Russian Travel Guide

A View from Above: The Golden Age of Yaroslavl

One can start a business, buy and sell goods, and amass wealth. But these are earthly affairs. What will happen to the soul when the time comes to leave his world and pass on to the next? This was one of the most pressing questions for those living in the 17th century. Building a church was one way to atone for many earthly sins, including avarice. Yaroslavl’s merchants were deeply religious men, who understood that they were, despite their earthly riches, still answerable to God. They used their money to build churches of exquisite beauty. The 17th century was a special time for Yaroslavl, known to historians as its Golden Age. Watch RTG TV’s A View from on High: Yaroslavl’s Golden Age to learn about the architecture and curious features of the city’s churches.

Коллекция Russian Travel Guide. Природа. Кольский полуостров

Valentin Vorobiev. The art of blacksmiths

Valentin Vorobyov is a third generation smith working under the artistic pseudony of Metalissimus. In the 1980s, despite his lack of any professional artistic education, he began to work with metal, quickly becoming of the finest in the art in Russia. In the Moscow region village of Korostovo, he has created his own museum of artistic smithery featuring his finest sculptures created using varied techniques, from classical sculptures to techno-art. This film takes a look at his creative path and the family life of this hereditary smith, the traditions of his mastery and the secret of conquering the Louvre.