Kolomna is a city with a population of about 140 thousand people located in the south of the Moscow region, about 113 km southeast of the center of Moscow. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the region.

The city has a rare monument of old Russian defensive architecture – the Kolomna Kremlin. Its main attraction is the Assumption Cathedral (1672-1682), the main cathedral of Kolomna. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

beautiful cathedral

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Given there’s such an abundance of things to see and do in Russia, one interesting way to explore this massive country is to add a theme to your visit. For those of us who are passionate about classic literature, this is a land which has inspired some of the greatest classic authors and their works, providing us with an opportunity to visit locations that undoubtedly inspired their writings.

Considered one of the greatest psychologists in world literature, Fyodor Dostoevsky is perhaps best known for his 1866 masterwork, Crime and Punishment, or subsequent novels such as The Idiot published in 1869 and Demons in 1872. Many of his great works offer an unrivaled view of life in Tsarist Russia during the mid-to-late 19th century, shaped by the environment in which he lived and worked, along with the social and political landscape of the era.

In this article, we take a look at key locations in Russia where Dostoevsky is fondly remembered, which inevitably helped formulate the great literary works for which he is renowned.

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one of the greatest Russian writers

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There is a rather unique place located about 60 km west of Ekaterinburg, the capital of the Sverdlovsk region – a huge abandoned railway tunnel named after the village of Didino, which is also almost completely abandoned at the moment. But in the past life was in full swing here.

Construction of the tunnel lasted from 1914 to 1918. During the Civil War in Russia, this tunnel was of great strategic importance. Kolchak’s echelons passed through it retreating to Siberia, which gave rise to legends of countless treasures, which the White Command left somewhere in these places saving them from the Bolsheviks. The Didino Tunnel on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Solodyankin.

explore the tunnel

Tags: Abandoned · Ekaterinburg city · Sverdlovsk oblast

Tyumen, founded in 1586, is a large city with a population of more than 700 thousand people located in the south of Western Siberia, about 2,200 km east of Moscow, the administrative center of the Tyumen region.

It was founded as a defensive outpost, which played an important role during the initial colonization of Siberia and the Far East. In the 18th-19th centuries, the town turned into a large transit and trade center, as well as a center of crafts. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Tyumen

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Izborsk, first mentioned in 862, is one of the oldest Russian towns. Today, it is a tourist center with the status of the state historical, cultural and natural museum-reserve located in the Pechora district of the Pskov region, 32 km south-west of Pskov.

The main attraction of Izborsk is its old limestone fortress built in the first half of the 14th century. Inside you can also see the Nikolsky Cathedral of the 14th century. Izborsk Fortress on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

picturesque stone fortress

Tags: Pskov oblast

The ensemble of the Monastery of St. Jacob Saviour (Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery in Russian) stands on the shore of Lake Nero on the western outskirts of Rostov Veliky (Rostov the Great) – one of the oldest towns in Russia, located 58 km south-west of Yaroslavl.

The panorama of this monastery with a picturesque combination of architectural forms of various styles – pseudo-Gothic towers, baroque and classical churches – gives the impression of a fairy tale castle perfectly fitting the lake landscape. Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

fly over the monastery

Tags: churches · Yaroslavl oblast

The Borisoglebsky Monastery in Torzhok, a town located 63 km north-west of Tver, is considered the oldest monastery in the Tver region.

It was founded by the boyar Efrem, a former stableman of Kiev Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, in 1038. That year a stone church was built, named in honor of Boris and Gleb – the first saints of Kievan Rus. Torzhok on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

beautiful old monastery

Tags: churches · Tver oblast

1. To make the longest train trip in the world.

What comes to your mind when you hear “traveling to Russia“? Probably first thing is that Russia is the biggest country in the world. The second thing is Russian winter and fur hats, and the third stereotype is an expectation to see Russian bear playing on balalaika and drinking vodka.

Russia is not only these things mentioned above, though it’s hard to meet a bear somewhere in the street. Russia is first of all diversity. Diversity means a range of different cultures, traditions, cuisines, natural landscape, people.

explore Russia by train

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“Grand Maket Rossiya”, a private museum located in St. Petersburg (Tsvetochnaya Street, 16), is a 1:87 scale model layout with a total area of 800 square meters, where typical scenes from life of different regions of the Russian Federation are combined.

This is the largest model layout in Russia and the second largest in the world (after Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany). It is very detailed, let’s look only at some of the presented mini-plots. Grand Maket Rossiya on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

amazing mini Russia

Tags: museum · Saint Petersburg city

Krasnoye is a village with a population of about 400 people located in the Staritsky district of the Tver region, 100 km south-west of Tver.

The main attraction of the village is a beautiful pseudo-Gothic church – the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior (1785-1790) built on the territory of the former estate of the noble family of Poltoratsky. Krasnoye on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

magnificent church

Tags: churches · Tver oblast