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Ecclesiastic Residence
Across the road running south of Novospassky Monastery is the sumptuous Ecclesiastic Residence. It was the home of the Moscow metropolitans after the founding of the Russian patriarchate in the 16th century, when they lost their place in the Kremlin.
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Dovmont Town
Named after an early Pskov prince (also known as Daumantas, who ruled the independent city between 1266 and 1299), the preserved foundations of a dozen or so 12th- to 15th-century churches can be found in the southern corner of the main kremlin complex.
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University
The classically colonnaded main buildings of the university lie in resplendently leafy grounds, giving Tomsk the sobriquet ‘Oxford of Siberia’. There’s not much open to the public, but there’s nothing to stop you taking a walk around the grounds.
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Tobolsk Rayon Administration Building
Less eye-catching than the Kornilov Mansion opposite, the Tobolsk Rayon Administration Building was the home-in-exile of the last tsar, before his fateful journey to execution in Yekaterinburg. Its now a museum of legal studies (admission free).
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Chapel of St Nicholas
The pretty little Chapel of St Nicholas was said to mark the geographical centre of Russia when it was built in 1915. Demolished in the 1930s, it was rebuilt in 1993 for Novosibirsk’s centenary. Today it is an oasis of calm in the bustling city centre.
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Musa Dzhalil Monument
This striking bronze figure of a man tearing barbed wire is at the entrance to the kremlin and was erected to honour the Tatar poet who was executed by the Nazis in Berlin’s Moabit Prison in 1944, leaving a notebook full of poems to a Belgian friend.
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Selskhoz Academy
The blue Selskhoz Academy , a brick mansion that was originally a school museum. Its biggest claim to fame is being the hiding spot for Lenin during WWII. Yes, he was already dead! His embalmed body was evacuated here from Moscow for safe keeping.
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Resurrection Church
There are four churches in the immediate vicinity of Sudzals Torgovaya pl (Trade Sq), including the Resurrection Church . Make the precarious climb to the top of the bell tower and be rewarded with wonderful views of Suzdal’s gold-domed skyline.
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House of Soviets
The imposing House of Soviets was intended to become the new centre of St Petersburg under a 1930s plan, replacing the old tsarist centre. In a testament to the stubbornness of St Petersburgers during Stalin’s terror, this plan was universally ignored.
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Place of Skulls
The 13m circular stone platform in front of St Basils Cathedral is known as the Place of Skulls. Legend has it that it was the site of executions, including the Streltsy and Stepan Razin. In reality, it was a stage for tsarist decrees and religious ceremonies.
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Lyubavicheskaya Synagogue
Converted to a theatre in the 1930s, this building was still used for gatherings by the Jewish community throughout the Soviet period. Today the building serves as a working synagogue, as well as a social centre for the small but growing Jewish community in Moscow.
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Central House of Writers (CDL)
The Central House of Writers is an elaborate art-nouveau mansion dating to 1889. The historic mansion housed the administrative offices of the writers union for most of the Soviet period. As such, it was featured in Bulgakovs novel The Master & Margarita .
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Church of the Resurrection
Through the arch off of Tverskaya ul, the unexpected, gold-domed Church of the Resurrection was one of the few churches to remain open throughout the Soviet period. As such, it is full of fine icons and artwork rescued from churches torn down during the Soviet era.
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Beloselsky
The photogenic salmon-pink backdrop to the Anichkov most is provided by the 1840s rococo Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace . Check the posters outside for details of the concerts that are occasionally held in the palace’s grandly oak-panelled and stuccoed concert hall.
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Yelagin Palace
The Yelagin Palace , built for his mother by Tsar Alexander I, who had architect Carlo Rossi landscape the entire island while he was at it. The palace, with beautifully restored interiors, is to your right as you cross the footbridge from Kamenny Island.
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Lumiere Brothers Photography Centre
One of the main pilgrimage destinations for photography fanatics, is this modern and competently curated space that hosts frequently changing exhibitions of Russian and Western photo artists. There is a nice shop selling photo albums and postcards in the premises.
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Primorsky Picture Gallery
Vladivostok’s bipolar art museum’s original locale (ul Aleutskaya 12) has long been under renovation, but may be open by the time you read this. While most of the impressive collection is in storage, bits and pieces rotate through the annexe east of Park Provotsky.
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Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad
On the way to or from the airport you won’t miss the awe-inspiring Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad . Centred on a 48m-high obelisk, the monument is a sculptural ensemble of bronze statues symbolising the heavy plight of defence and eventual victory.
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Epiphany Church of Zapskovie
This attractive, working church overlooking the Pskova tributary was built in 1494 and includes a separately standing five-column belfry – its open gables and large pillars are distinctive of the Pskovian style. Around the church is a lovely stretch of park.
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Annunciation Monastery
Set at the foot of attractive parkland, the 13th-century Annunciation Monastery, above Chernigovskaya ul, is one of Nizhny Novgorods oldest buildings. Most of the churches themselves are from the 17th century and are well worth visiting for their interiors.
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