Smolensk, the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, is one of the oldest cities in Russia. First mentioned in 863, it is located in the west of the country. In the history of Russia, it is known as the “shield city”, which for many centuries served as the defense of Moscow.

Let’s see how Smolensk looked in the last decade of the Russian Empire, in 1912. This is possible thanks to unique color photographs taken by Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944), a pioneer of color photography in the Russian Empire.

unique views of Smolensk

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Smolensk is a city with a population of about 329,000 people located in the west of the European part of Russia, the capital of the Smolensk region. This is one of the oldest cities in the country founded more than 1,150 years ago.

The city is located 378 km south-west of Moscow, in the upper reaches of the Dnieper River, on the way from Moscow to Belarus, Baltic States, the countries of Central and Western Europe. Photos by: Denis Mukimov.

explore the ancient Smolensk

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Smolensk is a city with a population of about 330 thousand people; administrative, industrial and cultural center of Smolensk region. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia celebrated its 1150th anniversary in 2013.

The city is located about 400 km west of Moscow, in the upper reaches of the Dnieper River. It has a favorable geographical position on the ways from Moscow to Belarus, Baltic States, Central and Western Europe.

scenic views of Smolensk

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The costumes were seen during one of the celebrations on the streets of Smolensk city. Some people say they see divers costumes here and who knows… :)

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Smolensk fortified wall also known as Smolensk kremlin is the fortification constructed in 1595-1602. The fortress played extremely important role in the defense line of Russian state. Today it is an architectural monument and one of the main attractions of Smolensk city. The photos were captured by ctulhuftagn (photos are clickable).

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Polish president plane Tu-154 en route from Warsaw to Smolensk on Saturday crashed during landing in Smolensk Oblast killing all 132 passengers on board, including President of Poland Lech Kaczynski and his wife.

The airplane was landing in heavy fog. The government of Smolensk region said that nobody survived the plane crash. They clarified that during the landing approach Tu-154 touched the treetops and hit the ground, and then split up and caught fire.

Kaczynski was flying today in Smolensk, to visit the memorial “Katyn”. Today there are ceremonies in regard to the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish officers.

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