Russia

The Cathedral of the Annunciation is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Annunciation of the Theotokos. It is located on the southwest side of Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin in Russia, where it connects directly to the main building of the complex of the Grand Kremlin Palace, adjacent to the Palace of Facets. It was originally the personal chapel for the Muscovite tsars, and its abbot remained a personal confessor of the Russian royal family until the early 20th century. Now it also serves as a part of Moscow Kremlin Museums. Compared with the other two major Kremlin cathedrals, the Annunciation Cathedral has slightly smaller dimensions. It is also built in a more traditional style, as it was created by local architects from Pskov, rather than Italian expatriate architects. The most characteristic feature of the building is its nine golden domes, and roof with rich kokoshnik ornamentation in an ogive form. The Cathedral was built of brick, with facades of white limestone that are dressed and decorated. There are entrances to the cathedral on the eastern and the southern side of the building, with fretwork influenced by Italian Renaissance architecture. The bronze doors are decorated with gold foil. Tourists enter the cathedral via the eastern staircase, while the southern staircase is the one added in 1570 by Ivan the Terrible. The relatively high entrance is due to the fact that the building was built on the raised base of its predecessor. The interior of the cathedral consists of the central prayer area and several surrounding galleries, with the additions of side altars in the 16th century. The northern (facing towards the Palace of Facets) is the first gallery space, which is entered through the visitor entrance. This contains a famous Image of Edessa icon, attributed to the famous Russian icon painter, Simon Ushakov. The gallery is separated by a doorway from the main room, created in the 16th century by Italian architects using a striking azure blue color with gilt floral ornaments. The door wings are decorated with figures of ancient poets and philosophers (including Diogenes, Euripides, Plato and Homer). The main vault of the cathedral has a large iconostasis, which includes icons of the 14th to 17th centuries, including the ones painted by Andrei Rublev, Theophanes the Greek and Prokhor, and 19th century, as well, particular on the middle tiers. The fifth (lowest) row is pieced by a silver door, behind which is the old staircase to the Tsar’s personal chambers. Throughout the interior, there are fragments of murals painted by Theodosius (1508) and by others (second half of the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries). These include various biblical themes, heroic figures among other Russian princes and grand dukes. Example of the murals which decorate the cathedral's ceiling. Also striking is the altar area of the floor, consisting of sheets of agate yellow-red jasper, which was brought from a cathedral in Rostov Velikiy in the 16th century and which may have originally come from Constantinople. Behind the altar (where once the sacristy was located) a large silver reliquary containing the remains are of about 50 saints from different places in the Middle East was discovered in 1894.

Federation Tower is designed as part of a larger complex, Federation Towers, rises along with the shorter Zapad Tower from a shared nine-story podium. The two buildings mirror each other in design, with softly sloping exteriors that narrow as they rise, though Vostok Tower is 131 meters taller than its counterpart. The towers form two rounded equilateral triangles in plan with sides that bow outward. A 506-meter spire was originally planned to rise out of the podium in the center of the complex, but was dismantled in 2015 after it had been partially constructed. The building utilizes a concrete core and is the first in Russia to utilize super high-strength, high-performance concrete. In addition, three levels of steel outrigger truss systems work to strengthen the building by distributing gravity and wind loads between the core and perimeter framing. The tower has a straightforward façade; a hanging glass curtain wall provides the main external ornamentation for the structure. Horizontal stripes delineating the building’s individual floors work to augment the building’s perceived girth. The rotund configuration of the tower is underplayed by the podium, which meets the street with a rectilinear extension that caters to the human scale for pedestrians. Like many buildings of this size, underground linkages enhance how the building connects with the surrounding urban environment. Several levels below ground, the complex ties in with the Moscow Metro and a large shopping center. Eventually, all of Moscow City is to be connected below grade, creating a truly “underground city.”

Khokhloma is the name of a Russian wood painting handicraft style and national ornament, known for its curved and vivid mostly flower, berry and leaf patterns. Often Firebird, the figure from the Russian fairytale, is also depicted. A combination of red, black, and gold are typical colors for Khokhloma. When painted on wood, in most cases red, black, green, yellow and orange are used over a gold background. The effect it has when applied to wooden tableware or furniture, making it look heavier and metallic.

Lake Baika is a rift lake located in southern Siberia, Russia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast. Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing 22 to 23% of the world's fresh surface water. With 23,615.39 km3 (5,670 cu mi) of fresh water, it contains more water than all of the North American Great Lakes combined. With a maximum depth of 1,642 m (5,387 ft), Baikal is the world's deepest lake. Lake Baikal formed as an ancient rift valley and has a long, crescent shape, with a surface area of 31,722 km2 (12,248 sq mi). Baikal is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, many of them endemic to the region. It is also home to Buryat tribes, who raise goats, camels, cattle, sheep, and horses on the eastern side of the lake, where the mean temperature varies from a winter minimum of −19 °C (−2 °F) to a summer maximum of 14 °C (57 °F). The region to the east of Lake Baikal is referred to as Transbaikalia or as the Transbaikal, and the loosely defined region around the lake itself is sometimes known as Baikalia. UNESCO declared Lake Baikal a World Heritage Site in 1996.

Ostankino Tower is a television and radio tower in Moscow, Russia, owned by the Moscow branch of unitary enterprise Russian TV and Radio Broadcasting Network. Standing 540.1 metres (1,772 ft), Ostankino was designed by Nikolai Nikitin. It is currently the tallest free-standing structure in Europe and 11th tallest in the world. Between 1967 and 1974, it was the tallest in the world. The tower was the first free-standing structure to exceed 500 m (1,600 ft) in height. Ostankino was built to mark the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It is named after the surrounding Ostankino district of Moscow. Construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1967. Extensive use of prestressed concrete resulted in a simple and sturdy structure. It surpassed the Empire State Building to become the tallest free-standing structure in the world. It held this record for eight years until it was overtaken by the CN Tower in Canada in 1975, which surpassed its height by 13 metres (43 ft). The Ostankino Tower remained the second-tallest free-standing structure in the world for another 32 years until the Burj Khalifa surpassed both it and the CN Tower in height in 2007. The Ostankino Tower has remained the tallest structure in Europe for over 50 years. A 1994 plan to increase the tower's height to 561 metres (1,841 ft) by adding an antenna was not implemented for lack of funding.

The cathedral stands on the Red Square, facing the Ivory Gate Chapel. The St. Basil's Cathedral history started in 1555 by the order of Ivan IV ('Ivan the Terrible') in celebration of the defeat of Kazan, the last remaining grip of the Mongol Empire on European lands. Historians claim that Ivan the Terrible blinded the St. Basil's Cathedral architect right after the construction was finished to prevent him from building another cathedral as magnificent as that. Originally its sides were wooden but during the reign of Catherine II the Great the walls were reconstructed in the same stone seen today and covered in swirling colors and designs. When the Bolsheviks came to power the Cathedral was closed, the bells melted, and its arch-priest killed. In spite of the troubles that always seemed to surround it, St. Basil’s has remained the symbol of the Russian Orthodox Church, spirituality, and patriotism. Another time the Cathedral fell under threat was when Stalin decided that it was an obstacle to his military parades. The demolition plan was prepared but the architect threatened that if the Cathedral was ruined, he would cut his throat on its steps. Miraculously, Stalin changed his mind, and the brave architect Piotr Baranovsky was granted a couple of years in prison for saving St. Basil’s. Today there are more than 400 icons painted between the 14th and 19th centuries by the most famous schools of Novgorod and Moscow hanging on the walls. A narrow pathway leads you from one alter to another, passing through a wooden spiral staircase so well hidden in a wall, that it was only found during the 1970 restoration of the cathedral.

The Sukharev Tower was a building in the center of Moscow, Russia. It was built from 1692 to 1701 by the architect Mikhail Chugolokov Ivanovich. It was destroyed in 1934. The Soviet government of Stalin destroyed it to make Garden Avenue in Moscow. When the building was first opened, it was designed to be a kind of Triumphal Gate In honor of the Tsar, he renounced his war against his sister Sophia Alexeyevna Romanova on the throne. The tower was named in honor of Lorenti Pankerevich Soharb who was the commander of the army. The School of Mathematics and Navigation of Moscow used the tower until 1921. Then it became the Moscow City Hall where it also housed: 'Moscow History Museum.' Finally, it was destroyed in 1934 for the construction of The Garden Ring Although there were many objections to its destruction among the public and among many Russian architects. The tower was built in the Baroque Narishkin style.