The Tula State Weapons Museum, founded in 1775, is the oldest museum of weapons in Russia and one of the main attractions of Tula. In 2012, a new building in the form of a medieval Russian helmet was constructed for the museum (Oktyabr’skaya Street, 2).

Near the building there is an exhibition of Russian military equipment of the second half of the 20th century. Inside you can learn about the history of firearms and cold steel from the 14th century to the present. Photos by: babs71.

1. The building of the museum.

guns, guns, and more guns

Tags: museum · Tula city

Samara is the 9th largest city in Russia with a population of about 1.2 million people. It is a major economic, transport, scientific, educational, and cultural center of the country.

The capital of the Samara region, this city is located on the left bank of the Volga River (Saratov Reservoir) at its confluence with the Samara River (hence the name of the city). Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Samara

Tags: Samara city

Atheism, as a worldview denying religion, without being formally declared in the USSR as an element of state ideology, was actively supported by the Communist Party and state bodies until 1988.

Propaganda was actively used for these purposes. Here are examples of anti-religious posters that you could see in the times of the USSR.

1. There is no God!

religion is poison?

Tags: posters · propaganda · Soviet past

Suzdal is a small town-reserve with a population of about 9,700 people located in the Vladimir region, about 30 km north of Vladimir.

First mentioned in the chronicles in 1024, this is one of the oldest towns in Russia famous for its abundance of monuments and preserved original appearance. Photos by: Vasiliy Nikitinskiy.

winter in Suzdal

Tags: Suzdal city · Vladimir oblast

Rostov, founded in 862, is a town with a population of about 31,000 people located in the Yaroslavl region, about 53 km south-west of Yaroslavl. This is one of the oldest towns in Russia included in the famous tourist route “Golden Ring of Russia”.

On the territory of Rostov there are more than 300 cultural monuments, one third of which are monuments of federal significance. Photos by: Alexander Maretsky.

winter in Rostov

Tags: Yaroslavl oblast

Chelyabinsk, a city with a population of about 1.2 million people, is the seventh most populated city in Russia, the administrative center of the Chelyabinsk region.

One of the largest industrial centers of the country, Chelyabinsk is located on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains, on the border of the Urals and Siberia, almost in the center of the continent of Eurasia. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Chelyabinsk

Tags: Chelyabinsk city

New Year will bring
A lot of things to enjoy.
We wish you well-being,
Much happiness and joy!
Happy New Year 2018!

Constantin Korovin. Russian village in winter.

Tags: No tags

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