“Tsvetnik” (meaning “flower garden” in Russian) is the oldest park in the resort-city of Pyatigorsk. It was laid out on the site of a swamp formed by water from hydrogen sulfide sources in the 1820s. By 1850, this place became the recognized center of the resort life of Pyatigorsk. In June 2019, it was reopened after restoration.

In the background you can see the metal-glass building of the Lermontov Gallery (1901) – one of the main historical monuments and symbols of Pyatigorsk, as well as a concert and exhibition complex. The photos were taken by Fedor Lashkov at the end of October.

fly over the park

Tags: Pyatigorsk city · Stavropol krai

Galich, founded in the middle of the 12th century, is a town with a population of about 17 thousand people located in Kostroma Oblast, about 122 km northeast of Kostroma. This is one of the oldest towns in Russia included in the list of historical settlements.

The rich historical and cultural heritage of Galich makes it an interesting town-monument, which original townscape has been relatively well preserved since the times of the late Russian Empire. Galich on Google Maps. Photos by: Vasiliy Nikitinskiy.

picturesque provincial old Russian town

Tags: Kostroma oblast

Tomsk is a city with a population of about 575 thousand people located in the east of Western Siberia on the banks of the Tom River, the capital of Tomsk Oblast.

This city is the oldest educational and scientific center in Siberia. There are a lot of preserved monuments of wooden and stone architecture of the 18th-20th centuries here. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

The House of Merchant Kukhterin (1900). Lenin Avenue, 73.

fly over Tomsk

Tags: Siberia district · Tomsk city

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city with a population of about 200 thousand people located in the southeastern part of Sakhalin Island in the Far East of Russia, the capital of Sakhalin Oblast.

It is the sixth largest city in the Russian Far East, in which Russian and Japanese cultures are closely intertwined. Here you can often see old Japanese buildings and monuments. The distance from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Moscow, if flying by plane, is 6,640 km and 9,280 km (by car). Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Tags: Sakhalin oblast · Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city

Anadyr, the administrative center of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, is a port city with a population of about 15 thousand people located in the extreme north-east of Russia in the permafrost zone.

Today, a fish processing plant and energy enterprises are operating in the city. Gold and coal are being mined in its vicinity. Reindeer husbandry, fishing, and hunting are also developed. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Anadyr

Tags: Anadyr city · Chukotka okrug

The cultural capital of Russia has so much to offer that more than 8 million people visited the city in 2017, and the numbers are growing. Some choose St. Petersburg as the first stop of their Russian holiday and only have time to visit the most iconic buildings and monuments of St. Petersburg, others decide to dedicate some time to explore the less-touristy spots in the city.

To encourage and facilitate international tourism, the Russian government has even launched a new electronic visa system that will allow foreign travelers to apply for an eVisa for St. Petersburg entirely online before leaving for Russia. There has really never been a better time to visit St. Petersburg.

short guide to the second capital of Russia

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Nerekhta is a small provincial town with a population of about 21 thousand people located in Kostroma Oblast, about 47 km southwest of Kostroma and 71 km southeast of Yaroslavl.

First mentioned in 1214, this old town is included in the famous tourist route known as the Golden Ring of Russia. However, due to the fact that the M-8 federal highway passes away from it, tourists rarely come here (especially organized tourist groups). Nerekhta on Google Maps. Photos by: Eduard Skvortsov.

walk around Nerekhta

Tags: Kostroma oblast

The Orthodox Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Basmannaya Sloboda (1705-1728) is one of the few examples of Petrine Baroque in Moscow, inspired by Western European forms and having little in common with Old Russian architectural tradition (Novaya Basmannaya Street, 11).

It is noteworthy that this stone church was built according to the drawing of Peter I. In total, Peter I made eight drawings of churches. Seven of them were built in St. Petersburg, and only one in Moscow.

unique church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic, is a city with a population of about 300 thousand people located in the North Caucasus in the south of the European part of Russia.

During the First and Second Chechen Wars, the city, especially its central part, was almost completely destroyed. In 2003, Grozny was recognized by the UN Commission as the most ruined city on Earth since the Second World War. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Grozny

Tags: Chechnya Republic · Grozny city

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary (1901-1911) is a neo-Gothic church located in Moscow (Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, 27/13).

It is the largest Catholic cathedral in Russia and one of the three currently functioning Catholic churches in Moscow, along with the Church of St. Louis of the French (Malaya Lubyanka, 12/7, str. 8) and the Church of St. Olga of the Roman (Lyublino District, Proyezd Kirova, 6).

picturesque Catholic church

Tags: churches · Moscow city