Today, Staraya Ladoga (until 1703 – Ladoga) is a small village (population about 2,000) located in the Volkhov municipal district of the Leningrad region of Russia. But prior to 1703, Ladoga had a status of a town.

In 2003, the 1250th anniversary of Staraya Ladoga was celebrated and the village was called “the ancient capital of Northern Russia.”

beautiful historic place

Tags: Leningrad oblast

Catherine’s Palace is the former imperial palace, one of the largest in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. The palace is located in the town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo), 25 km south of St. Petersburg.

The architectural trends of each era the palace survived, and personal predilections of Russian rulers of the time were reflected in the history and architecture of the palace. The palace was built in 1717 under the direction of German architect Johann Friedrich Braunshtein as the summer residence of Empress Catherine I.

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Tags: Leningrad oblast · Saint Petersburg city

Wooden сhurch of St. Prophet Elisha is located in a deserted village Yakovlevskaya of Podporozhsky area (Leningrad oblast) on the shore of Lake Sidozero. The church built in 1899 and closed in 1939 is being in significant disrepair now. The photos were taken by roving-wiretrap.

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Tags: churches · Leningrad oblast

Vyborg is a city in Russia, administrative center of Vyborg municipal district of Leningrad oblast. The city is located about 120 km from the historic center of St. Petersburg and 27 km from the border with Finland.

Vyborg, founded in the Middle Ages by Swedes, is among the historical cities of Russia. Until 1940 it was the second largest city in Finland. Vyborg has over 300 different monuments: architectural, historical, sculptures, archaeological, landscape art. The photos were captured by Andrey Rumyantsev.

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Tags: Leningrad oblast

Ivangorod is a small town located in Leningrad region of Russia with the population of about 11,000 (2010). The town is standing on Narva river bank opposite to Estonian town of Narva.

The settlement was founded in 1492 as a fortress. The fortress of Ivangorod played an important role during numerous wars of 16th-17th centuries. The following photos of Ivangorod fortress were captured by Andrey Rumyantsev.

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Tags: Leningrad oblast

The following pictures were captured during the annual summer festival of the Middle Ages “The first capital of Rus” that took place in Staraya Ladoga town of Leningrad oblast.  The photos were captured by S.Chernov.

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Tags: Leningrad oblast