Sights

The Bulgarian cathedral mosque was built in the XIII century, during the time of the Golden Horde. It was erected on a hill, folding the walls of white limestone and decorated with carved ornament. An impressive building on a strong foundation was visible from afar, it is reinforced with buttresses and piles of durable oak. As planned by the creat...

Rare guest will turn their attention to this palace while walking in the Lower Park of Peterhof. A low-rise not at all pompous building, near the Dutch house of Peter I, is nothing more than the small main palace of Empress Elizabeth. You shouldn’t rush to run past this palace to Monplaisir or to the merry Shutikhs. Take your time, stop unde...

A small wooden chapel appeared on Konevets in 1899. It was built on the site of an old worship cross. The cross made of wood was broken by the storm. Chapel stands at the road fork. One leads to the Holy Mountain. The other is to a secluded Kazan small monastery. Surrounded by a pine forest, the temple looks just tiny, almost toy. The Assumption ...

A particular highlight not only of Saint Petersburg, but the whole Russia as well, are the fountains of Peterhof. In the whole world you can hardly find a park complex abound with so many unique sculptures and fountain ensembles. Aspiring to convert his summer residence into "Russian Versailles", Peter the Great tried to create a perfect ensemble ...

The ancient fortress Oreshek had not only military value. Under Peter I, a “secret house” appeared here - a small building where prisoners were kept. There were only 10 cells in the prison. Two stone buildings of the "new prison" appeared later. The new convict high-security prison is known as the Narodovolcheskaya prison. The name stu...

In the vicinity of Valaam island there is a no less picturesque Nikolsky island. Previously it was called Krestovoy (Cross island), because even long ago there stood a cross of respectful salutation, which represented a symbol of the sacred land and served as a landmark for passing vessels. In 19th century a chapel of Saint Nicholas was erected on...

There is 18 people, members of one family used to live in the house of the Oshnevnyh peasant farmers which stood on the Big Klymetsky Island. He was dismantled and brought to the neighboring island of Kizhi, when it was decided to create a museum of wooden architecture here. So in 1951 the old residential building became one of the first exhibits ...

The Golden Samson, tearing the jaws of the lion, is the third composition that has been installed at this place, which we see near the lower stage of the Grand Cascade. The first sculptural group was made of lead by the famous architect Rastrelli. The allegorical composition was established in 1735. It was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the ...

The ruins of the cathedral destroyed during the defense of Leningrad are preserved on the territory of the Oreshek fortress. After lengthy shelling, fragments of brick walls and the lower tiers of the bell tower remained. Inside the destroyed cathedral there is a monument to the heroic defenders of the fortress. Red brick ruins are part of the comp...

A major sight of Peterhof park and its architectural highlight is the Grand Palace. This architectural masterpiece was built during two centuries, that is reflected at the exterior of the building, which embodies the elements of many styles. The front of the Grand Palace is decorated with baroque elements: pilasters, bas-reliefs, intricate ornamen...

The museum tells about the culture of the ancient people who once lived on the Volga coast. The city of Bolgar is a protected area. Here was the capital of the disappeared Bulgarian state. The multi-level stone building of the museum, made in the Oriental style, combined with the river station. It is deployed to the Volga and harmoniously fit into...

The ensemble of parks and palaces is divided into the Lower Park and the Upper Gardens. While to visit the Lower Park tourists have to purchase a ticket, they can freely walk through the Upper Gardens. During the reign of Peter the Great, the Upper Gardens served to grow vegetables and its ponds were used for fish farming. The original design of t...