Earlier this place, located in the north of the Moscow region, was Olkhovskoye swamp. In 1936, the swamp was drained, and peat extraction began in 1955.

In 2010, one of the sites began to fill with water because of its depletion. A lot of different machines for peat extraction were left creating a very beautiful post-apocalyptic landscape now. Photos by rotweller

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Tags: Abandoned · Moskovskaya oblast

The Petrovsky Palace was built as stopover palace at the entrance to Moscow from St. Petersburg. It is an example of Russian neo-Gothic architecture.

The palace was built by the order of Catherine II in 1776-1780 after the victory in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 as a residence for nobility to rest after a long journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Photos by av_otus

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Tags: Moscow city

Sochi is a resort city in Russia located on the Black Sea coast of Krasnodar region. Sochi is the largest resort city in the country. Adler district of the city (Adler and Krasnaya Polyana, located 39 km from the coast of the Black Sea) will host the Winter Olympic Games 2014.

Krasnaya Polyana ski resort was opened in 2007. It will hold open air winter sports (cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, bobsled, etc.), while Sochi will host indoor sports (hockey, figure skating, etc.). Also in 2014, it is planned to hold first Grand Prix Formula 1 in Russia here.

Tags: Sochi city · Sochi2014 · time-lapse

It seems you can find everything in Russia. For example, this unusual ship made of concrete found its last haven in the lower reaches of the Volga (Astrakhan region), a few kilometers from the Caspian Sea.

The hull of the ship is made of reinforced concrete. Those parts of the hull where concrete couldn’t be used were made of iron. This ship is not unique. In a number of countries different concrete ships were designed and built during periods of acute shortage of metal. Photos by zhgalin_photo

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Tags: Astrakhan oblast

Perm is a city in the east of the European part of Russia, in the foothills of the Urals, the administrative center of Perm Krai. The city is a major industrial, scientific, cultural, and logistic center of the Urals.

Perm was founded in 1723. In 1876, first in the Urals and Siberia railroad was built through the city. In 1979, the city’s population exceeded 1 million people.

In 2009, the authorities of the region started an ambitious project – “Perm – Cultural Capital.” The project significantly increased the number of cultural events held in the city, a lot of various art objects appeared in the streets.

Tags: Perm city · Perm krai · time-lapse

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

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Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · monastery

The nature of Astrakhan region is unique for Russia. Nowhere else in the country will you be able to find a territory composed of semi-deserts and deserts, where camels live, and the most famous Russian river Volga carries its waters.

Astrakhan oblast is located in the south-east of the East European Plain. The region is situated in the Caspian lowland where the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea. The region stretches over 400 km in the form of a narrow stripe. Photos by GeoSerzh

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Tags: Astrakhan oblast · landscapes

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?

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Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Ekaterinburg (also spelled Yekaterinburg) with the population of about 1.4 million is the fourth largest city in Russia. The city is located 1667 km to the east of Moscow and is one the Russian cities which will host several matches of FIFA World Cup 2018.

As Ekaterinburg city is the main administrative, cultural, scientific, and educational center of the whole Ural region (Ural Federal District), it is also known as “the capital of Ural”. Lately the city is becoming more and more attractive to tourists. There is large international airport “Koltsovo” located nearby.

Tags: Ekaterinburg city · time-lapse

The White Sea is an inland sea located in the north of the European part of Russia (washes the shores of Karelia and Arkhangelsk region), refers to the Arctic Ocean. Of the seas surrounding Russia, the White Sea is one of the smallest. The average water depth is 67 meters. All the sea is internal waters of Russia.

The temperature of the surface layer of sea water varies greatly depending on the season in different parts of the sea. In winter the temperature of the White Sea surface water is about -1,3 … -1,7 ° C in the center and north of the sea, up to -0,5 … -0,7 ° C in the bays. Photos by borh-84

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Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · Karelia Republic