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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Russia

184 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Russia

Updated November 22, 2023

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  1. Irkutsk
  2. Kazan
  3. Kronshtadt
  4. Medvezhyegorsky District
  5. Moscow
  6. Murmansk
  7. Odintsovsky District
  8. Pushkin
  9. Saint Petersburg
  10. Sochi
  11. Solovetskiy
  12. Tula
  13. Ulan Ude
  14. Volgograd
  15. Yekaterinburg

Unusual Attractions in Russia

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Soviet History 28
Museums And Collections 19
Military 18
Sacred Spaces 18
Architectural Oddities 17
Monuments 15
Statues 14
Animals 12

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Stories About Russia

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 2

The mysterious tragedy of the Dyatlov Pass Incident gets an explanation—but not necessarily one everyone accepts.
by The Podcast Team

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 1

The tragedy and mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident has captured imaginations for decades.
by The Podcast Team
This photo was taken around 1930 of the Tunguska marshes, the epicenter of the mysterious Tunguska Event.

Podcast: The Tunguska Event

Earth's largest documented impact event happened in a remote corner of Siberia in 1908.
by The Podcast Team

In Early Modern Russia, Witches Were Men and Belief in Magic Was Universal

Terrifying love spells and protective "spells to power" offered the chance for control in a fiercely hierarchical society.
by Valerie Kivelson
Printed in a communist youth magazine in the 1930s, Towards Soviet America visits all of capitalist America’s social injustices on the way to “Soviet America” in the center.

The Anti-Monopoly Board Game That Promoted a 'Soviet America'

In 1934, American Communists translated a Stalinist book about revolution into a children’s game. Curiously, it didn't catch on.
by Frank Jacobs, Big Think

Podcast: Bone Vinyl

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
The cover of this Red Haggadah from the National Library of Russia, features a search for leavened bread, which is forbidden on Passover.

The Soviet 'Red Passovers' Where Jews Gave Thanks for Communism

Instead of celebrating freedom from Egypt, people celebrated liberation from capitalism.
by Sam Lin-Sommer

Podcast: Pushkin’s Duel

How a real-life confrontation seemed to mirror a literary masterpiece.
by The Podcast Team

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