Russian culture Russian mentality Russian soul

1. Russian culture Russian mentality Russian soul

2. Russian culture is rich, spanning centuries of Russian history. Russian culture encompasses art, food, traditions, literature, attitudes and more. The culture of Russia is both a point of pride for Russians themselves and a major draw for travelers who plan trips to Russia.

3. Red Square in Moscow is the center of Moscow and all of Russia because all major roads start here.

4. The Russian flag has no offical meaning but most people believe that: White means peace, innocence, perfection Blue means faith, loyalty, constancy Red means energy, power and blood, which was given to Motherland

5. What are Matryoshka Dolls? Until the early 1900’s, Russian toys were made at home out of wood. Wood was the easiest material to get, and the cheapest for the people. It was used to make puppets and many different kinds of animals. A favorite toy among the children was the colorful Matryoshka nesting dolls. These dolls fit one inside the other, with the biggest one holding all of the rest. They are all meant to be a family with the baby as the smallest. These dolls are now popular tourist souvenirs.

6. Most Common Russian Foods Borshch is beet soup and one of the most famous Russian traditional foods. Blini are like pancakes or crepes, also served rolled with a variety of fillings: jam, cheese, onions, or even chocolate syrup. Pelmeni are pastry dumplings filled typically with meatballs. They can be served alone, slathered in butter and topped with sour cream, or in a soup broth.

8. Popular Russian Sports Russia is one of the most successful countries at a number of sports and continuously finishing in the top rankings at the Olympic Games. Among the most played sports in Russia are football, ice hockey and basketball. Other sports widely played in Russia include gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, volleyball, rugby union and skiing.

9. Places to visit in Russia St. Petersburg Also known as 'the city of Tsars', St. Petersburg is one of the greatest historical places of Russia. The vibrant nature seems to be in perfect harmony here combined together with unique heritage buildings and monuments scattered at different places of the city. In fact, the pulsating life of the city is the melting of the ethnic Russian and vibrant European culture. Some of the major tourist spots in St. Petersburg include, the historic Peter & Paul Fortress, Hermitage also known as the 'Winter Palace' is accredited as the largest museum of world and castle of former Russian tsars.

10. Moscow One of the popular places of visit in Russia is the capital city of Moscow. The city is well connected and has round the clock regional and international transport services. The varied shopping malls of the city also offer you a glimpse of multi cuisine from traditional Russian dishes to Caucasian.Being home to some of the best tourist places of Russia, the major attractions of Moscow include-- Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, The Cathedral of Christ the Savoir, Kuskovo Estate and Novodevichy Convent.

11. Novgorod One of the oldest cities of Russia, Novgorod is regarded as an ancient Slavic city and was believed to be explored in 859, as a trade hub between the then Baltics to Byzantium. After the foundation of the state of KievanRus, Novgorod was accorded prime importance. During the monarch regime various social development activities were carried out by Yaroslav the Wise whose contributions are widely still today. Also in the middle Ages, the place was a thriving center of art and paintings which have invariably found their expression in many of the ancient churches which truly epitomizes the rich aura of that era.

12. Tula In the Middle Ages, Tula was a minor fortress at the border of the Principality of Ryazan. As soon as it passed to the Grand Duchy of Moscow, a brick citadel, or kremlin, was constructed in 1514-1521. In 1712, Tula was visited by Peter the Great, who commissioned the Demidov blacksmiths to build the first armament factory in Russia. Several decades later, Tula was turned by the Demidovs into the greatest ironworking center of Eastern Europe. The oldest museum in the city, showcasing the history of weapons, was inaugurated by the Demidovs in 1724, and Nicholas-Zaretsky Church in the city houses their family vault. The first factory to produce samovars industrially was also established there in the course of the 18th century.

13. The museum " the Tula samovars " The museum " the Tula samovars " , branch of Museum Association " Tula regional historical-architectural and literary museum " was open in 1990 in the house that was built in 1910 – 1911 per design of architect V.N.Sirotkin. The exposition of a museum which consists of three halls, acquaints visitors with history of begining and development of one of the most known Tula crafts – Samovar making. The first hall tells about Samovar manufacturing in Tula in XVIII - XIX centuries.

14. Gymnasium № 11 The school was founded in 1934 and became a gymnasium in 1976. It gives a great chance to pupils to learn foreign languages with highly-professional teachers(65% of teachers have the highest professional categories and special honor certificates). Since 1995 20 students have studied in the USA for a year as the winners of Freedom Support Act Contest. In 2011-2012 more than 7 students were selected by the New Organization for spending 1 academic year in German gymnasium and living in German families.

15. The Russian Soul In the history of Russian thought, it is known that the Russian soul is a mystery. Feodor Tjutchev  wrote the most famous poem about this. Russia can’t be understood by reason,Russia isn’t measured by common means.It is quite unique.Russia can only be believed in.