Nilo-Stolbenskaya Pustyn (Nilova Pustyn) is an Orthodox monastery located on Stolbnoy Island on Lake Seliger, 10 km north of the town of Ostashkov in the Tver region. The distance from Ostashkov to the monastery by road is about 25 km.

Founded in 1594, it was one of the largest and wealthiest monasteries in the Russian Empire. At the end of the 1980s, a significant part of the buildings were either lost or in a dilapidated state.

fly over the monastery

Tags: Tver oblast

Kaliningrad, until July 4, 1946 – Koenigsberg, is the administrative center of the Kaliningrad region, the westernmost regional center of Russia.

If you want to see Kaliningrad from unusual angles, then you can go for a boat ride on the Pregolya River, which will cost you about $ 10. Photos by: Vasiliy Nikitinskiy.

Near the ethnographic center “Fish Village” – the place where the boat trip begins.

Kaliningrad – the view from the river

Tags: Kaliningrad city

The former Rukavishnikov Manor located in Nizhny Novgorod (Verkhnevolzhskaya Embankment Street, 7) is an architectural and cultural monument and perhaps the most beautiful building in the city.

It was built by M.G. Rukavishnikov, the owner of the first steel plant in Nizhny Novgorod. His heir S.M. Rukavishnikov turned the estate into a magnificent complex with a house in the style of an Italian palazzo. Photos by: Ruslan Viktorov.

architectural gem of the city

Tags: Nizhny Novgorod city

The tract of Akkurum (Ak-Korum) is located on the right bank of the Chulyshman River, about 15 km from its confluence with Lake Teletskoye, in the Ulagan district of the Altai Republic.

Akkurum, meaning “white rockslide”, is a very picturesque place which main attraction is the group of so-called “stone mushrooms” – stone pillars formed as a result of wind and water erosion and reaching a height of 7 meters. Akkurum on Google Maps. Photos by: Andrei Kireev.

beautiful nature monument

Tags: Altay Republic

Myshkin is a small town with a population of only about 5,700 people located on the left, high bank of the Volga River (Rybinsk Reservoir), in the Myshkin district of the Yaroslavl region.

Since the mid-1990s, Myshkin has become a major tourist center. In the town, a complex of museums (Myshkin People’s Museum) is formed, which includes a museum of mouse – the symbol of the town. Photos by: zhzhitel.

explore this unique museum

Tags: Yaroslavl oblast

St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, is located in the north-west of the country, on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and at the mouth of the Neva River. It was named after St. Peter, the patron saint of Peter the Great, the founder of the city.

The historical center of St. Petersburg and its monuments are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is one of the most important tourism centers in Russia. Photos by: deletant.

unique boat trip

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

The Astrakhan Kremlin is a historical and architectural complex, which is an integral ensemble of monuments of defense architecture, cult and civil architecture.

Today, it is not only a monument of Russian architecture. There is an ethnographic museum with a very rich collection of exhibits. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

take a stroll in the Astrakhan Kremlin

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Arsenal is a park pavilion built in 1819-1834, designed by the architects Adam Menelas and Alexander Ton. It was used as the Imperial Weapons Museum that became one of the first museums in the country.

This building in the “Gothic” style, crowned with crenellated towers, is located in the center of the Alexander Park in Tsarskoye Selo – a museum-preserve in the town of Pushkin in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. Photos by: Dmitriy Gazin.

explore the museum

Tags: museum · Saint Petersburg city

The Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery is one of the largest and most famous monasteries in Russia with a long history.

This is one of the most valuable and interesting historical and architectural complexes in the country. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of the town of Pechora in the Pskov region, near the border with Estonia. Pskov-Caves Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Denis Spirin.

explore the fortress-monastery

Tags: Pskov oblast

Staritsa, founded in 1297, is a small town with a population of about 8,000 people located in the Tver region, 65 km south-west of Tver. There are several churches and estates in the town and its surroundings.

One of the most interesting churches is the complex of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – unique in its appearance. Staritsa on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitriy Gazin.

picturesque abandoned church

Tags: churches · Tver oblast