156 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.

Bunker-42

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

Izmailovo Kremlin

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

Lenin's Mausoleum

Embalmed remains of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Yekaterinburg, Russia

Psychedelic Salt Mines

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

Children are the Victims of Adult Vices

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

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum.

Moscow Metro Stations

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.

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Unique
Food & Drink
in Russia

Pine Cone Preserves

Soft young cones make a sweet jam believed to have health benefits in Russia and Georgia.

Karelian Pie

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

Kartoshka

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

Kvass

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

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Stories
About Russia

Vostok 1 Microdistrict, Minsk, Belarus.

A Photographer's Ode to Everyday Soviet Architecture

Arseniy Kotov finds inspiration in urban exploration and concrete cityscapes.

November 5, 2019

Behind the Iron Curtain, shelves were empty but champagne was affordable.

How Stalin and the Soviet Union Created a Champagne for the Working Class

In 1936, the Party suddenly switched from denouncing bubbly to mass producing it.

by Jessica Gingrich

November 5, 2019

A crowd looks at different kinds of vodka for sale in a Moscow street kiosk.

How Vodka Became a Currency in Russia

Since the 16th century, the spirit has been the country's gold standard.

by Susie Armitage

October 23, 2019

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach's copy of Boltunov's drawing of the mammoth (which has since been lost).

This Terrible Mammoth Drawing Was a Giant Help to 19th-Century Naturalists

The first reconstruction from a flesh-and-blood mammoth looked more like a pig.

by Sabrina Imbler

September 27, 2019

Soup set to be disinterred in 1980, 2000, and 2050.

The Quest to Find a Lost Arctic Explorer’s Buried Soup

An "Arctic mystery" may lead to a future of food under the permafrost.

by Tal McThenia

August 19, 2019

Handpainted porcelain figurines of Belka and Strelka like these are still available for purchase today.

How Russia's Space Dogs Inspired a Galaxy of Swag

The cutest little cosmonauts launched a zillion tchotchkes.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

Three young women near the town of Kirillov.

Images of Old Russia, From a Color Photography Pioneer

A revolution in the use of filters, way before Instagram.

by Evan Nicole Brown

In Svalbard, Norway, a Triassic channel still extends from an outcrop.

Found: The Largest River Delta the Earth Has Ever Seen

Everything is bigger in Pangaea.

by Jonathan Carey