 |
|
Destinations in Russia |
|
 |
|
Moscow is believed to be about 850 years old. The
first record of it in the chronicles is dated
1147, and its history starts with a legend about
how Prince Yuri Dolgoruky (the Long-armed), who is
considered to be the city’s founder, invited his
neighbour, another Russian prince, to a council
meeting, in honour of the event, there was “a
council meeting; in honour of the event, there was
“a great dinner” in Moscow. The monument to Prince
Yuri stands in a central square, right across the
Moscow Mayor’s Office.
More... |
 |
|
|
| |
 |
The
Golden Ring is the name for a loop of very old
towns north-east of Moscow that were the political
and cultural heart of Russia and are now the most
popular tourist route in the Russian provinces.
Depending on the amount of time one has, it is
possible to organize one or two day excursions to
Vladimir and Suzdal, which are the main points of
the route. If one wants to make a more detailed
study of the towns that comprise the Golden Ring,
two weeks should be set aside to see the area more
thoroughly.
More... |
|
 |
|
| |
|
 |
|
St.
Petersburg, the most European city in Russia,
celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2003. It was
founded by the famous tsar Peter the Great (the
first Russian emperor Peter the First) and named
after Apostle Peter (who guards the keys to the
gates of Paradise), under whose patronage the
emperor was as well.
More... |
 |
|
|
| |
 |
The
north-western area of Russia is often called the
land of the lakes. Europe’s two largest lakes, the
Ladoga and the Onega, are situated here. There are
over 60,000 lakes and 27,000 rivers in the
Republic of Kaelia, the total area of which is
172,000 square kilometers (which exceeds the area
of Greece and is almost as large as Great
Britain). Those rivers and lakes are rich with
fish, including such valued species as salmon, and
their banks are plentiful with berries and
mushrooms.
More... |
|
 |
|
| |
|
 |
|
The Volga is referred to as “Russia’s Main Street”
and is one of the country’s main symbols, as one can
gather from the old song: “Volga, Volga, mother of
mine!” The Volga, spanning 3,530 kilometres, is the
longest river in Europe. The first scientist who
described and outlined the river on
a map was Claudius Ptolomeus (90-160), an ancient
Greek astronomer.
More... |
 |
|
|
| |
 |
Why
is the Black Sea called “black”? There are many
versions of the answer. The ancient Greeks and
Romans called it Pontus Euxinus, the “hospitable
sea”, wheras Turks, on the contrary, nicknamed it
Karaden-Ghiz, “inhospitable” (in other words,
“black”). It is also assumed that the sea got its
name because of the colour of the silt left on the
beaches after storms, or due to the fact that
metal items grow black when they are deep
underwater.
More... |
|
 |
|
| |
|
 |
|
The
Far East seems to represent a kind of “edge of the
world” for Europeans. Indeed, the distance from
Moscow to Vladivostok is almost 7,000 kilometres,
and the time difference between the Far East and
Central Europe is 9 hours. However, this area does
not seem as remote for residents of the Far East
themselves and for their neighbours from the Asian
and Pacific countries.
More... |
 |
|
|
| |
 |
Russia’s territory stretches across
the entire vast Eurasian continent from end to
end. The geographical border between Europe and
Asia runs along the eastern face of the Ural
Mountains which extend over 2,000 kilometres from
the Arctic Ocean in the north to the steppes of
Northern Kazakhstan in the south, marking off the
Ciscaucasian, or so-called “European” part of
Russia from Western Siberia.
More... |
|
 |
|
| |
|
 |
|
The
main sight of the Krasnoyarsk Region is “Stolby,” a
unique nature reserve in the spurs of the Eastern
Sayan. The rock yields formed about 80 clift groups
of upto 100 metres high. Some of them have names
resembling their silhouettes: Old Man, Old Woman,
War Eagle, Feathers, Fortress and others. The
“Stolby” Nature Reserve is a favourite gathering
place for alpinists. An interesting ship cruise down
the Yenisei to the Far North, upto the city of
Dudinka and the urban-style village of Dixon, starts
in Krasnoyarsk.
More... |
 |
|
|
| |
 |
The
Olkhon Island is considered to be Lake Baikal’s
“energy centre.” It is also called the “heart of
the Baikal,” may be because it is shaped much like
the lake itself. Olkhon is the largest island on
Lake Baikal, with a maximum length of 71
kilometres, a width of 12 kilometres, and a total
area of 730 square kilometers. The island is
situated near the deepest point of the lake, some
1,637 metres. From the island, the entire variety
of beautiful Baikal landscapes are visible.
More... |
|
 |
|
|
|
