Petrozavodsk is a city with a population of about 280 thousand people located in the north-west of European Russia, about 430 km northeast of St. Petersburg, the capital of the Republic of Karelia.

In 1703, by decree of Peter the Great, an arms factory was laid on the shore of Lake Onega. Around this factory a settlement began to form, which eventually became a city. The name “Petrozavodsk” literally means “Peter’s factory.” Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Karelia Republic · Petrozavodsk city

Kemerovo is a city with a population of about 560 thousand people, the administrative center of the Kemerovo region located in the south-east of Western Siberia, in the northern part of the Kuznetsk coal basin (Kuzbass).

It is an important administrative, economic, scientific, cultural, transport, and industrial center of Siberia, the largest city of the Kemerovo region. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Chita, founded in 1653, is a city with a population of about 349 thousand people located in the central part of Transbaikalia in Eastern Siberia, the administrative center of the Zabaykalsky region.

This city is an important transportation hub on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The historic center has retained a rectangular grid of streets according to the plan of 1862. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Chita city · Zabaikalsky krai

Veliky Novgorod, one of the oldest cities in Russia, is located in the north-west of the European part of the country. The main attraction of the city is the preserved complex of its medieval fortifications – the Novgorod Kremlin.

Located on the left bank of the Volkhov River, this architectural monument of federal significance as part of the historic center of Veliky Novgorod is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

explore the old Russian fortress

Tags: Novgorod city

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

The Pskov Krom (Kremlin), the core of the Pskov Fortress, is the historical and architectural center of Pskov – one of the oldest cities in Russia located in the north-west of its European part, just a few dozen kilometers from the border with Estonia.

The height of the walls is up to 6-8 meters, the height of the towers is up to 35 meters, the thickness of the walls of the towers is 2.5-6 meters. The total area is 3 hectares. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

feel the spirit of medieval Russia

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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

The federal highway R256 “Chuysky Trakt” (968 km), the oldest route from Siberia to Asia, begins in Novosibirsk and ends at the border with Mongolia, passing through the territory of the Novosibirsk region, the Altai krai and the Altai Republic.

In 2014, National Geographic magazine included the Chuya Highway in the list of the 10 most beautiful highways in the world. Photos by: Alexey Zhirukhin.

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Tags: Altai krai · Altay Republic · Novosibirsk oblast

This year, several dozen holiday venues are open in Moscow to celebrate the New Year 2019. Let’s take a look at how the very center of Moscow (Red and Manezhnaya squares) is decorated for the New Year holidays and still relatively free of celebrating people. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

New Year in Moscow

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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