Ekaterinburg (from 1942 till 1991 – Sverdlovsk) is the fourth largest city in Russia (after Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Novosibirsk), an administrative center of Sverdlovsk oblast.

The city is one of the largest financial and business centers in Russia, offices of transnational corporations are located here as well as representations of foreign companies, a great number of federal and regional financial institutions.

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Tags: bird's eye views · Ekaterinburg city

Yuriev-Polskiy is one of the oldest towns in Vladimir oblast. This small town with the population of about 19,000 is the part of the Golden Ring of Russia tourist route. Yuriev-Polskiy is located 68 km northwest of Vladimir and 180 km north-east of Moscow.

The town was founded in 1152 by Yuri Dolgoruky. He also ordered to build almost circular stone fort surrounded by an earthen rampart up to 7 meters height. In 1234 in the center of the fortress St. George’s Cathedral was built. It is one of the main attractions of present Yuriev-Polskiy.

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Tags: Vladimir oblast

Teriberka is a village located in the Kola district of Murmansk oblast. Kola Peninsula is a peninsula on the north-west of European Russia washed by the Barents and White Seas. The area of the peninsula is about 100 thousand sq. km.

The first mention of the encampment Teriberka was in 1523. At the end of the 19th century it was already a well-developed village with church, lighthouse, hydrometeostation (first on the Murman coast). In 1938 Teriberka received the status of urban settlement.

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Tags: Abandoned · Murmansk oblast

The State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia, State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Russia, or just the Bolshoi Theater is one of the largest in Russia and one of the most significant opera and ballet theaters in the world. The complex of theater buildings is located in the center of Moscow, at the Teatralnaya (Theater) Square.

July 1, 2005 the theater was closed for the long-planned reconstruction. On Friday, October 28, 2011 after six years of large-scale reconstruction the Bolshoi Theater was reopened.

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Tags: Moscow city

Zaraysk is a small town (23,000 people) located in the Moscow region about 145 km from Moscow. The town was mentioned for the first time in 1146. The main attraction of Zaraysk is the Kremlin constructed in 1528-1531.

It is one of the few towns in Russia which is completely preserved. Walking down the streets of Zaraysk sometimes you have the feeling that you get in a small provincial town of the late 19th century. Photos by Maxim Yashin.

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Tags: Moskovskaya oblast

“Capital City” is a complex of two tall towers named after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and 18-story building connecting them. The construction was started in 2003, but soon was halted after the redesign.

In 2005 the construction was resumed. The complex was completed in late 2009. The tower “Moscow” (301.6 m) is the highest building in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Europe. Photos by Viktor Ulyanov.

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Tags: Moscow city

Interesting set of original black&white and color photographs of the cities and towns of the Russian Empire taken in 1890-1912.

Tags: Russian Empire

Once this place located in Moskovskaya oblast was a large estate, the family nest of Soymonov nobles. The estate was founded in the 18th century by Pyotr Alexandrovitch Soymonov. Main buildings of the estate were constructed by N.A.Soymonov including Znamenskaya church built in 1797.

Znamenskaya church is the only remaining building of the former estate of Teploye. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov.

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Tags: Abandoned · churches · Moskovskaya oblast

On the territory of Torzhok (small town in Tver oblast) the 344th Training Center of Army Aviation Pilots is located. The center includes the 696th instructors’ helicopters testing regiment. The regiment conducts the testing of all current models and modifications of Russian military helicopters.

Since 1989 there is a helicopter museum on the territory of the center. The unique collection of the museum has 14 machines representing the history of the helicopters in the USSR. Photos by Denis Mokrushin.

Mi-1. The first Soviet helicopter constructed in 1948. It was used for training in flight schools until the mid-1970s.

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Tags: museum · Soviet past · Tver oblast

Tyumen was the first Russian city in Siberia. Being an administrative and business center of the largest oil- and gas-extracting region Tyumen is unofficial “oil and gas capital” of Russia.

The following pictures were captured from the tallest building in Tyumen, residential complex “Parusa” (25 floors, 78 meters). The building is located at the intersection of Melnikaite and Taimyr streets. Photos by Stepanov Slava.

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Tags: Tyumen city