147 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

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

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

Children are the Victims of Adult Vices

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

Dampo

Pushkin, Russia

The Amber Room

An 18th century wonder of the world, lost in WWII, re-created at the Catherine Palace.

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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

Kumis

Gastro Obscura

Kumis

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

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

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

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

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Stories
About Russia

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

Kvass is made at home by fermenting black or rye bread in water with a mixture of sugar, yeast, and other household ingredients.

Russia's Patriotic Alternative to Coca-Cola Is Made Out of Bread

For centuries, Russians have celebrated their Slavic roots with kvass.

by Natasha Frost

A popular conspiracy theory links the decline of Russian culture to American intelligence.

Russia's Most Popular Conspiracy Theory Is All But Unknown in the U.S.

It implicates American intelligence in undermining Russian culture.

by Sarah Laskow

February 20, 2018