St. George’s Cathedral, a white-stone church located in the central part of the ancient Russian town of Yuryev-Polsky in the Vladimir region, is an outstanding monument of ancient Russian architecture.

The cathedral was built by Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich in 1230-1234. In 1326-1327, on the model of St. George’s Cathedral, the first stone church was built in Moscow – the Cathedral of the Assumption. Photos by: Pavel Labutin.

beautiful ancient temple

Tags: Vladimir oblast

Sunduki (meaning “chests”) is a mountain range, natural and historic monument located in Ordzhonikidze and Shirinsky districts of the Republic of Khakassia.

One of the most mysterious places in Khakassia, this mountain range got its name from the most northern mountain – “Sunduk” (“chest”), on top of which there is a rock in the form of a cube. Sunduki on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Filinin.

stone waves of Khakassia

Tags: Khakassia republic

Serguei Fomine, a photographer from Russia, began his project “Russia From Above” in 2003. The project is an artistic photo shoot of the most visually attractive natural, historical and architectural sites located on the territory of the country.

A lot of his photos are unique because these hard to reach places have never been photographed before. Let’s take a look at some of these photos.

Acid lake in the crater of Maliy Semyachik volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

fly over Russia

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · Kamchatka krai · Khabarovsk krai · Krasnodar krai

Petr Kosyh, an amateur photographer from St. Petersburg, traveled about 10,000 km on the Russian North and visited such places as Solovki, Kizhi, Valaam, Pushkinogorye, Vitoslavlitsy, Kenozersky National Park, Ruskeala, Ladoga Skerries, Veppsky forest, abandoned and forgotten villages.

As a result, you can enjoy the following picture collection of magnificent landscapes and monuments of wooden architecture united under a single name “the Soul of Russia.”

Parts 2 and 3

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · Karelia Republic · Leningrad oblast · Murmansk oblast

The following beautiful autumn photos were taken in the area of Lake Akkem at the foot of the northern slope of Mount Belukha.

It is the highest peak of the Altai mountains (4,509 m) located in Ust-Koksinsky district of the Altai Republic. Lake Akkem on Google Maps. Photos by: Anton Petrus.

magnificent colors of autumn

Tags: Altay Republic

Kiprovo (formerly Saunino) is a small village with a population of about 200 people located in the Kargopol district of the Arkhangelsk region, 5 km from the town of Kargopol.

The village is known for its beautiful wooden church of St. John Chrysostom (1665) with a bell tower. The pictures of this architectural ensemble show how diverse wooden architecture can be depending on the view angle. Church of St. John Chrysostom in Saunino on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

wooden beauty of the Russian North

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · churches

The Ergaki Nature Park is located in Ermakovsky and Karatuzsky districts in the south of Krasnoyarsk krai. It is a real natural “pearl” of the region.

This amazingly beautiful place is a mountain range with a variety of bizarre peaks, lakes and waterfalls.

the beauty of Ergaki

Tags: Krasnoyarsk krai

The mountain park “Ruskeala” is a unique man-caused and natural landscape and tourist attraction, tourist complex located in Sortavala district of the Republic of Karelia, near the village of Ruskeala, 30 km north of the city of Sortavala, on the banks of the Tohmajoki River.

The basis of the complex is a former marble quarry filled with groundwater – the object of cultural heritage, the monument of history. The length of the quarry from north to south is 460 meters, the width – up to 100 meters.

explore the flooded quarry

Tags: Karelia Republic

This beautiful wooden church, Church of the Transfiguration, was built in 1786. It is located in a small village of Posad (the central part of the village of Turchasovo) in the Onega district of the Arkhangelsk region.

To get to this village with a population of only about 100 people, you can either go by boat or over the ice in winter. Transfiguration Church in Posad on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

magnificent church

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · churches

Tsakhur is a small village with a population of about 500 people located in a picturesque place in the south of Dagestan, in the Rutulsky district, a few kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan.

The village is situated in the valley of the Samur River, Dagestan’s second largest river. From the 7th to the 16th centuries, it was the capital of the Tsakhur Khanate that avoided the Mongol conquest. Tsakhur on Google Maps. Photos by: Petr Ushanov.

explore the village

Tags: Dagestan Republic