Franz Josef Land is an archipelago (a group of islands located close together) in the Arctic Ocean, in northern Europe. It is the northernmost archipelago of Russia stretching for 375 km from east to west and 234 km from north to south.

It is part of Arkhangelsk Oblast and consists of more than 200 islands with a total area of about 16,134 square km. Franz Josef Land on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

pristine nature of the Russian Arctic

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast

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

The Galsky Estate is a picturesque noble estate built in the provincial classicism style on the bank of the Sheksna River in the early 19th century. This monument of history and culture of federal significance is located in the city of Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast.

In addition to the main sky-blue house, all the household buildings have also been preserved here. The museum offers interactive excursions, classes on painting, clay modeling, and making folk dolls. The equestrian section is open to children and adults. The Galsky Estate on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

magnificent noble estate

Tags: Cherepovets city · museum · Vologda oblast

The Shoana church, built in the Byzantine architectural style at the end of the 10th century, is one of the oldest Christian churches in Russia.

It is located on the southeastern spur of the very picturesque Shoana Mountain (1,232 meters) on the left bank of the Kuban River in the central part of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia in the foothills of the northwestern Caucasus. Shoana Church on Google Maps. Photos by: Fedor Lashkov.

picturesque mountain church

Tags: Cherkessk city · Karachay-Cherkessia Republic

The Bykovo Estate is a manor complex located in the park in the village of Bykovo in Moscow Oblast, about 40 km southeast of the center of Moscow. This is an outstanding example of Russian architecture and gardening art of the era of Emperor Nicholas I. The territory of the estate and the adjacent park is about 30 hectares.

The main architectural attraction of the Bykovo Estate is the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God – a famous monument of Russian pseudo-Gothic architecture of the 18th century. The Bykovo Estate on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

unusual Orthodox church

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Veshalovka is a village with a population of about 700 people located in Lipetsk Oblast, about 29 km northwest of Lipetsk and 410 km south of Moscow.

The main attraction of Veshalovka is the Orthodox Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” (1794) or simply Znamenskaya built in the pseudo-Gothic style, which is unusual for this part of Russia. Today, it is an architectural monument of federal significance. Veshalovka on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

very picturesque church

Tags: churches · Lipetsk oblast

Smolensk, the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, is one of the oldest cities in Russia. First mentioned in 863, it is located in the west of the country. In the history of Russia, it is known as the “shield city”, which for many centuries served as the defense of Moscow.

Let’s see how Smolensk looked in the last decade of the Russian Empire, in 1912. This is possible thanks to unique color photographs taken by Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944), a pioneer of color photography in the Russian Empire.

unique views of Smolensk

Tags: Smolensk city

The Resurrection Church in Kadashi Sloboda (1687-1695) is a picturesque Orthodox church located in Yakimanka District in Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow (2-Y Kadashevskiy Pereulok, 7).

This church is an outstanding architectural monument built in the style of “Moscow Baroque” characterized by elegance of proportions and delicate silhouette. In 2014-2016, a complete restoration of the facades of the church and the bell tower was carried out. The Resurrection Church in Kadashi Sloboda on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir d’Ar.

beautiful Moscow church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

The Polar Urals is the northernmost part of the Ural Mountains. As well as throughout the Ural watershed, it is a geographical border between Asia and Europe, as well as an administrative border between the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Komi Republic.

These are harsh and sparsely populated places, but due to the fact that the Vorkuta-Labytnangi Railway crosses the Polar Urals, it is relatively easy to get here. In winter, the Nenets come to the mountains of the Polar Urals with their herds of deer. Photos by: Sergey Karpukhin.

the life of nomadic herders

Tags: Salekhard city · Yamalo-Nenets okrug

Today, Yekaterinburg, the fourth largest city in Russia (about 1.5 million people), is the largest administrative, cultural, scientific, and educational center of the Urals.

And here is how Yekaterinburg looked a little over a century ago with a population of about 60 thousand people. These unique color photographs were taken by Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944), a pioneer of color photography in the Russian Empire, in 1909.

The general views of the southern part of Yekaterinburg.

unique photos of Yekaterinburg

Tags: Ekaterinburg city · Sverdlovsk oblast