What once claimed to be the world's tallest single-family wooden structure house.

This Russian diner is staffed entirely by twins.

An enormous Soviet aircraft, the only one of its kind, stands at the deserted shore of the Caspian Sea.

The Russians still use the transmitter Nazis built during World War II to communicate with submarines.

This monument commemorates the soldiers who fought for 16 hours straight to penetrate this concrete fort.

Located along Lysaya Mountain, this monastery is home to the largest statue of Buddha in Russia.

One of the most popular attractions in the small resort town of Kabardinka.

Is it an island or a volcano? That question probably explains why it's uninhabited.

These tiny cabins on a cableway have been carrying visitors at a Baltic resort down to the beach since 1912.

A solemn, monumental, kitschy palace of worship honoring victory in the Great Patriotic War.

A tiny park off the beaten path covered in ingenious scrap metal sculptures.

Propped high atop the peak of Mount Gamsutlmeer, this abandoned village is one of the oldest settlements in the region.

A "station to nowhere" marks the site of a Siberian subway project that never saw the light of day.

Ukrainian defense contractor's center for studying "pyramid energy."

The largest Buddhist city in Europe is a haven for chess fanatics.

Thanks to this small string of islands World War II still hasn't officially ended between Russia and Japan.

A replica of the straw hut where Vladimir Lenin lived in hiding, disguised as a hay farmer, in 1917.

One of the most well-preserved mammoth specimens in the world.

A monument to the defenders of the Arctic in Murmansk, Russia.

300-year-old villagers houses and traditional churches preserve a nearly lost piece of Russian history.

This massive glowering Lenin head gazes out over eastern Siberia.

An art museum inside an active factory.

Five mile wide circular ring of rock in the Russian Far East is a curious geological oddity.

The Nazis lost more men trying to take this Russian-held Stalingrad apartment block than they did when taking Paris.