Ufa, a city with a population of about 1.1 million people, is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan – the first national autonomous republic on the territory of today’s Russia located on the western slopes of the Southern Urals.

This city is one of the largest economic, cultural and scientific centers of the country. The length of Ufa from north to south is 53.5 km, from west to east – 29.8 km in the widest part. It is the fifth longest city in Russia after Volgograd, Sochi, Novyy Urengoy, and Perm. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Bashkortostan Republic · Ufa city

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity is a picturesque Orthodox church located in the west of Moscow on the territory of the former estate of Troitse-Lykovo on the right high bank of the Moscow River.

The church was built in 1694-1697 (according to other sources – 1698-1703) and became one of the first church buildings constructed in the style of the so-called Moscow Baroque, a synthesis of western Baroque and old Russian national style. Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

magnificent stone church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

Ulan-Ude is a city with a population of 435 thousand people located about 100 km east of Lake Baikal, the capital of the Republic of Buryatia, a major cultural, scientific, industrial center of Eastern Siberia. Also it is one of the centers of Buddhism in Russia, along with Elista.

Ulan-Ude has a unique historical and cultural heritage. There are more than 200 cultural heritage sites in the city: monuments of architecture and city planning, as well as monuments of art. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Buryat Republic · Ulan-Ude city

Kolomna, founded in 1177, is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Moscow region located about 100 km south-east of Moscow.

One of the architectural landmarks of Kolomna is the Church of St. John the Apostle built in 1733-1756. In 1826-1846, a new five-tiered bell tower in the Empire style was built. Today, this 67 meters high bell tower still remains one of the tallest buildings in the city. Church of St. John the Apostle on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

very elegant church

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Tobolsk, the center of the development of Siberia founded in 1587, is a city with a population of about 100 thousand people located in the north of the Tyumen region, at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh rivers.

In the past, it was the capital of the Siberian province – one of the largest in the Russian Empire. Today, Tobolsk is one of the most important centers of educational tourism in Siberia and a major industrial center of Russia in the field of gas chemistry. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Tobolsk city · Tyumen oblast

Yekaterinburg (from 1924 to 1991 – Sverdlovsk) is a city with a population of about 1.5 million people, the administrative center of the Ural Federal District and the Sverdlovsk region, the fourth largest city of Russia.

Located on the eastern slope of the Middle Urals, along the banks of the Iset River, it was founded as an ironworks in 1723 and named after Empress Catherine I. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Ekaterinburg city · Sverdlovsk oblast

Tyumen, founded in 1586, is a large city with a population of more than 700 thousand people located in the south of Western Siberia, about 2,200 km east of Moscow, the administrative center of the Tyumen region.

It was founded as a defensive outpost, which played an important role during the initial colonization of Siberia and the Far East. In the 18th-19th centuries, the town turned into a large transit and trade center, as well as a center of crafts. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Tyumen city

Khovrino Abandoned Hospital (also known as Umbrella) is a huge building located in the north of Moscow in the Khovrino District. The building area is 100 thousand square meters, the total land area – 2.4 hectares.

Construction of the hospital began in 1980. However, after five years of construction, it was suspended in 1985. From that moment on, the hospital remained unfinished and abandoned. October 23, 2018, the demolition of the building began. Khovrino Abandoned Hospital on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexander Popov.

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Tags: Abandoned · Moscow city

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

Novosibirsk, the administrative center of the Siberian Federal District and the Novosibirsk region, is the third largest city in Russia. It is the largest trade, business, cultural, industrial, transport, and scientific center of Siberia.

The population of Novosibirsk is about 1.6 million people. The city is located on both banks of the Ob River near the Novosibirsk reservoir. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Novosibirsk city