The pride of the nation - sights of Russia

Many words associate vacation with foreign travel, and local recreation for some reason seriously underestimated. But how can it be that most of the Russians have never visited the places that are the pride of their country? This needs to be fixed! Therefore, if your vacation is going to pass in the vastness of the Motherland- be sure to get to know the beauty of Russia better. Not all of the things worth seeing are presented here, but this can already inspire.

Red Square

Red Square is probably the most popular attraction in our country, which even foreigners who have never been to Russia know about. Officially, this is the main square of the city, and unofficially, the main square of the whole country. The size of the Red Square is striking - 24,750 m2. Since 1963, the movement of cars has been banned on Red Square, and now it is impossible to ride a moped or even a bicycle on it.

Red Square has a very rich history, which dates back to 1493, when Ivan III ordered the removal of all wooden structures in order to avoid fires, and for the purpose of trade, a square called Torgovaya was formed near the eastern wall. Since there were frequent fires, she was called “underground” Fire. Closer to the sixteenth century, Red Square was called Troitskaya, and only in the 17th century it began to be called its current name. Red meant beautiful.

For guests, the square is in round-the-clock access, and it is closed only in case of preparation for events, for example, by May 9. In winter, on Red Square, you can ride an ice rink with an area of ​​2,800 m2. There are many historical sites on Red Square, which are simply impossible to pass by. In general, there is something to see and something to admire.

Savior on Spilled Blood

And this beauty is located in St. Petersburg. Its construction was organized due to the fact that at the end of the nineteenth century an attempt on the life of Emperor Alexander II took place here. That year, on March 1, he was mortally wounded, therefore this monument was erected in his memory. The temple was built with money collected from all over Russia. The temple is located on the banks of the Griboyedov Canal near the Mikhailovsky Garden and Konyushennaya Square. This nine-domed temple reaches 81 meters in height and can simultaneously accommodate 1600 parishioners. The project itself was carried out by order of the son of Alexander II, Alexander III, in 1883-1907. Now the Church on the Blood has the status of a museum.

Few know, but the "life" of the temple could have been interrupted in the middle of the 20th century, if not for a fatal coincidence. In 1931, the authorities raised the question of demolishing the structure, but the decision was postponed indefinitely. When in the 38th year of the same century the issue was raised again, the decision was positive, but due to the beginning of the Second World War, the implementation of the task itself was postponed until later. Then the blockade began and the cathedral acted as a morgue where Leningraders rested. At the end of hostilities, the temple was transferred to the small theater on a leasehold basis, which organized a place for storing the scenery there. Only in 1968, the Church on the Blood was put under control and protected by the architectural management, and work began on organizing the museum. The final transfer of the cathedral to the balance of the museum took place in 1971. Just think, the Church on the Blood became available to visitors exactly 90 years after the completion of construction, in 1997!

Peterhof

Another pride of St. Petersburg and the whole country is located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. This very large tourist and scientific center is 29 km away from the city itself. Petergov was founded in 1710 as a country residence of the emperor, and since 1762 it has had the status of a city. On the territory of the city there is a world-class architectural monument - the Peterhof Museum-Reserve.

It is known all over the world for its fountains and parks. The idea of ​​building the Peter I appeared in 1714, when the emperor was eager to build a residence that would not be inferior in its embellishments to the French Versailles. Looking at this stunning city, we can say with confidence that Peter the Great managed to cope with the task one hundred percent. The site for the construction was not chosen by chance, because several reservoirs were identified here, which to this day feed the fountains. At the time of the reign of Peter II, Peterhof was practically forgotten and only with the coming to power of Anna Ioanovna palaces and parks were revived.

Unfortunately, during the Second World War, Peterhof was captured by the Germans, which became the reason for the plundering and destruction of art treasures, all the trees were then cut down, the Grand Palace was blown up and burned. In general, Peterhof has gone through a lot. However, now that the place has been restored, everyone can admire the architecture of the 18th century and feel the connection with their ancestors. There are a lot of monuments and sights on the territory of Peterhof, it is difficult to talk about them, so it is better to see everything with your own eyes.

State Russian Museum

This is one of the largest museums in Russia, with 400,000 exhibits on display. It is located in St. Petersburg. It not only stores the most unique treasures dating back to the 9-20th centuries, but also conducts research activities. The main exhibits are presented in the Mikhailovsky Palace, but there is a lot to see in other rooms as well. The area of ​​the museum allows up to fifty exhibitions to be held simultaneously.

The history of the museum begins in 1895, when Nicholas II signed an order to establish a museum in memory of his father Alexander III. The opening took place in 1898 and at that time it was the only museum of Russian fine art in the whole of Russia. Then the museum had only 400 exhibits in its collection. Over time, the collection has been regularly replenished and by now has increased by as much as 1000 times. But the museum does not stop there and still participates in auctions and replenishes its wealth. By the way, in 1992, by presidential decree, the Russian Museum was included in the list of especially valuable objects of cultural heritage.

It is unlikely that the entire collection can be viewed in one day, so take this into account when going on an excursion.

Palace Square

This place is loved not only by tourists, but also by the residents of St. Petersburg, which is not at all surprising considering the beauty of the architectural ensemble. Only the best specialists worked on the implementation of the project. By the way, in the period from 18 to 44 years of the twentieth century, the square had a different name - Uritsky Square. The area of ​​all this beauty is about 5.4 hectares! For comparison, Red Square covers 2.3 hectares. This site is listed as a World Heritage Site and is exclusively for walking.

On the southern border there is the General Staff Building, which is almost 600 m long, in the center of the building there is a gorgeous Arch, which depicts flying geniuses of Glory and there are sculptural compositions with figures of warriors, a chariot of Glory and the goddess of Victory. The sculptural group is ten meters high. The arch itself is 17 meters wide and 28 meters high. In honor of the victory in hostilities in 1812, in 1834, the Alexander Column was opened, the name of which was given in honor of Alexander I. Its height is 47.5 meters, and its weight is not less than 600 tons, an angel is located on the column, which tramples with a cross a snake, which symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

Everything is beautiful on the Palace Square, but the Winter Palace is especially beautiful, which occupies nine hectares of the total area and includes one and a half thousand rooms. At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in all of St. Petersburg. Others were forbidden to build institutions higher than the Winter Palace.

Kolomenskoe

According to legends, Kolomenskoye was founded by refugees from Batu, who burned their city in the 13th century. And the first mention fell on the middle of the 14th century, where Ivan Kalita inscribes the mentioned village in his will as his property. An interesting history surrounds Kolomenskoye, so it will be very interesting to look at it. The village is located south of the center of our capital and occupies about 390 hectares. Now Kolomenskoye is ranked among the state objects-reserves.

In the 16th century, Basil III built a popular tent-roofed church here, which is often credited with the task of a watchtower, which is an undeniable invention. This once former royal residence, which has been perfectly preserved to our times. Kolomenskaya has four archaeological sites, five natural monuments and many buildings that were built between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Lake Baikal

This is not only a stunning lake with its beauty, but also the owner of the title of the deepest lake on the planet. In addition, Baikal is the largest fresh water reservoir. It is home to a wide variety of unique fauna and flora, moreover, there are many animals that cannot be found anywhere else except on Lake Baikal. Interestingly, according to tradition, local residents have long called Baikal not a lake, but the sea.

This pride of Russia is located in Buryatia, Irkutsk region. The maximum depth of Baikal is 1642 meters, its area is 31,722 km2, and the volume of fresh water is 23,615 km3. The lake is so clean that looking into it you can see what is located 40 meters away. Baikal is included in the World Heritage List.

How the lake came about is still debated, but the age of Lake Baikal was set at around 25-35 million years. The lake is amazing not only for its beauty, but also for its scientific aspects. For example, as history shows, the overwhelming majority of lakes, especially those of glacial origin, “live” for about 15,000 years, after which they become swamped and filled with silt, but this does not happen with Lake Baikal. Scientists are trying to justify this by the fact that the age of Lake Baikal is much less than it was assumed earlier and that in fact the age does not exceed 8,000 years for the coastline, and 150,000 years for the deep-water part.

In general, many more questions remain open, but why should a tourist rack his brains over this, if you can just come and relax not only with your body, but also with your soul.

Nevsky Prospect

This is the main street in the northern capital, which is 4.5 km long. The widest part is on the Gostiny Dvor - 60 meters, and the narrowest on the Moika - 25 meters. 240 facades “look” at Nevsky Prospekt. Unofficially, the odd side of the street is called shady, and the opposite side is called sunny, which, by the way, is very popular for walking.

The need to create a prospect arose shortly after St. Petersburg was founded. This was the only way to land in central Russia from the Admiralty. By 1712, the paved site was ennobled on both sides with birches, which formed a beautiful alley, which was regularly monitored and the trees were cut in time. The avenue received street lighting by 1723, and at that time it was the first in all of Russia where there were oil lanterns. A little later benches were installed under the latter, where passers-by could rest.

On Nevsky Prospekt, as on the main street, there have always been festivities and important events. The first notable event took place in the 32nd year of the 18th century - the return of the court of Anna Ioannovna, which had been in Moscow for four years. The tradition to pay maximum attention to the avenue on public holidays has survived to this day.

Kizhi

This island is located in the northern part of Lake Onega. The world famous Architectural Ensemble is located here, which includes the 22-main Church, which was built in the early 18th century, the Resurrection Church, mid-18th century, and the bell tower of the mid-19th century. According to Russian traditions, all of them were built without a single carnation, which is not entirely true. Nails, of course, were used, but in very, very small quantities. The place is very popular among tourists and receives an average of ten ships with guests every day. Who exactly built some of the buildings is still a mystery, for example, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. One legend attributes the work to the carpenter Nestor, who, at the end of the work, allegedly threw a working ax into the lake so that no one could repeat his creation.

In 1990, the churchyard was included in the list of protected world heritage sites. There are also many versions about the origin of the place name. The most popular one says that Kizhi comes from the Vepsian "kidz", which means moss growing on the bottom of water bodies. It is interesting, but despite the fact that in the overwhelming majority of cases you can hear the pronunciation in the second syllable, traditional pronunciation emphasizes the first.

Kazan Cathedral

The erection of the Kazan Cathedral of the Mother of God fell on the very start of the nineteenth century (1801-1811). After the war in 1812, the building acquired the status of a monument of military glory, and in 1813 the commander Mikhail Kutuzov was buried here. It was in honor of this cathedral that Kazanskaya Street got its name.

Earlier this place was the location of the church, in which the wedding of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich took place, numerous victories of the Russian army were celebrated in it. In 1799, Paul I announced a competition, where participants were invited to submit a draft of a new image of the cathedral. The construction of the new building cost 4.7 million rubles, and the architect Voronikhin, the author of the project, was awarded the Order of Honor of St. Vladimir. Contemporaries perceived the building for the most part as a monument, so in 1812 trophies were brought to this place, but divine services were also held here, but not immediately. The beauty of the Kazan Cathedral is difficult to describe in words and the photograph of the building does not convey all the charm and wealth of the building, this can only be seen by personally visiting this historical value.

Sparrow Hills

In the period from 35 to 99, Vorobyovy Gory was called Lenin. The beauty is located in the southwestern part of Moscow and is a high bank of the Moskva River, which is covered with a forest park. Sparrow Hills is considered one of the famous "seven hills". This place is rightfully ranked as one of the most beautiful places in Moscow - a complex relief with a view of the river and a picturesque panorama of the capital. The name "Vorobyovs" came from the village of the same name, which existed in the fourteenth century and belonged to the Vorobyov boyars.

The largest observation deck of the capital is located on Vorobyovy Gory, due to which this place is loved not only by guests of Moscow, but also by those who have lived in the capital all their lives. At this place, according to a long-established tradition, they organize romantic meetings, get together with friends, newlyweds come here, and sometimes shows with the participation of retro cars are held here. Sparrow Hills is located practically in the center of Moscow, just 5.5 km from the Kremlin. Despite the abundant local development, here you can still see untouched parts of the forest with old trees that have been seen for centuries. There are telescopes installed on the observation deck, which can be used by anyone and at the same time absolutely free. There is an embankment nearby, where there are cafes where you can have a tasty snack and take a break from walking.

Alexander Garden

Aleksandrovsky Park is located in the very heart of Moscow and occupies 10 hectares of area. You can walk in the park along three different alleys that run parallel to Manezhnaya Square and the Kremlin Wall. In the middle and upper gardens, you can see the planting of a large number of trees and a variety of ornamental shrubs that bloom at different times. On the territory there is a special specimen in the form of an oak, which is two centuries old. In summer and spring, fragrant and mesmerizing flower beds of roses and tulips appear here.

In addition to plants, there are historical objects in the garden - an obelisk dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, the Kutafiya tower of the Kremlin, etc. But the monuments that remind guests of the two Patriotic wars certainly deserve special attention. The garden itself was founded by order of Alexander II immediately after the end of the war in 1812. The Alexander Garden also consists of three parts: the upper one is 350 meters long, the middle one is 382 meters long and the lower one, the shortest one is 132 meters. If earlier, during conversations, the garden was always divided into three parts, now they talk about the garden as an integral object, although the division of the garden is still noticeable.

Rosa Khutor

And this attraction appeared quite recently, only in 2010. In 2014, the site became the site of the Winter Olympics, where snowboarding and freestyle competitions were held. Rosa Khutor has five lifts and tracks with a total length of nine kilometers. The location of the ski resort is in the Krasnaya Polyana area, forty kilometers from the city of Adler. The ski complex is located on an area of ​​1,820 hectares.

The construction of the facility was in no way timed to coincide with the Olympic Games, since then they could not even think about it, because the idea and preparation for construction began back in 2003. Rosa Khutor can receive and serve up to 10.5 thousand people every day. According to one of the founders of the resort, they initially set themselves the goal of creating an ecologically clean place, to become an exemplary resort. For this, before the start of construction, all relevant examinations were carried out. Trees were felled exclusively pointwise, and compensatory planting was used.

If you like active rest, you like the purest mountain air and want a proper rest from the noisy civilization - then welcome to Rosa Khutor!

Muzeon

This is one of the largest art parks, a cultural museum in the whole of Russia, which is located in the open air. More than a thousand of the most diverse works are presented here, which include monuments to the leaders of the 30s and 50s. All of them are located along the alleys and there are no restrictions on access to them - anyone can come up to touch and take a picture. Since October 2015, Muzeon has been part of Gorky Park.

The territory of the park is divided into thematic sections, where each has its own time period and has its own history. Of course, it will be difficult to list a thousand monuments, but among them there are Stalin, and Gorky, and Dzerzhinsky and many, many others. The sculptures on display do not necessarily have a political theme, for example, Grandfather Mazai and the Hares, Shoes, Don Quixote, etc. are especially popular.

Now Muzeon acts not only as a museum, but also as a place where various holidays are sometimes held, people come here to have a good time, to look at the happening photo exhibitions of various scales and genres. City festivals, holidays and much more are organized here, in general, there is no time to get bored here.

Tsarskoe Selo

Tsarskoe Selo is a museum-reserve located in the largest military-industrial, educational, scientific and tourist center in Pushkin, with a population of 106,087 people. The foundation took place as a suburban residence of the emperor. The reserve includes the Catherine Palace, Catherine Park, Babolovsky and Alexandrovsky Parks and other structures. This is another place steeped in history and many attractions included. It will be problematic to study all this on your own, so it is better to choose a good guide for the excursion.

Main Botanical Garden

This is the largest botanical garden in Europe, which contains a collection of a wide variety of plant species from all over the world. The foundation of this green corner fell on the 45th year of the twentieth century. On the territory of the garden there are 8220 species and 8110 forms and varieties of plants. 361 hectares of land were allocated for the construction of the park, located in the north of the capital.

The Botanical Garden regularly organizes excursions for tourists, the duration of which is about one and a half hours. The guide will tell you the history of the creation of the park, how the garden works and many other interesting things. Needless to say, it is strictly forbidden to make fires on the territory of the garden, you can take photos with the permission of the administration, it is unacceptable to pick plants, mushrooms and berries. Roller skating, sledding and skiing are also prohibited.