The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Darna is an Orthodox church located in the village of Darna in the Istra district of the Moscow region, about 65 km north-west of the center of Moscow.

The church was built according to the project of the architect Sergey Shervud in elegant Neo-Russian style in 1895-1900. Darna on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

beautiful brick church

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

More and more travelers from across the globe pack their bags and head to the world’s largest country for the winter holidays. Why might you ask? To get a piece of Russia’s one-of-a-kind overwhelming winter spirit!

There’s more to do in winter Russia than just eating pierogi and going shapka-ushanka shopping, so book Russian rail tickets ahead of time and use this handy list of entertaining Russian winter activities to make your trip even more unforgettable!

winter in Russia is fun

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Gus-Khrustalny is a town with a population of about 55,000 people located in the Vladimir region, about 100 km southeast of Vladimir.

In 1756, the merchant Akim Maltsov began the construction of a glass factory on the Gus River. Later, it turned into the Gusevskoy Crystal Factory and a town with the name Gus-Khrustalny grew around the factory. Photos by: Katya Utemova.

colorful glasswork

Tags: Gus-Khrustalny city · museum · Vladimir oblast

Valdai is a picturesque lake located in the territory of the Valdai National Park in the Novgorod region. The area of the lake is about 20 square kilometers, the average depth is 12 meters (the maximum depth – 60 meters).

On an island in the center of the lake, there is a historical and architectural monument of the 17th-18th centuries – an ensemble of buildings of the Iversky Monastery. On the western shore of the lake the town of Valdai is located. Lake Valdai on Google Maps. Photos by: Konstantin Antipin.

fly over Lake Valdai

Tags: Novgorod oblast

The final part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018. The matches will be played at 12 stadiums in 11 cities. Let’s take a look at these stadiums and the matches they will host. Construction work is still ongoing in several stadiums. Photos by: FIFA.com

Matches of the World Cup 2018 at the Krestovsky Stadium also known as Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg.

June, 15, 18:00 MSK (UTC+3) – Match 4: Morocco – Iran
June, 19, 21:00 MSK (UTC+3) – Match 17: Russia – Egypt
June, 22, 15:00 MSK (UTC+3) – Match: 25: Brazil – Costa Rica
June, 26, 21:00 MSK (UTC+3) – Match 39: Nigeria – Argentina
July, 3, 17:00 MSK (UTC+3) – Match 55: Winners Group F – Runners-up Group E (Round of 16)
July, 10, 21:00 MSK (UTC+3) – Match 61: Winners Match 57 – Winners Match 58 (Semi-finals)
July, 14, 17:00 MSK (UTC+3) – Match 63: Losers Match 61 – Losers Match 62 (Third place play-off)

stadiums and matches of the World Cup 2018

Tags: Ekaterinburg city · Kaliningrad city · Kazan city · Moscow city · Nizhny Novgorod city · Rostov-on-Don city · Saint Petersburg city · Samara city · Saransk city · Sochi city · Volgograd city · World Cup 2018

In the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, the final draw for the the 2018 World Cup Russia was completed.

32 teams participating in the championship were divided into eight groups, while Russia, as the host country, hit the first basket and headed the group A. Photos by: FIFA.com

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Tags: Moscow city · World Cup 2018

Novotroitskoye is a small village with a population of about 150 people located in the Dolgorukovskiy district of the Lipetsk region.

The main attraction of the village is the ensemble of the Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity built on the means of Major-General Petr Andrianovich Pozdnyakov, the owner of the village, in 1809-1819. Novotroitskoye on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

beautiful church

Tags: Abandoned · Lipetsk oblast

The Cathedral Church in Kaliningrad (former Koenigsberg) is an inactive cathedral located in the historical district of the city – Kneiphof island (also known among locals as the “Island of Kant”).

For centuries, it was the main Catholic church in Koenigsberg. In the Soviet years, the cathedral received the status of an object of cultural heritage and was included in the list of architectural monuments. Photos by: Vasiliy Nikitinskiy.

one of the symbols of Kaliningrad

Tags: churches · Kaliningrad city

Today, in the world there are only about 800 representatives of the indigenous Siberian nation of the Tofalars. Once nomads, most of them live compactly in three villages in the Nizhneudinsky district of the Irkutsk region.

This very beautiful and isolated mountainous region located in the Eastern Sayan mountain system in the south of Siberia is called Tofalaria. You can get to it only by air. Tofalaria on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Tofalaria

Tags: Irkutsk oblast

On the first weekend of November, a new season of the colorful “Festival of Lights” was held in St. Petersburg at the cruiser “Aurora” and the Palace Square.

This time the festival was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the 1917 revolution. Photos by: Stanislav Zaburdaev.

bright colors of the show from above

Tags: Saint Petersburg city