What better season is there to travel than early fall? The summer’s warmth still lingers on and wintery darkness hasn’t completely descended yet. But most importantly, September is already considered low season, which means that many prices for museums, theater and more will be cheaper than in the previous months. In this article, we’ll give you a number of reasons why you should visit St. Petersburg in September and how to properly prepare for your trip.
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Under Peter the Great Russia was proclaimed an Empire and was recognized as a world power. Follow the history of Russian Empire from its famous emperors Peter the Great, Catherine II, Alexander II, to the beginning of the 20th century and its tragic end.
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By the middle of the 14th century, the power of the Mongols was declining, and the Grand Princes felt able to openly oppose the Mongol yoke. In 1380, at Kulikovo on the Don River, the khan was defeated, and although this hard-fought victory did not end Tartar rule of Russia, it did bring great fame to the Grand Prince. Moscow's leadership in Russia was now firmly based and by the middle of the fourteenth century its territory had greatly expanded through purchase, war, and marriage.
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Russia is the world’s largest country, spanning from Scandinavia to America. Moscow and St. Petersburg are probably the most well-known Russian cities, but there are also Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, and more. Learn about Russia's largest cities, their location, their history and things to do in them.
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Constructivism was an artistic philosophy which emerged in the mid-1910s in Russia, and called for the purposeful construction of art. In the early Soviet period, it was stipulated that all forms of art and design must have a function within socialism: Constructivism therefore presented itself as a suitable artistic movement for that period. Many Constructivist buildings can still be seen throughout Russia, especially in Moscow.
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Celebrating New Year’s is all about the fizz, the fun and the glamour, the city lights shining and the champagne flowing. So, where better place could there possibly be to celebrate this momentous event, than in the biggest city in Europe – Moscow?
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Ded Moroz is very much the symbol of the festive season in Russia, and, with his silvery beard and twinkling eyes, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Ded Moroz was simply another name for Father Christmas. The truth however, as with all things magical, is a lot more complicated than that.
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St. Petersburg, Russia’s cultural capital, was shaped by the artistic trends that spread across Europe and the world. One such trend was Art Nouveau, which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. Check out our guide to five of the most outstanding masterpieces of Art Nouveau in St. Petersburg, and keep your eyes peeled when exploring the city.
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Russia has so much to offer. From the stunning architectural splendor of St. Petersburg to miniature deserts surrounded by green plains and mountains and on to the frozen fantasy landscapes of Siberia — the magical charm of Russia’s grandeur and nature enchants even the grumpiest babushka or traveler! To give you a hint about where you should start planning your visit, here’s a (subjective) list of 7 of the most beautiful places in Russia.
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The invading Mongols accelerated the fragmentation of the Kievan Rus’. In 1223, the Kievan Russian army faced a Mongol raiding party at the Kalka River and was soundly defeated. In 1240 the Mongols sacked the city of Kiev and then moved West into Poland and Hungary. By then, they had conquered most of the Russian principalities. Overall, Mongol reign over the Kievan Rus’ lasted for roughly 200 years. Of the principalities, only Novgorod escaped occupation.
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Legend has it that hundreds of years ago two Russian men went ice-fishing. So engrossed were they in watching their lines that they failed to notice a snow storm hurtling towards them. The next morning, the locals found the fishermen exactly as they had been the day before, crouching over their ice-holes— frozen in time. But instead of shocking the villagers, this sorry sight inspired them to try carve figures from ice. Ever since that fateful day, ice sculptures have been at the center of Russian winter celebrations.
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Without a doubt, New Year is the loudest, largest and rowdiest Russian holiday. Though it is true that Russian New Year shares a few of Christmas’s traditions, such as Father Frost hiding presents under a Christmas tree, it is definitely not a stay-at-home and light a fire kind of celebration; it’s more like turn the speakers up and set the fireworks off!
Ice— stone-hard, devilishly cold and yet strangely beautiful— is the embodiment of Russia. With that in mind, could there possibly be a better way of learning about Russian culture than through the medium of ice? We think not.
The history of the first Russian state, that of Kiev, is semi-legendary and therefore resembles a fairy-tale, much like the ones grandmothers often tell children to make them fall asleep. Yet the early history of Russia also resembles a mysterious detective story, because sources on the topic aren't plentiful and therefore we don't know much about it. Although it's difficult and even impossible to produce all the correct answers, we can at least be able to avoid the cruder mistakes and oversimplifications.
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It could be said that Russia's historical mission has always been to connect two great civilizations, that of the East and of the West. This was also the case centuries ago, when there were no actual Russians on the territory now occupied by the Russian state. At present we know, vaguely, the historical development of southern Russia before the appearance of the Russians and the Kievian state. It is important to appreciate this background in order to understand Russian history.
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When you think of Russian cultural institutions, what springs to mind? The Hermitage, the Russian Museum, and the Bolshoi Ballet; the opulent palaces and churches of Tsarist history; revolutionary artwork taking the country by storm. Yet Russia is an incredibly rich source of unique contemporary art.
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