149 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Russia - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in Russia

Dargavs, Russia

Dargavs Village: City of the Dead

This ancient village and its adjoining cemetery have a beautiful history of death and remembrance.

Added by ekoptev

Bunker-42

Dr. Strangelove-esque tours inside a bunker under Moscow's streets once reserved for Stalin himself.

Added by aelandry

Lenin's Mausoleum

Embalmed remains of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.

stanestane

Added by stanestane

Izmailovo Kremlin

Moscow's other, lesser known kremlin is a fairytale-like cultural complex modeled after Old Russia.

LaurynSmith11

Added by LaurynSmith11

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum.

Dampo

Medvezhyegorsky District, Russia

Kizhi Island

Stunning examples of Russia's 18th-century wooden architecture.

Mephisto Waltz

Added by Mephisto Waltz

Children are the Victims of Adult Vices

Thirteen sculptures in central Moscow graphically depicting vices of the modern world.

Dampo

Yekaterinburg, Russia

Psychedelic Salt Mines

It's hard to believe the dizzying patterns covering this abandoned mine are completely natural.

Added by claude chappe

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Unique
Food & Drink
in Russia

Kartoshka

Gastro Obscura

Kartoshka

Soviet cafeterias whipped up this chocolate “potato” to use leftovers.

Gastro Obscura

susarm

Added by susarm

Karelian Pie

Gastro Obscura

Karelian Pie

Though its home region has been split by war, love for this hearty pastry transcends borders.

Gastro Obscura

Added by jennniey

Kvass

Gastro Obscura

Kvass

You can find authentic versions of this sour Slavic brew at street stalls and monasteries.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Kumis

Gastro Obscura

Kumis

Infants and Genghis Khan enjoyed this fermented mare's milk.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

See all 24 things to eat in Russia See all 24 things to eat in Russia

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Recent Russia Activity

Dr Johnny Phil Bravo wants to go to Mount Elbrus

Dr Johnny Phil Bravo wants to go to Chess City

Dr Johnny Phil Bravo wants to go to Pavlov's House

Clur wants to go to Street Art Museum

nellieray wants to go to Aquarelle Train on The Moscow Metro

Stories
About Russia

Two children behind the lens in Moscow, from the inaugral issue of <em>Sovetskoe foto</em> (<em>Soviet Photo</em>) magazine.

The Soviet Union Encouraged Children to Take Pictures, But Rarely Showed Them

“Just as every forward-looking comrade must have a watch, so must he be able to handle a camera."

by Noor Al-Samarrai

February 26, 2019

Leo and Sophia, six weeks before his death in 1910.

Tolstoy Ghosted His Wife Then Up and Died

But he did not get the quiet death he was seeking.

by Noor Al-Samarrai

February 15, 2019

Parain's <em>Baba-Yaga</em> was influenced by avant garde art and traditional folk tales.

The Soviet Children's Books That Broke the Rules of Propaganda

How folk tales and traditional life snuck into avant-garde kids' books in the 1930s.

by Sarah Laskow

November 01, 2018

Polar bears dine on a bowhead whale carcass on Wrangel Island, Russia.

Dead Whales Once Saved Polar Bears From Climate Change, But Not This Time

Less sea ice and fewer whales mean a grim outlook.

by Matthew Taub

October 10, 2018

Koryo Saram meal, photographed in Ushtobe, Kazakhstan.

How Survivors of Stalinism Created a New Korean-Fusion Cuisine

When the Koryo Saram were forcibly relocated, they forged new identities.

September 10, 2018

A Russian beard tax token.

Found: A Coin That Stopped the Tsar's Police From Shaving You

It's one of the oldest ever found.

by Matthew Taub

September 07, 2018

A nemotode worm like the ones found in the Siberian permafrost, drawn in 1792.

Siberian Worms Survived More Than 30,000 Years Stuck in Permafrost

The worms, all female, thawed out and started eating.

by Sarah Laskow

In museums such as these, people saw various religious icons, statues, and paintings, alongside images depicting scientists like Copernicus being persecuted by priests.

How the USSR Turned Houses of Worship Into Museums of Atheism

In these Soviet churches, religion was banned.

by Natasha Frost