on a 1,000-ruble banknote.

The historical center of Yaroslavl with 140 monuments of architecture is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yaroslavl is traditionally included in the famous tourist route “The Golden Ring of Russia”. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Yaroslavl

Tags: Yaroslavl city

Naryan-Mar (meaning “Red town” in the Nenets language) is a town in Russia with a population of about 25 thousand people, the administrative center and the only town in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

It is located in the Arctic Circle, in the lower reaches of the Pechora River, 110 km from the Barents Sea. The distance from Moscow to Naryan-Mar is about 1,500 km, from Arkhangelsk – 660 km. The nearest railway station – Usinsk – is located at a distance of 350 km. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

aerial view of Naryan-Mar

Tags: Naryan-Mar city · Nenets okrug

Veliky Ustyug is a town with a population of about 31 thousand people located in the north-east of Vologda Oblast in the north of the European part of Russia, about 446 km from Vologda.

First mentioned in 1212, it is one of the oldest Russian towns with a rich cultural heritage. There are 28 preserved churches of the 17th-18th centuries in Veliky Ustyug. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

picturesque old Russian town

Tags: Vologda oblast

The Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity in Nikitniki (the Church of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God on Varvarka) is a great example of the Russian (Muscovite) uzorochye of the middle of the 17th century.

It was built by Yaroslavl merchants in Kitay-Gorod, a cultural and historical area within the central part of Moscow, in 1628-1651. In Soviet times, this part of the city was built up with administrative buildings, but the church was preserved and used as a museum. The Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity in Nikitniki on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir d’Ar.

picturesque old church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

Akademgorodok (literally “the town of academicians”), founded in 1957, is located about 20 kilometers south of the center of Novosibirsk, on the right bank of the Novosibirsk reservoir.

It is one of the most important scientific and educational centers in Russia. On its territory there are dozens of research institutes, the Presidium of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, and a physics and mathematics school. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

a town of scientists in the middle of the forest

Tags: Novosibirsk city

Staraya Russa, first mentioned in 1167, is a town of about 28 thousand people located in Novgorod Oblast in the northwest of European Russia, about 96 km south of Veliky Novgorod.

This is one of the oldest Russian towns with a large number of preserved architectural monuments of different eras. Staraya Russa on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexander Lipilin.

very picturesque provincial town

Tags: Novgorod oblast

Arkhangelsk is a city with a population of about 350 thousand people located in the north of the European part of Russia, at the mouth of the Northern Dvina River, 30-35 kilometers from its confluence with the White Sea. It is the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast and the largest city of the Russian North.

Founded in 1584, this city is traditionally considered the capital of Pomor’e – an original region located on the southern coast of the White Sea, distinguished by its culture and even a special dialect of the Russian language. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Arkhangelsk

Tags: Arkhangelsk city