Russian Travel Guide

Фестиваль Джипара в Кабардино-Балкарии

The Kronstadt Naval Cathedral

Kronshtadt, a small island city on the Finnish Gulf, was initially built as a fortress however is now known all over Russia for its naval cathedral. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century with a wide variety of specialists from all over taking part in its construction. The tall building was meant to be a monument to fallen sailors and to serve as a landmark to those returning from sea. Evgenia Altfeld set off to check out the history of the cathedral’s construction, also learning about the life of Father John Sergiev, later canonized under the name of John of Kronshtadt. It was much due to this preacher that the cathedral was built. In the late 19th-early 20th century Kronshtadt became one of Russia’s spiritual centres.

Fishing on the rivers of Kamchatka

The Kamchatka Peninsula is riddled with 15,000 streams and rivers, so it should come as no big surprise that fisheries catch several million tonnes of fish in the peninsula’s neighbouring seas every year. Kamchatka’s wealth can truly be measured in scales — all types of Pacific salmon: Pink salmon, sockeye salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, masu salmon and even char and rainbow trout flock to its waters in order to lay their eggs. And what an attraction this is to fishing aficionados from all over Russia! Here the beautiful and dramatic picture of Pacific salmon life takes place right in front of their eyes with the fish leaving the ocean, valiantly fighting against the strong currents in rivers and streams to return to the place where they themselves were born to lay their eggs and, unfortunately for some, be caught.