Voronezh

Kazan Monastery. One of the highest bell towers in Russia (107 meters). http://russiatrek.org/blog/architecture/majestic-churches-of-tambov-in-spring/

The mansion of Mikhail Aseev, opened after restoration in the autumn of 2014, is one of the most outstanding sights of Tambov. http://russiatrek.org/blog/architecture/the-mansion-of-mikhail-aseev-in-tambov/

Transfiguration Cathedral (1694) is one of the well known cathedral in the city of Tambov. http://russiatrek.org/blog/architecture/majestic-churches-of-tambov-in-spring/

The Ivanova Gora (literally: Ivan’s Mount) is virtually a sacral place for Poltava locals: it is city’s historical core, where the whole complex of architectural and historical attractions, each having a status of Poltava’s highlight, is situated. This place is notable for being an excellent observation area that opens wonderful views of the city downtown and its most token structures. The Ivanova Gora is a high picturesque hill that towers above the Vorskla River. Historians believe that it is there that the citadel of the annalistic town Ltava, the predecessor of modern Poltava, stood in the 12th century. Later, the earthen fortress, which held back the Swedish troops’ assault for three months during the Northern War, was built on the hill. One of its fifteen wooden towers, the Podolskaya Tower, was recently restored and added to Ivanova Gora’s list of attractions. Another Ivanova Gora’s token monument and modern Poltava’s symbol, the monument to Galushka, is installed near the White Belvedere. It is a deep plate with twelve Galushkas (dumplings) and a large spoon, which stands on a pedestal shaped as a wooden tabletop. The monument was opened on the birthday of the most famous native of Poltava region, the eminent writer Nikolai Gogol, who immortalized this cult Ukrainian dish in his works. Every summer, an original Holiday of Poltava’s Galushka takes place near the monument. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/eastern-ukraine/poltava/1391

A lot of sights in Poltava are connected with the name of the classical Ukrainian writer and dramatist Ivan Kotliarevsky who lived the greater part of his life and created his most famous works here - among them the prominent poem 'Aeneid'. His Museum-Mansion at the town's historical center near the Assumption Cathedral is one of Poltava's most picturesque and most visited sights. The real mansion, where the prominent writer lived and worked didn't survive. In 1969, however - to Kotliarevsky's 200th anniversary - it was reconstructed upon watercolour sketches by another Ukrainian classical writer - Taras Shevchenko. The memorial complex, fenced with flower-twined paling, consists of a dwelling house - the typical Ukrainian hut from the 18h century - warehouse and well with a sweep. Fragments and details of Ivan Kotliarevsky's old house were embedded in the recreated mansion. Thanks to the recollections of writer's contemporaries, the Museum-Mansion's interior was renewed as accurate as possible. Kotliarevsky's personal belongings, awards, manuscripts and everyday knickknacks from the 18th - early 19th centuries are kept here. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/eastern-ukraine/poltava/622

Poltava Local History Museum is one of the oldest and the most interesting museums in Ukraine. It houses a unique collection of authentic items and antiquities that introduce the history, nature and culture of Poltava region, as well as true treasures of the world history, including artefacts from Ancient Egypt, India, China and Japan. The museum is reckoned among the most visited ones in the city: yearly, about half a million Poltava locals and guests visit its original expositions. The Local History Museum is situated in the building of the former province Zemstvo (elective district council in pre-revolutionary Russia) that was built in Ukrainian art nouveau style, in the early 20th century. Being recognized as an eminent architectural masterpiece, it is often called a stone flower, in which traditions of folk architecture, old Ukrainian ornaments and innovative designer forms interweave. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/eastern-ukraine/poltava/1390

The wooden palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with 270 rooms decorated with paintings and carvings was built in 1667 without using any fasten materials, nails or hooks. It consisted of 26 buildings connected with each other by passages and halls. The whole complex was divided into male and female parts. The male part included ceremonial chambers, chambers of the Tsar and of his sons, while the female part belonged to the Tsarina and to the Tsar’s daughters. https://www.russiaeguide.com/wooden-palace-of-tsar-alexei-mikhailovich.html

The Tretyakov Gallery is the main museum of Russian national art, reflecting its unique contribution to world culture. It is a hospitable museum that is known for its rich collection and variety of presented ideas. Check out the best works of Russian art from different eras and authors. On Currently the collection includes more than 180 000 pieces and is regularly updated. The Collection presents major masterpieces from the permanent exhibition. Also visit The New Tretyakov Gallery which presents the most completed in our country permanent exhibition of the art of the 20th century in all its diversity - avant - garde, socialistic realism and art of the "austere style" and "underground" and some new art trends. Here are held not only large-scale retrospectives of great Russian artists, but also showed experimental exhibitions of young authors. A lecture - hall and a creative workshop offer a wide range of theoretical knowledge and practical trainings about the art of the 20th and early 21st century for children, students and adults. https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/

The Armoury Chamber, a treasure-house, is a part of the Grand Kremlin Palace's complex. It is situated in the building constructed in 1851 by architect Konstantin Ton. The museum collections were based on the precious items that had been preserved for centuries in the tsars' treasury and the Patriarch's vestry. Some of the exhibits were made in the Kremlin's workshops, others were accepted as ambassadorial gifts. The museum was named after one of the oldest Kremlin's treasury stores. The Armoury Chamber preserves ancient state regalia, ceremonial royal clothes and coronation dresses, vestments of Russian Orthodox Church hierarchs, the most extensive collection of gold- and silverware made by Russian craftsmen, West European artistic silver, ceremonial arms and armour, carriages and horse ceremonial harness. The State Armoury presents more than four thousand items of applied art of Russia, European and Eastern countries of the 4th - early 20th century. The highest artistic level and particular historical and cultural value of the exhibits have made the State Armoury of the Moscow Kremlin a world-wide known museum. http://armoury-chamber.kreml.ru/en-Us/history/view/

St. Basil’s Cathedral is Moscow’s most famous artistic work of architecture. Also called "Pokrovsky Cathedral" or "The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat", it is the most recognizable Russian building. This Cathedral is to the Russians what the Eiffel Tower is to the French, an honorable symbol of their past, present, and future. The cathedral stands on the Red Square, facing the Ivory Gate Chapel. The St. Basil's Cathedral history started in 1555 by the order of Ivan IV ("Ivan the Terrible") in celebration of the defeat of Kazan, the last remaining grip of the Mongol Empire on European lands. Today there are more than 400 icons painted between the 14th and 19th centuries by the most famous schools of Novgorod and Moscow hanging on the walls. A narrow pathway leads you from one alter to another, passing through a wooden spiral staircase so well hidden in a wall, that it was only found during the 1970 restoration of the cathedral. Taking in the medieval aura and mystical spirituality of St. Basil’s imbues visitors with what can only be described as a quintessential Russian experience. https://www.travelallrussia.com/st-basil-moscow

Lenin’s mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square offers up one of Moscow’s most macabre attractions and perhaps the most famous “modern mummy” in the world. Frozen in time, Vladimir Ilych Lenin’s embalmed body lays within a red granite and black labratorite step-pyramid. Here visitors may gaze on it in the dark, cool of the tomb. The sarcophagus is kept at a constant temperature of 16° C (61° F) and humidity of 80 - 90 percent. Weekly, a mild bleach is used to fight discoloring fungus and mold on Lenin’s skin, and every eighteen months the corpse undergoes a chemical bath of glycerol and potassium for thirty days while the mausoleum is closed. During this time, Lenin’s clothes are washed and carefully ironed. And every three years, Lenin receives a new suit. Lenin can be viewed for five minutes at a time in small groups under the watchful eye of guards in every corner of the room. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lenins-mausoleum

Being the most recognizable symbol of Russia in the world, the glorious Red Square is the UNESCO listed World Heritage which accepts thousands of tourists each year. No wonder that this sight is a true must-visit of any Moscow trip and every adventurous globe-trotter has a picture in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. The Red Square is set in the very heart of Moscow, separating the Kitay Gorod commercial district from the Kremlin walls, and has a history as old as the post-Mongol fortress itself. The name "Krásnaya Plóshchaď" translates from Russian as "red", yet the word also means "beautiful". This ancient center of Russia's political power dates back to the end of the 13th century and has a long and rich history. Originally, it was the site of a central market square established in an area cleared by decree for the defense of Kremlin on the banks of Moskva and Neglinnaya rivers. It was also a place where various festive processions were held and thus the square was considered a sacred place. https://www.travelallrussia.com/red-square

Today GUM lives like it once was conceived. It is ideal shopping city of Moscow that seems to live without losses and catastrophes for 120 years already. The fountain in the center of GUM was reopened and pleases visitors since 2007. This legendary construction is captured in the official chronicles of the twentieth century and in millions of private shots. They say, the sound of a shutter can be heard every three seconds here today. The legendary cinema, which went down in the history of the national movie-making, was restored. Unique illumination project was carried out on the facade. GUM-Skating rink was opened at Red Square in 2006, which at once gained the fame of the brightest ice rink of the capital. GUM is not just a store where you can buy almost everything. It is a shopping block where there is a pharmacy, bank branch, and flower shop ... It is a monument of architecture. It is a comfortable lounge area with restaurants and cafes. It is an art gallery and venue for cultural events. It is an integral part of Russian history. It is a symbol of Moscow and it is the closest place to the Kremlin, where you can feel yourself in Europe! https://gumrussia.com/

The Bolshoi Theatre began its life as the private theatre of the Moscow proseсutor Prince Pyotr Urusov. On 28 March 1776, Empress Catherine II signed and granted the Prince the 'privilege' of organizing theatre performances, masquerades, balls and other forms of entertainment for a period of ten years. It is from this date that Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre traces its history. The Bolshoi building, which for many years now has been regarded as one of Moscow’s main sights, was opened on 20 October 1856, on Tsar Alexander II’s coronation day. On 29 October 2002 the Bolshoi was given a New Stage and it was here it presented its performances during the years the Historic Stage was undergoing massive reconstruction and refurbishment. The reconstruction project lasted from l July 2005 to 28 October 2011. As a result of this reconstruction, many lost features of the historic building were reinstated and, at the same time, it has joined the ranks of most technically equipped theatre buildings in the world. The Bolshoi Theatre is a symbol of Russia for all time. It was awarded this honor due to the major contribution it made to the history of the Russian performing arts. This history is on-going and today Bolshoi Theatre artists continue to contribute to it many bright pages. http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/about/hist/history/

Golitsynsky Pond consists of two parts: the small and the big ponds. Founded in 1954, the complex has always been one of the most romantic places in the park. Golitsinsky pond changed its title and at the time of the Sovient Union was renamed as Pionersky. During the reconstruction of the Park, Golitsinsky Pond has received its original name. The main attraction of the Pond is a small "Dancing island". Currently this island is abandoned, however in 1930's one of the most beautiful stages of the Park located there. On the brim there used to be the amphitheater for 700 spectators while the island served as a platform for the plays. Repertoire was quite diverse - theatre plays and ballet, opera, musical acts and other different performances. The Bolshoy Theatre artists also gave their performances here. Boat renting is also available. The territory of the Pond is quite big so it's possible to move easily around it using the boat. http://park-gorkogo.com/en/places/15

A well known church is Cathedral of Fyodor Ushakov in Saransk. http://russiatrek.org/saransk-city

One of the well known museum in the city of Saransk is the Museum of Mordovian Culture located at Sovetskaya Street, 19. http://russiatrek.org/saransk-city

The Golden Gates Cathedral Museum (1158-1164, rebuilt in the 17th-18th centuries) (Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street, 1a). http://russiatrek.org/vladimir-city

The Dormition (Uspenskiy) Cathedral in Vladimir is an outstanding monument of white-stone architecture of pre-Mongol Russia (the 12th century). Today, it is the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church and the National Museum. http://russiatrek.org/blog/travel/the-dormition-cathedral-in-vladimir/

Tourists coming to the city are attracted by the white stone monuments of pre-Mongolian architecture (UNESCO World Heritage Sites).Cathedral of Saint Demetrius (1194-1197) located at Sobornaya Square. http://russiatrek.org/vladimir-city

“Teremok” is a historical and architectural complex located in the former estate of the artist and patron of arts M.K. Tenisheva in the village of Flenovo, about 19 kilometers from Smolensk. http://russiatrek.org/blog/art/historical-and-architectural-complex-teremok/

The cathedral was built on Soborny (Cathedral) Hill in memory of the heroic defense of Smolensk of 1609-1611. The construction was completed in 1772. http://russiatrek.org/smolensk-city

Smolensk fortress wall (also known as Smolensk kremlin) is a defensive structure built in 1595-1602. The length of the walls is 6.5 km (only less than half of walls and towers are preserved). http://russiatrek.org/smolensk-city

Museum of childhood A.M. Gorky's “Kashirin’s House” was opened on January 01, 1938. House of Gorky's grandfather, Nizhny Novgorod tradesman, foreman of the dyeing shop, the vowel of the Nizhny Novgorod Duma V.V. Kashirin, - a monument of history and culture of federal significance, a place associated with the writer's childhood (1871–72); the scene of Gorky's autobiographical story "Childhood", one of the most outstanding works of world literature of the 20th century, a kind of encyclopedia of Russian characters and a national way of life. The house is a 1-storey log cabin, sheathed and unpainted, with 5 rooms: kitchen, grandfather's room, grandmother's room, Mikhail's room, art. son of the Kashirins, and uncle Alyosha Peshkov, underlining - the lower "working" room, where they lived in Aug. 1871 - in the spring of 1872 little Alyosha with his mother after their arrival from Astrakhan. Guided tours: "Alyosha Peshkov in the petty-bourgeois family of the Kashirins", The museum houses a valuable collection of publications of the story "Childhood" in the languages ​​of the peoples of the world (since 1914). During the Great Patriotic War, from the summer of 1941 to the spring of 1943, the most valuable exhibits of the museum were taken to the Tonshaevsky district of the Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) region, where museum staff arranged exhibitions and lectured. The museum continued to work thanks to the museum staff - A.V. Sigorsky and S.P. Zimakov. In the post-war years, the museum’s household exposition expanded: 1968 — creating an exposition in the basement of the house, 1976 — re-exposure of Uncle Mikhail’s room — re-creating the room’s living environment. By the mid-1970s all dwellings in the house of V.V. are completely restored Kashirin (area - 95.1 sq.m.). At the heart of the exposition are genuine household items of the 19th century, including a memorial, belonging to the Kashirin-Peshkov family. The unique authentic atmosphere of the house in the natural historical environment, where the old wooden buildings and fragments of the memorial landscape have been preserved, allows us to fully imagine the lifestyle of the Kashirin family, in which the early formation of the future writer Gorky took place in early childhood; gives means. information about the life of Nizhny Novgorod philistinism of the XIX century. http://museumgorkogo.ru/muzej-detstva-a-m-gorkogo-domik-kashirina/

One of the most beautiful religious buildings in Nizhny Novgorod, the 18th century architectural monument. http://www.nizhnynovgorod.com/tourism/sightseeing/city_sights/church_of_nativity_of_most_holy_mother_of_god/

Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is a historical centre of Nizhny Novgorod, the city heart, and the place that the history of Nizhny Novgorod was started. Nowadays Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is said as the grandest and the most majestic medieval fortress extant in the central Russia. http://www.nizhnynovgorod.com/tourism/sightseeing/city_sights/nizhny_novgorod_kremlin/

The Kyiv Toy Museum is a truly unique place, interesting for both, children and adults. For the first ones it is an opportunity to plunge into the fairy world, where hundreds of different heroes live, for the latter ones - a chance to feel nagging nostalgia, and at the same time to learn many interesting facts about the history of toys as an integral part of the country's culture. The Toy Museum, opened in 2005, is one of the youngest in the capital. Nevertheless, its impressive collection numbering over 10 thousand exhibits exists over 80 years! It is based on the items that were gathered for the toy exhibition, which took place back in 1936. Today, the museum's exposition visually demonstrates the history of national toy production and is the vivid evidence that Ukraine rightly occupied the second place among the Soviet republics in volumes and quality of manufactured children toys. Museum shelves are 'inhabited' by hundreds of different dolls and teddy animals, technical and construction toys, as well as a unique collection of board, printed games. Besides commercial items, museum funds include exclusive author's works by soviet puppet-makers and authentic collection of Ukrainian folk toys. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/kyiv/kyiv/955

This cathedral is an outstanding architectural monument of the 19th century, one of the oldest stone religious buildings in Zhitomir. In Soviet times, the building housed a puppet theater. http://ukrainetrek.com/zhitomir-city

The modern center with surviving parts of the old city are on the hilly west, or right bank, of the Dnipro River. The main street, Khreshchatik, runs between two steep hills. Parallel about half a kilometer west, is vulytsya Volodymyrska, the main street of the Old Kyiv area (Staryj Kyiv). http://www.traveltoukraine.org/kyiv.htm

The Kyiv Fortress is one of the most important and interesting military monuments in the Ukrainian capital, well-known far beyond the country’s borders. It is the largest earthen fortress in Europe and the second-largest earthen fortress in the world. The museum exhibitions housed there and the fortification complex itself are among the most visited places of interest in Kyiv – every year it welcomes about one hundred thousand tourists. The Kyiv Fortress, also known as Nova Pechersk Fortress, was built on a site of Old Pechersk Fortress, walled around the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. It was erected by the order of Emperor Peter the Great in the first half of the 18th century. It contained four main fortifications, as well as dozens of defensive areas such as towers, walls, underground passages, powder warehouses, arsenals, barracks, and even the castle prison. Then the Kyiv Fortress featured the so-called hand-made tsunamis for city defence from the riverside. It was composed of two dams and two large pits, which could be filled with water within hours to defeat the enemy fleet with a powerful wave. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/kyiv/kyiv/2539

The narrow streets of the ancient Podol shelter one of the most unusual and interesting museums of Ukraine's capital, the Pharmacy Museum, whose unique exposition is devoted to the history of the pharmacy. It is located in the building where the German pharmacist Johann Heiter opened Kyiv's first private drugstore in 1728. After Heiter's death, his son-in-law Georg Bunge inherited the pharmacy business and made the drugstore very popular among Kyiv's residents. It could brag about one of the largest assortments of drugs in the city - about a thousand names. All drugs that were sold here (ointments, pills, mixtures) were made in the pharmacy's laboratory only from natural components: healing herbs, minerals, shells, animal blood and the poison of insects and reptiles. In addition, the Bunge's drugstore, as it was nicknamed by the Kyiv locals, was intended for the very broad sections of the public: it had two sections and respectively to separate drug registries, for poor and wealthy townspeople. Of course, the structure and quality of the drugs were different. Few centuries ago pharmacies sold not only drugs, but also creams, powder, perfumes, tooth powder, and even ink, cans and tubes, which are now the unique exhibits of the Kyiv Pharmacy Museum. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/kyiv/kyiv/997

The Bessarabian Market, or just Bessarabka, as it is usually referred to by Kyiv residents, is the central and the most famous covered market of Ukraine's capital that is reckoned among the oldest in the country. It's an unusual building in Ukrainian art nouveau style was built 100 years ago on the square adjoined to the Kyiv main street and is still one of the capital's most interesting constructions. In the second half of the 19th century, the land, where the market stands today, was unsightly city outskirts. But soon, the square was founded and numerous merchants from all over the world started to come here. In the early 20th century, the adjoined to the square streets, particularly Khreshchatyk, were rapidly lined up with buildings obtaining European elegant look, and the vicinity of the absurd chaotic marketplace seemed more and more inappropriate. One of the prominent Kyiv residents of that time called the Bessarabian Market 'a purulent blister on the tip of the beautiful classic nose.' It was then that the city authorities decided to create a civilized covered market in this place. However, due to lack of money (construction demanded a fantastic sum for those times), idea's implementation was postponed. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/kyiv/kyiv/970

The Cathedral of St. Sophia, where the princes of Kyiv were crowned in the years of Kyiv's grandeur, has outstanding mosaics and frescoes dating back to the 11th century. Overlooking the old section of Kyiv, Podol, stands the Ukrainian Baroque church of St. Andrew, much beloved by Ukrainians. http://www.traveltoukraine.org/kyiv.htm