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

“The Kingdom of Permafrost” is a unique complex, which is a huge, always frozen cave near Mount Chochur-Muran on the outskirts of Yakutsk. In Soviet times, this place was used as a huge cellar for storing food.

The tourist complex first opened its doors to all visitors in 2008. Since then, it has become one of the main tourist sites in Yakutsk. Photos by: zavodfoto.

beautiful frozen cave

Tags: Sakha Republic · Yakutsk city

Yepifan, founded on the left bank of the Don River in 1566, is a village with a population of about 2,200 people located in the east of Tula Oblast, about 94 km southeast of Tula. This village is included in the list of historical settlements of Russia.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built here from 1680 to 1720, is one of the most picturesque churches in the region. Yepifan on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

beautiful church on a hill

Tags: churches · Tula oblast

The Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery is a monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church located in the town of Istra in Moscow Oblast, about 40 km northwest of Moscow.

The monastery was founded by Patriarch Nikon in 1656. According to his plan, the complex of holy places in Palestine was to be recreated near Moscow. By the end of 2016, restoration work was completed in the monastery. New Jerusalem Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

one of the best monasteries in Russia

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, a major port on the left bank of the Volga River, one of the largest economic, scientific, educational, religious, cultural, and sports centers of Russia.

This city, often called the third capital of Russia, is one of the most popular cities for tourists in Russia. Photos by: Kirill Zdorov.

night lights of Kazan

Tags: Kazan city · Tatarstan Republic

Astrakhan, the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast, is one of the largest and oldest cities in southern Russia included in the list of historical cities of the country.

This city with a population of about half a million people is located in the upper part of the delta of the Volga River, on 11 islands of the Caspian Lowland, about 80 km from the Caspian Sea. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over the center of Astrakhan

Tags: Astrakhan city

Ulakhan-Sis is a mountain range with a length of about 200 km and a height of up to 754 meters located among the endless swampy forests in the north-east of Yakutia.

Here you can see a large number of various granite pillars 25-30 meters high. This is a very inaccessible place, people don’t live here. The first tourists started visiting it only a few years ago. Ulakhan-Sis on Google Maps. Photos by: Petr Ushanov.

on the very edge of the world

Tags: Sakha Republic · Yakutsk city

Syzran is a city with a population of about 173 thousand people located in the west of Samara Oblast, the third largest city in the region after Samara and Tolyatti.

The city is located on the right bank of the Volga River (Saratov Reservoir), at the mouth of the Syzranka River. In its central part, Syzran retained the appearance of a merchant Volga town of the 19th century. In total, there are 143 monuments of history, culture, and architecture on its territory. Photos by: Kirill Zdorov.

fly over Syzran

Tags: Samara oblast · Syzran city

Rybinsk, first mentioned in 1071, is the second largest city in Yaroslavl Oblast located on the banks of the Volga River, about 87 km northwest of Yaroslavl and 313 km north of Moscow.

During the time of the Russian Empire, it was the country’s largest grain trading center. After the construction of the Rybinsk Hydroelectric Power Station in the 1930s, the Rybinsk Reservoir located to the north-west of the city, became the largest artificial reservoir in the world of its time. Photos by: Roman Smirnov.

fly over the center of Rybinsk

Tags: Rybinsk city · Yaroslavl oblast

Sviyazhsk is a historic town with a population of about 240 people located on an island at the confluence of the Sviyaga and the Volga rivers in the Republic of Tatarstan, about 58 km south-west of Kazan.

Founded as a fortress in 1551, it became the base of Russian troops during the siege of Kazan, the capital of the Kazan Khanate, in 1552. Sviyazhsk became the first Orthodox town in the Middle Volga region, the center of the Christianization of the peoples of the Volga region. Sviyazhsk on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexander Butenko.

Sviyazhsk River Station.

a very picturesque town

Tags: Kazan city · Tatarstan Republic