Yekaterinburg (from 1924 to 1991 – Sverdlovsk) is a city with a population of about 1.5 million people, the administrative center of the Ural Federal District and the Sverdlovsk region, the fourth largest city of Russia.

Located on the eastern slope of the Middle Urals, along the banks of the Iset River, it was founded as an ironworks in 1723 and named after Empress Catherine I. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Yekaterinburg

Tags: Ekaterinburg city · Sverdlovsk oblast

A Storied Start

Russia is a large, ancient, and cultured country that has been a main player in the history of the world for a long time. The Russian Empire did not start as large and powerful as it is today. It all started with the Eastern Slavs, a group of loosely banded together groups. The Eastern Slavs became the first state of its kind in 882. The group grew even larger in 988 when it adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantine Empire was a very influential and powerful civilization dating all the way back to 330 A.D. The empire was born when Emperor Constantine, a psychopathic politician, created a “New Rome” on an old Byzantine colony. While Rome itself would collapse before 500 A.D., the eastern half would continue on for another 1,000 years. This is how even ancient Rome influenced the rise of Russia.

Ancient Russians at Dnieper by Nicholas Roerich.

turbulent history of Russia

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Kolomna is a city with a population of about 140 thousand people located in the south of the Moscow region, about 113 km southeast of the center of Moscow. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the region.

The city has a rare monument of old Russian defensive architecture – the Kolomna Kremlin. Its main attraction is the Assumption Cathedral (1672-1682), the main cathedral of Kolomna. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

beautiful cathedral

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Given there’s such an abundance of things to see and do in Russia, one interesting way to explore this massive country is to add a theme to your visit. For those of us who are passionate about classic literature, this is a land which has inspired some of the greatest classic authors and their works, providing us with an opportunity to visit locations that undoubtedly inspired their writings.

Considered one of the greatest psychologists in world literature, Fyodor Dostoevsky is perhaps best known for his 1866 masterwork, Crime and Punishment, or subsequent novels such as The Idiot published in 1869 and Demons in 1872. Many of his great works offer an unrivaled view of life in Tsarist Russia during the mid-to-late 19th century, shaped by the environment in which he lived and worked, along with the social and political landscape of the era.

In this article, we take a look at key locations in Russia where Dostoevsky is fondly remembered, which inevitably helped formulate the great literary works for which he is renowned.

Image source

one of the greatest Russian writers

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There is a rather unique place located about 60 km west of Ekaterinburg, the capital of the Sverdlovsk region – a huge abandoned railway tunnel named after the village of Didino, which is also almost completely abandoned at the moment. But in the past life was in full swing here.

Construction of the tunnel lasted from 1914 to 1918. During the Civil War in Russia, this tunnel was of great strategic importance. Kolchak’s echelons passed through it retreating to Siberia, which gave rise to legends of countless treasures, which the White Command left somewhere in these places saving them from the Bolsheviks. The Didino Tunnel on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Solodyankin.

explore the tunnel

Tags: Abandoned · Ekaterinburg city · Sverdlovsk oblast

What’s more interesting than exploring the largest country in the world? Russia is so big, it occupies the land of two continents: Northern Asia and Eastern Europe. It’s the home of the longest river Volga, and the world’s deepest lake Baikal.

The extreme temperatures only add on the appeal of the country, as it’s the coldest place outside of North Pole and Antarctica. All these things make Russia very attractive to visitors who are eager and enthusiastic enough to explore it.

Russia is a great place to have fun – especially while travelling. You get to meet new people, explore cultures and travel through towns with popular tourist attractions. While on the trip, there are number of activities that can keep you entertained if you carry a laptop and have an internet connection.

diverse Russia

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Ivan Alekseevich Vladimirov (1869-1947), a Russian painter and draftsman, became known as the artist of the realistic school of painting.

In 1917-1918, he worked in the Petrograd militia. This experience helped him to create a unique cycle of documentary sketches of the events of these years. Source: humus.

1. 1917. Dismantling of imperial coats of arms (Down with the eagles!). The signs on the building – Drugstore. February.

turning point in the history of Russia

Tags: Saint Petersburg city · Soviet past

There have been a lot of strange goings on in Russia over the past decade, with supposed Russian secret agents claiming to have visited England on a special trip to see Salisbury Cathedral…

There were bizarre scenes in 2013 as well when dashcam footage captured the moment that a 66 foot asteroid crashed into Chelyabinsk. The asteroid was heavier than the Eiffel Tower and caused a stir all around the world.

Whilst this meteor crash was explained, there are plenty more incidents that have happened in Russia recently that have gone unexplained…

Russia never ceases to amaze

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Kazansky Railway Station (until 1894 – Ryazansky Railway Station) is one of the nine railway stations of Moscow. The construction of the present building of the station, designed in the pseudo-Russian style, began in 1913 and ended only in 1940.

One of the significant architectural elements of the station building is the hall of the former restaurant. This part of the station was built in the mid-1920s. Today, it is used as a high comfort waiting room. Kazansky Station on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

beautiful interiors

Tags: Moscow city

Tyumen, founded in 1586, is a large city with a population of more than 700 thousand people located in the south of Western Siberia, about 2,200 km east of Moscow, the administrative center of the Tyumen region.

It was founded as a defensive outpost, which played an important role during the initial colonization of Siberia and the Far East. In the 18th-19th centuries, the town turned into a large transit and trade center, as well as a center of crafts. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Tyumen

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