Nizhny Novgorod (often called simply Nizhny) is a city with a population of more than 1 million people located 400 km east of Moscow, the administrative center of the Volga Federal District and Nizhny Novgorod region.

The city, founded in 1221, is located in the center of the East European Plain, at the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers. It is one of the largest centers of river tourism in Russia. The historical part of Nizhny Novgorod is rich in tourist attractions, it is an important tourist center. Photos by: Stepanov Slava.

explore the city

Tags: Nizhny Novgorod city

Luke Duggleby is a British photographer who has been traveling the world for almost five years taking pictures of people extracting salt. His publisher decided that the photographer should visit Russia.

After a lot of research, Luke found the information about the little-known Caucasian republic – Dagestan.

the trip to beautiful Dagestan

Tags: Dagestan Republic

Zaklyuchye Manor is located in the Tver region. You can reach it, if you drive on the M-10 highway from Moscow to St. Petersburg, and before reaching the city of Valdai and Lake Valdai take a turn to Borovichi. About 50 km from it, there is Lykoshino station. Nearby, hidden in the woods, on the bank of a forest lake, you will find this “castle.”

The estate appeared in the late 19th century. It was built for the St. Petersburg architect and artist Alexander Sergeyevich Khrenov. Many artists, architects and writers of that time tried to disappear in nature. Photos by: Dmitriy Gazin.

picturesque abandoned castle

Tags: Abandoned · Tver oblast

Murmansk is a city with a population of about 300 thousand people located in the northwest of Russia, the administrative center of Murmansk oblast.

Murmansk is the world’s largest city located north of the Arctic Circle. The city stretches more than 20 km along the rocky eastern coast of the Kola Bay, 50 km from the open sea (the Barents Sea).

Murmansk from above

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Shikotan, meaning “the best place”, is the largest island of the Lesser Kuril Islands, part of the Sakhalin region. Japan disputes Russia’s ownership of Shikotan; it sees it as part of Nemuro province, Hokkaido prefecture.

Until 1855, the island was part of the Russian Empire. February 7, 1855, according to the Russian-Japanese treaty of trade and boundaries (“Shimoda Treaty”), the island was given to Japan with the rest of the southern Kurils. In 1945, after Japan’s defeat in World War II, the islands were captured by the Soviet Union.

the island of tanks

Tags: Abandoned · Sakhalin oblast

Kalacheevskaya Cave, a unique structure built in the chalk hill, is located on the right bank of the Tolucheevka River (the left tributary of the Don River), in the town of Kalach, Voronezh oblast.

It is the longest cave in the region. The total length of the cave is about 1 km. The cave was probably created in the 18th-19th centuries, it was used as an underground monastery. Photos by: vmulder.

let’s go underground

Tags: Voronezh oblast

In Kazan, the capital city of Tatarstan Republic, there is an amazing place that combines the world’s major religions. It is called the Temple of All Religions or the Temple of Seven Religions or the Universal Temple.

The temple combines images of religious buildings of different faiths in an attempt to achieve harmony and peaceful coexistence. Photos by: Anton Petrus.

unique colorful temple

Tags: churches · Kazan city

Let’s go into a little trip to the mountains of the Itum-Kalinsky district of Chechnya. The southernmost district of the republic, it is rich in historical and natural monuments.

The district occupies an area of 2000 square kilometers, the population is about 6,000 people. The distance to Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya, is about 78 km. In the south, this district is bordered by Georgia. Photos by: Timur Agirov.

To the mountains!

Tags: Chechnya Republic

Tsarskoye Selo is a museum-reserve located in Pushkin town, part of St. Petersburg. It includes a palace and park ensemble of the 18th-19th centuries, the former imperial country residence.

In the center of the Catherine’s Park, which is part of the museum-reserve, you can see the beautiful body of water called the Bolshoy (Great) Pond. Photos by: Yuri Yuhanson.

the sights of the Great Pond

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Let’s continue our flight over the sights of St. Petersburg, the second major city in Russia.

The second part of photos taken from a helicopter during the flight over the city. The first part. Photos by: Stepanov Slava.

The intersection of Bolshoy Prospekt and Andreevsky Boulevard.

fly over St. Petersburg

Tags: Saint Petersburg city