Vyborg is a town with a population of about 79,000 people located in the Leningrad region, on the shore of the Vyborg Gulf, in the north-eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, 120 km from St. Petersburg, and 35 km from the border with Finland.

Since 2010, this town, founded in the Middle Ages by the Swedes, is the only historic settlement on the territory of the Leningrad region. Until 1940, it was the second largest town in Finland. Photos by: Dmitriy Gazin.

walk around the town

Tags: Leningrad oblast

Major Martin Manhoff spent more than two years in the Soviet Union in the early 1950s. He worked as an assistant to the military attache in the U.S. Embassy, ​​located near Red Square.

Manhoff, being a gifted photographer, shot hundreds of scenes from everyday Soviet life – both in Moscow and in other regions of the USSR.

Construction of the hotel “Ukraina” from the roof of the U.S. Embassy on Novinsky Boulevard. On the left you can see the Church of the Nine Martyrs of Cyzicus (1954).

Moscow in the early 1950s

Tags: Moscow city · Soviet past

Nikola-Lenivets is a village located in the Dzerzhinsky district of the Kaluga region, on the Ugra River.

Today, on the initiative of the artist Nikolai Polissky, Nikola-Lenivets is known as an art park, where you can find an extensive collection of architectural and artistic objects. The festivals “Arhstoyanie” and “Night of New Media” are held here too. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

very unusual place

Tags: Kaluga oblast

Kolomna is a city with a population of about 143 thousand people located about 113 km southeast of Moscow. This is one of the oldest (the first mention in 1177) and the most beautiful cities of the Moscow region.

One of the main attractions of Kolomna is a partially preserved rare monument of ancient Russian defensive architecture – the grandiose Kolomna Kremlin (1525-1531). Photos by: maximus101.

magnificent fortress

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Dombay is a mountainous territory located in the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia in the North Caucasus, at a distance of about 65 km from Elbrus and the coast of the Black Sea.

The junction of the three main gorges: Alibek, Amanauz and Dombay-Ulgen – forms a natural center of the territory – the picturesque Dombay glade, lying at an altitude of 1,630-1,650 m above sea level. Dombay on Google Maps. Photos by: Andrei Kireev.

picturesque mountain landscapes

Tags: Karachay-Cherkessia Republic

Khanty-Mansiysk, the capital of Khanty-Mansi autonomous okrug – Yugra, is located on the territory of the West Siberian Plain, on the right bank of the Irtysh River, 20 kilometers from the confluence with the Ob River; in the natural area of the taiga.

Yugra is the main oil and natural gas region of Russia and one of the largest oil producing regions in the world. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Khanty-Mansiysk

Tags: Khanty-Mansi okrug · Khanty-Mansiysk city

The village of Pet, located in Pitelinsky district of the Ryazan region, is known for its amazing church. Vvedensky Church was built in eclectic style with elements of Art Nouveau and neo-Russian style in 1912-1913.

After 1917, the church was used as a warehouse to store agricultural tools, grain, and even meat. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

very picturesque church

Tags: churches · Ryazan oblast

Church of Elijah the Prophet, standing on Sovetskaya Square in the center of Yaroslavl, is an outstanding architectural monument of Yaroslavl school of architecture of the 17th century. This church almost completely preserved its original appearance.

The church was built in 1647-1650-ies at the expense of citizens of the town, the Yaroslavl merchants Vonifatiy Skripin and Ioannikiy Skripin who traded in furs, church utensils and precious stones. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

beautiful church

Tags: churches · Yaroslavl city

Murom is a historical Russian city first mentioned in 862. It is located on the left bank of the Oka River in the Vladimir region, 137 km from Vladimir.

This small city with a population of about 110 thousand people has a surprisingly large number of old places of worship. Photos by: Kirill Moiseev.

Resurrection Monastery founded in the 13th century.

Murom – the city of churches

Tags: churches · Vladimir oblast

Blagoveshchensk is the fifth largest city in the Russian Far East, the capital of the Amur region.

This city, located on the left bank of the Amur River, is the only administrative center in Russia standing on the state border. Chinese city of Heihe is located on the right bank of the Amur, at a distance of half a kilometer. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Blagoveshchensk

Tags: Amur oblast · Blagoveschensk city