Ferdinand Piqu's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Saint Petersburg, Russia

Peacock Clock

A 250-year-old timepiece-automaton adorned with golden mechanical birds, which still sing to this day.
Moscow, Russia

Monument to the Conquerors of Space

Moscow's imposing monument to the Space Age.
Moscow, Russia

Lubyanka

Former headquarters of the KGB.
Moscow, Russia

Miniature Moscow

Back in the tiny USSR.
Irkutsk, Russia

The Irkutsk Babr

Thanks to a spelling mistake this bizarre beaver-tiger hybrid became the symbol of a Siberian town.
Kazan, Russia

Temple of All Religions

This Russian religious complex is a Frankenstein's chapel that includes influence from almost all the major faiths.
Moscow, Russia

Moscow Metro Stations

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

Lenin's Mausoleum

This building holds the embalmed remains of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Moscow, Russia

Izmailovo Kremlin

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

Beatles Monument

A beloved tribute to the Fab Four and the freedoms they inspired.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The Zaisan Memorial

A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Genghis Khan Statue Complex

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.
Enbekshikazakh District, Kazakhstan

Issyk Lake

The lovely lake that was naturally dammed, then naturally destroyed, then unnaturally saved.
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek Circus

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.
Xiva, Uzbekistan

Walls of Itchan Kala

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.
Muynak District, Uzbekistan

Moynaq

Once a bustling fishing port, this semi-ghost town is now more than 90 miles away from the shore.
Kantubek, Uzbekistan

Vozrozhdeniye Island

Former island in the Aral Sea used to be a top-secret Russian bio-weapons facility.
Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Kalyan Minaret

This "tower of death" has acted as an observatory, a religious hub, and an executioner's lair.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Tomb of Daniel at Samarkand

18m long sarcophagus of a constantly growing dead prophet.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Central Asian Plov Center

Giant cauldrons overflow with Uzbekistan's favorite rice dish at this cavernous dining hall.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Seattle Peace Park

Touching displays of wishes for peace from the Cold War era.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Amir Timur (Tamerlane) Museum

Looking for a unifying history, Uzbekistan finds its answer in a 14th Century Turco-Mongol conqueror... despite the fact he wasn't Uzbek.
Malinovka, Kazakhstan

ALZHIR

A Stalinist prison camp for the wives and children of men accused of betraying the Soviet state is now a memorial museum.