The Solovetsky Islands (also known as Solovki) is an archipelago in the White Sea (total area is about 347 sq km) in the Arkhangelsk region. It consists of 6 large and about 100 small islands (Google Maps location of the largest island).

The archipelago, including five-kilometer area of the White Sea, is the protected area – Federal State Institution “Solovetsky state historical-architectural and natural museum-reserve.” Photos by Dmitry Mordolff

(more…)

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · monastery

There is a wide range of extremely famous sights in St. Petersburg, such as the Hermitage and the Winter Palace, St. Isaac’s Cathedral and Savior-on-the-Blood (the last one has a very Russian look).

It’s a must for everyone visiting this marvelous city to see all the main attractions. But on the other hand, falling the victim of guidebooks can be very upsetting, and this makes the travelers look for something new and exotic which is not necessarily mentioned in the guidebooks.

Are you one of the off-the-beaten-track seekers?

(more…)

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Built in 1580-1620, Astrakhan Kremlin is a fortress in Astrakhan located on the place where new city was founded by the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible who captured Astrakhan in 1556.

On the territory of the fortress you will find such architectural monuments as Assumption Cathedral (1698-1710, cubic, with five domes and a rich decor of the facade), Trinity Cathedral (16th-18th centuries), Bishop’s House (16th-18th centuries) with the home church, St. Cyril Chapel (17th-19th centuries), Prechistinsky gate (the bell tower), and others. Photos by Alexander Lipilin

(more…)

Tags: Astrakhan city

Saint Petersburg is located in northern Europe, in the north-west of the Russian Federation, on the shore of Finnish Gulf and on Neva River. St. Petersburg is the only city in the world with the population over 1,000,000 which is located so far in the north.

Saint Petersburg is the largest city located in Europe which is not a capital. Last week the population of the city exceeded 5 million people. Our congratulations and to celebrate this event here is a great time-lapse video of the city.

Tags: Saint Petersburg city · time-lapse

The history of Nizhny Tagil dates back to 1722 when the ironworks was built by Demidov dynasty. At the time Nizhny Tagil plant was one of the biggest, not only in Russia but also in Europe.

The plant was expanding for three centuries. In 1987, after working for more than 260 years, old blast furnace shop was shut down and Russia’s only plant museum was created. Photos by Vitkaravan

(more…)

Tags: museum · Nizhny Tagil city

August 1, 2012 the bridge to the Russian (Russky) Island was opened to private traffic. It is a cable-stayed bridge in Vladivostok, connecting Nazimov Peninsula with Novosilsky Cape on the Russian Island.

The construction of the bridge began September 3, 2008 as part of the city’s preparations for the APEC summit in 2012. The total cost of the project including the access road to the bridge is about $ 2 billion.

(more…)

Tags: Vladivostok city

Stunning views of the nature of the Russian North are dazzling. For example, these landscapes in the area of Kandalaksha Bay, one of the four major bays of the White Sea, are amazing.

The bay is located in the Murmansk region and Karelia in the northwest Russia. Kandalaksha Reserve is situated in the bay area. This is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in Russia. Photos by Mikhail Grizli

(more…)

Tags: Karelia Republic · landscapes · Murmansk oblast

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

(more…)

Tags: Moscow city

Moscow is the largest city in Russia and Europe as well as one of the largest cities in the world. The city is one of the largest cultural and tourist centers of Europe and the world.

There are a lot of places of interest in Moscow – various historical, cultural and architectural sites: the Kremlin, Bolshoi Theater, A.S.Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, Novodevichy monastery, Kolomenskoye estate, Shuhovskaya and Ostankino towers, etc.

Tags: Moscow city · time-lapse

The following unique bird’s eye views of Grozny city at night time were taken by timag82. The scenery is really beautiful but the second thought is the amount of funds spent to construct all these buildings even without taking into account possible significant corruption component.

Some think that as the city was destroyed during the war the federal center had to rebuild Grozny from ruins. Others believe that the funding level is too high especially comparing to the central regions of Russia.

(more…)

Tags: bird's eye views · Grozny city