RUSSIA
Vacations and Sightseeing

Basic information
Official language	Russian
Capital	Moscow
Area	17.098.242 km²
Population	146,042,988  (2021)
Currency	rouble  (RUB)
Web	.ru
Code.	RUS
Tel.	+7

Cities in RUSSIA

Moscow

Saint-petersburg

Vacatians and Sightseeing

Sochi, Russia_{Photo: Ganoshenko Roman CC 3.0 Unported no changes}

Especially the European part of Russia has a lot of potential in terms of nature, history and cultural riches. However, the tourist infrastructure is still insufficient to take full advantage of this. In particular, the stock of hotels in the middle class is far below par. Moscow has more than 70,000, mostly luxurious hotel rooms. Many hotels are also not up to western standards.

The World Tourism Organization expects the tourism sector to grow at an average of 10% per year in the coming decades. The main attractions of Russia have long been the cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. But Sochi has also received a boost as a winter and summer destination thanks to the Olympic games that were held there.

Red square, Moscow_{Photo: Raul P CC 3.0 Unported no changes made}

Right in the center of Moscow is the Red Square. The name refers to the red walls of the Kremlin and is derived from the Russian word "krasnyj" which means both "beautiful" and "red". Red Square has been officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the 1990s. The square has gigantic dimensions (100 meters wide and 550 meters long) and is surrounded by the Kremlin with its impressive churches and palaces. The square has always been the scene of important moments in the history of Russia; from speeches by the Tsars to major military manifestations and executions in the days of the Soviet Union. Another interesting historical landmark of Moscow is the Lenin Mausoleum. Vladimir Lenin was the first head of the Soviet Union. After his death, he was embalmed and initially housed in a wooden mausoleum in Red Square. Later, a large mausoleum on Red Square was designed by the architect Shchusev. The tomb is in the shape of a pyramid and is 24 meters long and 12 meters high. Behind the Lenin mausoleum, more famous Soviet-era leaders are buried, including Lenin's successor: Stalin.

Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg_{Photo: Pedro Szekely CC 2.0 Generic no changes made}

In Saint Petersburg, the main attraction is the world famous Hermitage museum. It is also one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. Catherine the Great founded the museum in 1764 and initially consisted of her own art collection. The Hermitage's collection consists of more than three million pieces. The buildings in which the museum is located are also worth seeing. The Winter Palace in particular is a feast for the eyes. Another particularly beautiful structure is the Saint Petersburg Mosque. This prayer house dates from 1913 and was the largest mosque in Europe when it opened. The 40-meter high dome has a beautiful sea blue color and the minarets are even 48 meters high.

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Sources

Graaf, A. van der / Reis-handboek Sovjet-Unie
Elmar

Rusland, Centraal-Azië en de Kaukasus
The Reader’s Digest,

Russia & Belarus
Lonely Planet

Te gast in Rusland
Informatie Verre Reizen

CIA - World Factbook

BBC - Country Profiles

Last updated March 2024
Copyright: Team The World of Info