Beautiful Church of the Sign of Our Lady is located in the village of Dubrovitsy, Podolsky district, Moscow region, about 36 km from the center of Moscow, near Podolsk.

The church was built of white stone in 1690-1703. It is famous for its unique, unusual for Russia architecture. Most probably foreign (possibly Italian) masters were involved in the construction. Church in Dubrovitsy on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

architectural masterpiece

Tags: Moskovskaya oblast · Podolsk city

Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan and a major port on the left bank of the Volga River, is located 820 kilometers east of Moscow.

This city with a population of about 1.2 million people is one of the largest economic, scientific, educational, cultural and sports centers in Russia. In 2005, Kazan celebrated its millennium.

Kazan Kremlin, the oldest part of the city

explore Kazan city

Tags: Kazan city

Toropets is a small town with a population of about 12 thousand people located in Tver region, 400 km to the west of Moscow. It is one of the oldest towns in the country founded in 1074.

The rich historical past of the town left a considerable legacy. On the territory of Toropets, there are dozens of monuments of culture of national and regional importance. Photos by: Petr Ushanov, Ivan Dyomkin.

let’s fly over Toropets

Tags: Tver oblast

Kizhi churchyard or just Kizhi is a world famous architectural ensemble situated on the island of Kizhi in Lake Onega (Karelia Republic).

It consists of two churches and a bell tower of the 18th-19th centuries surrounded by a wall. In 1990, Kizhi churchyard was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is one of the most valuable objects of cultural heritage of Russia. Kizhi churchyard on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

beautiful wooden architecture

Tags: Karelia Republic

Veliky Novgorod is a city located in the northwest of Russia, the administrative center of Novgorod Oblast. It is one of the oldest and most famous cities of Russia which celebrated its 1150th anniversary in 2009.

Veliky Novgorod preserved a lot of unique monuments of ancient Russian architecture of the pre-Mongol period. It is the only ancient Russian city that avoided decay in the 11th-12th centuries. Let’s look at some of them. Photo by: deni spiri.

Veliky Novgorod Kremlin

take a walk

Tags: Novgorod city

The second part of pictures showing the great variety of Russian landscapes, cities and towns. The first part can be found here: Toy-like Russia – Part 1. Photos by: Stepanov Slava.

Mirniy city in Yakutia

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Tula Kremlin, a stone fortress located in the center of Tula, is a monument of Russian defense architecture of the 16th century.

The fortress was built to protect the southern borders of the Russian state from the raids of Crimean Tatars. The photos were taken by Dimon Porter Gazin.

explore Tula Kremlin

Tags: Tula city

During freeze-up (usually from the beginning of January till early May) Lake Baikal freezes completely, except for a small area of ​​15-20 km length located in the source of the Angara River.

By the end of winter, ice thickness on the lake reaches 1 m, and in bays – 1.5-2 m. During severe frosts, cracks break ice on separate fields. The length of cracks is about 10-30 km, the width – 2-3 m.

mysteries of Baikal ice

Tags: Buryat Republic · Irkutsk oblast

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of land area and length. The distance from Kaliningrad to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is about 7500 km, the time difference – 10 hours.

But if you go up in the air, big cities, endless fields, high mountains, powerful plants all of a sudden become like toys. The photos were taken by Stepanov Slava.

Red Square in Moscow

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Veshalovka, a small village located in Lipetsk region, is known for its unique church – the Church of the Sign of Our Lady (Znamenskaya Сhurch), built in 1794.

It was constructed in the pseudo-Gothic style, which is not typical for this part of Russia. Today, the church is an architectural monument of national importance.

explore the church and surroundings

Tags: churches · Lipetsk oblast