Photo Gallery

Alexander Nevsky cathedral interior, Tallinn, Estonia
The large cupola cathedral is richly decorated with mosaics and icons in mixed historicist style. Estonia was still part of the Russian tsarist empire when construction was completed in 1900. The Orthodox church is dedicated to the Prince of Novgorod, Alexander Yaroslavitz Nevsky, who led the famous Ice Battle on the banks of Lake Peipsi in April 1242 and halted the eastward advance of the Germans.

Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow
The Bolshoi Theatre, built in 1825 and located in Moscow’s Teatralnaya Square, is associated with the beginnings of Russian ballet and has hosted some of country’s most famed performances of opera, ballet, and dance. The theater has also been the venue for numerous political dramas, including the Fifth Party Congress of July 1918, when the final split between Lenin’s Bolsheviks and the Left Socialist Revolutionaries took place.

Palace Bridge, St. Petersburg
Palace Bridge was the first bridge to span the Neva River in St. Petersburg. It is renowned for the spectacular view of the Peter and Paul Fortress created when it opens up in the early morning to allow river traffic through. The silhouette of the bridge's two raised platforms with the thin golden spire of SS Peter and Paul Cathedral rising in the background is one of the landmark views of the city. Construction began in 1912.

Church of the Transfiguration, Kizhi
Built in 1722 without nails or any kind of metal ties, the Church of the Transfiguration is the jewel of Kizhi, an island on Lake Onega with a collection of wooden churches, chapels, and houses. With its museum of Russian wooden architecture, Kizhi is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination.

Lenin's Mausoleum, Moscow
Lenin's tomb is located in Red Square and serves as the final resting place of Vladimir Lenin. His embalmed body has been on public display there since 1924, the year he died.

Monomakh cap
The Monomakh’s Cap is one of the symbols of Russian aristocracy and is on exhibit at the Kremlin Armory. It was the crown of all Muscovite grand princes and tsars from Dmitri Donskoi in the early fourteenth century until Peter the Great took the title of emperor—and a more modern crown--in 1721.

Millennium of Russia, Novgorod
The monument to commemorate the 1000 years since Rurik's arrival to Novgorod, an event traditionally taken as a starting point of Russian history, was erected in that city in 1862. Novgorod, considered the oldest city in Russia, was once a cultural and political center. The bronze monument depicts heroes of Russia.

Red Square, Moscow
The most famous square in Moscow, Red Square separates the Kremlin--the former royal citadel and the official residence of the President of Russia--from a historic merchant quarter, known as Kitay-gorod.

Russian ballet
Russia’s role as a leader in the world of ballet began with the inception of the art itself. The Russian Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg (now the Kirov Ballet), established in the mid-eighteen century, was one of the world’s first. The Ballet Russes, established at the turn of the twentieth century, was ground-breaking in its own right. Russian ballet companies have produced some of the most highly-regarded ballets and ballet dancers in the world.

Russian Five-pointed Star
The five-pointed star, also referred to as the Red Star, is the symbol of Russia’s Communist Party.

Russian theatre
Russian Theater has a long and diverse history. While its origin lies in folk entertainment, the first dramatists appeared in the mid 1700s. Great Russian playwrights include Gogol, Checkov, and Gorki.

Trans Siberia Express
The Trans-Siberia Railway is the world’s longest continuous rail line, covering almost six thousand miles over one third of the globe and linking Moscow to the Sea of Japan.

St. Basils cathedral
The famous St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561.

Double headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry. The Russian tsars adopted it to position themselves as successors to the Byzantine state, which also used the symbol.

Clock, Moscow State University
Clock on the main building of MSU.