Tag Archives: history

Родина-мать зовёт! – The Motherland Calls! Situated on the Mamayev Kurgan–hill (Мамаев курган) in Volgograd (former Stalingrad) in Southern Russia, stands a magnificent statue which commemorates the sufferings, sacrifice, and heroism of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This monument is the representation of a call to take up arms against the German ...

What is the Russian Авось? Авось is a widely used Russian saying which expresses a very specific concept. Although you may find that it is often translated as ‘perhaps’ or ‘with hope’, these English phrases do not represent the deeper concept that lies behind the Russian авось. I spoke to native Russian speakers to try ...

Moscow is home to many great architectural styles from old to modern, extraordinary, phenomenal and much more. The Russian capital offers many buildings which are definitely worth seeing. Keep on reading to find out more about some unusual buildings that stand out from the crowd. Why not discover them on your next trip there?   ...

Around 280 million people in the world speak Russian, which is very likely to be one of the reasons why also you decided to try to learn it. However, this number doesn’t include the people speaking dialects, nor all the derivative Slavic languages which are easily learnable once you acquired the basics of Russian. Therefore, ...

Not many places in the world are as rich in History and culture as St. Petersburg is. If we all can’t wait to go back to one of its many museums, we can use our free time in quarantine to prepare our visits, so can enjoy our upcoming visits even more…so here is an overview ...

During your stay in Moscow a visit to the Izmaylovo Kremlin (Кремль в Измайлово) is a great opportunity to dive into the spirit of ancient Russia. This unique complex was inspired by the architecture of old Moscow and by drawings of Russian fairytales. It can easily be called the Disneyland of Russian history and handcraft. ...

On a recent day trip, I rented a car and drove to Priozersk (Приозерск). Priozersk is a small town of around 19,000 people in the Leningrad Oblast region of Russia, roughly two hours drive from Saint Petersburg. Located near the border with the Karelia region, it is sandwiched between Lake Ladoga and the Vuoksi River. ...

Today Russia is the largest country on Earth by area, and covers more than one-eighth of the planet’s inhabited land area. But how did it get to be so big? The answer to this question lies all the way back in the 16th century with the Russian ruler Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible. ...

If you’re like me, you love podcasts. You listen to them on your way to work, at the gym, or even over a cup of tea. Edifying, intellectually engaging, and often humorous, podcasts are not only a great way to optimize your free time, but also a crucial tool to help improve your skills. What ...

A trip to Russia is not complete without a trip to a classic Soviet-style stolovaya. Usually translated into English as a canteen, the establishment of the Russian stolovaya is a nostalgic mark that adorns almost every street in the centre of St Petersburg and Moscow like a purified crystal from the rich furnace of Soviet history… ...