Yaroslavl, located a five-hour train ride from Moscow, is often considered to be the capital of the “Golden Ring” – a collection of towns whose prominence in Russian history can be traced back to the rise of Moscow or before. It is the only city in Russia other than Saint Petersburg to have its entire […]
The following information was taken from a Facebook post by Москва и Москвичи. It has been translated here by SRAS Home and Abroad Scholar Caroline Barlow. Some explanatory text (in italics) and hyperlinks to further information have also been included for those readers who are not well versed in the history of Moscow and Russia. […]
The following was originally written in Russian by the popular Russian blogger and photographer Zyalt. It can be seen in the original in his blog. It is presented here for the edification of English speakers interested in Russian architectural heritage and history. The Moscow We’ve Lost: 10 Architectural Losses of the 20th Century For […]
The following history has appeared in various forms around the Russian internet. It has been presented here, translated for the first time into English, by SRAS Home and Abroad Scholar Lindsey Greytak. The Leningrad Blockade is one of the worst chapters in the city’s history. The severe winter of 1941-1942 finished what was started by […]
There is always history surrounding us. In a city like Moscow, this can seem overwhelmingly apparent. Moscow has many imposing buildings from many eras – some are immediately recognizable and others only invite wonder as to what stories lay behind their beauty or grime. The stories of Moscow’s Lubyanka District were recently opened for me […]
Saint Michael’s Vydubychi Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine 1.5 hour visit with my host family Cost of candles: 10-20 UAH (~$0.35-0.75) On most weekends, I’m guilty of sleeping in late and lounging around my host family’s apartment until the afternoon. My host mom, who serves me mouthwatering meals every day, typically lets me sleep in until […]
Krutitskoe Podvorye Religious History in Moscow Free area of town to stroll in Directions: Take the metro to Proletarskaya station. After leaving the metro, head straight down Krutitskiy Per., toward the Moscow River. Continue past the four-way intersection with Novospasskiy Pr-d. On your left, you will see Krutitskaya Ul. Head down the road, and at […]
The following was contributed by Renee Stillings, Program Director following her recent visit to Irkutsk to check up on SRAS programs there. Those programs include Russian as a Second Language, Siberian Studies, and more. My first visit to Irkutsk happened over twenty years ago, when I was looking to expand study abroad options for SRAS […]
The Village presents drone photographs of the tops of Soviet skyscrapers. Every Russian knows the seven Stalinist high-rises (or, as foreigners call them, the “Seven Sisters”), which were the first Soviet skyscrapers and remained the tallest buildings in Europe for many years. The following article appears on The Village in Russian. It has been translated […]
The following article originally appeared in Russian on the Russian travel site “My Planet.” It has been translated here by SRAS Home and Abroad Scholar Sophia Rehm. Note: The title of this article was originally “If Stars are Lit,” a reference to a line of the poem Listen! by Vladimir Mayakovsky. For more on the […]
Coming across the graffiti wall at the corner of Stary Arbat and Krivoarbatskaya Lane last summer, I took a few pictures, and didn’t think about it much more than that, except that I was surprised to see such elaborate work in such a public place. So when I visited the same place, and saw that […]
The iconic monument on Volgograd’s Mamayev Kurgan Hill is in need of some serious care. Valentina Klyushina, curator of The Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad memorial complex, of which the statue is a part, said that The Motherland Calls statue needs serious help. According to Klyushina, Nikolai Nikitin, the lead designer of the monument, […]