What is most unusual in Siberia and in Yakutia Republic in particular? Maybe it is the frost below minus 50 degrees Celsius, permafrost, diamonds, or cruel northern mosquitoes the size of a fist?

You will be surprised, but there is something even more unusual – the desert! Yes, the real desert in the taiga.

very unusual landscapes

Tags: landscapes · Sakha Republic · Siberia

Near the town of Podolsk, on the confluence of the Desna and Pakhra, the Dubrovitsy Estate is located.

It is famous for its Church of the Sign of the Most Holy Mother of God made in the style of European Baroque. This style was not typical for the traditional Russian church architecture.

more info about this unique church

Tags: churches · Podolsk city

Cherkessk, founded in 1825, is the capital of Karachay-Cherkessia Republic located in the North Caucasus. It has a favorable geographical position, standing on the right bank of the Kuban River.

The city is the center of a unique multi-ethnic culture. The national structure of the population brings together more than 80 nations. Let’s walk through the streets of this small and quite cozy city. Photos by Timur Agirov

Let’s go for a walk

Tags: Cherkessk city

Baskunchak is a salt lake located in Astrakhan region, about 270 km north of the Caspian Sea, and 53 km to the east of the Volga River.

The lake is a kind of hollow on top of the salt mountain. Numerous springs flow into the lake on the north-west coast bringing in the lake more than 2.5 thousand tons of salts per day. Baskunchak Lake location on Google Maps. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

unusual colors of salt lake

Tags: Astrakhan oblast · landscapes

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the seventh largest city in the Russian Far East, the center of the Kamchatka region. It is located in the southeastern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula on the shores of the Avachinskaya Bay, Pacific Ocean. Near the city, there are active volcanoes Koryakskaya (3456 m) and Avachinskaya (2741 m).

The city is the base of the Russian Pacific Fleet. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is connected to the mainland by an international airport “Elizovo.” It is one of the oldest cities in the Far East. First Russian Cossacks got here in 1697. Photos by Stepanov Slava

fly over Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Tags: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city

Nikola-Lenivets is located about 200 km from Moscow – in Kaluga region, on the banks of the river Ugra. Part of its territory belongs to the national park. It is open to creative experimentation and is constantly updated with new art objects.

It is the only in Russia art park with the landscape installations – land art objects made by the best Russian and foreign artists. Many of these objects have become iconic for contemporary art.

more objects of contemporary art

Tags: Kaluga oblast

Lena Pillars is a geological formation and nature park of the same name located on the banks of the Lena River in Yakutia, about 104 km from the town of Pokrovsky. It is a complex of vertically elongated rocks up to 100 meters height piled along the banks of the Lena River.

The total area of the park is 485 thousand hectares, the main goal – the development of ecological tourism. Lena Pillars are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Lena Pillars location on Google Maps. Photos by Sergey Dolya

look at the bizarre rocks

Tags: Sakha Republic

Great mosque of St. Petersburg, constructed in a stylized form of Samarkand and Cairo schools of architecture, was opened in 1913. The length of the mosque – 45 meters, width – 32 m, height of the main dome – 39 m, height of minarets – 48 m, capacity – 5000 people.

Non-Muslims can visit the mosque during a tour “The East Face of St. Petersburg” organized by the State Museum of the History of Religion. The rest of the time access to the mosque is closed to non-Muslims.

enjoy the beautiful architecture

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

“Alye Parusa” (“Scarlet Sails”) is an All-Russian party of school graduates celebrated in St. Petersburg, usually on Saturday closest to the shortest white night. This year’s celebration was held on the night of June 23-24.

The celebration is carried out in two stages: a big concert with elements of theatrical performance at the Dvortsovaya Square and Vasilievsky Island, and Grand light and pyrotechnic multimedia show on the Neva River. Photos by Petr Ushanov

enjoy the beautiful show

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

The Russky (Russian) Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge located in Vladivostok. The bridge connects Nazimov Peninsula and Novosilsky Cape on the Russky Island.

Construction of the bridge started September 3, 2008 as part of the city’s preparations for the APEC summit in 2012. The bridge has the world’s largest span among cable-stayed bridges (1104 meters), and the highest pylons – 324 meters.

Climb to the top of the Russky Bridge

Tags: Vladivostok city