In 1941, Soviet forces in Murmansk finally gained ground and pushed back against the invading Nazi army. A turning point in Hitler's arctic campaign, the Alyosha Statue was erected in 1974 as a... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by tonka922 and atimian

Of the 6,200 people who arrived on Nazino Island in 1933, only 2,200 survived, and only 200 left not completely frail. Everyone who lived through their time on the remote Siberian island was... »

Anomalous Islands | Edited by serflac, atimian and others

Originally created to carry electricity across the Oka River, the Shukhov Tower was built in a strong hyperboloid form, allowing it to remain intact even after it outlasted its use at the collapse... »

Electrical Oddities | Edited by atimian and Dylan

It is hard to imagine a more remote location for such a charming guesthouse. Getting to Nikita's, one must first travel to Irkutsk in Siberia, then travel on a dirt road for several hours, catch a... »

Outsider Architecture | Edited by Dampo and atimian

Looking at the towering monument, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the space race is still very much alive. Rising on a 350-foot high plume of smoke and condensation, the Monument to the... »

Architectural Oddities | Edited by Dampo and atimian

In the 1930s an occultist, writer and hardware store owner published a theory that pyramids might have special powers, such as preserving food, sharpening blades and focusing the mind. The theory... »

Strange Science, Unusual Monuments, Hoaxes and Pseudoscience, Outsider Architecture | Edited by serflac, atimian and others

In Northwestern Russia, a Disney-like castle seems to magically appear in the town of Kazan. In a passing glance, it seems more like a princess' legendary palace, but the minarets with crescent... »

Curious Places of Worship | Edited by atimian

This might not surprise anyone, but Kadykchan, a Russian mining town a few clicks below the Arctic Circle, is completely unpopulated. More people might be surprised by the fact that Kadykchan has... »

Ghost Towns | Edited by serflac and atimian

Four months out of the year, Yakutsk has a high temperature that is still below zero. The wind chill and icy Siberian temperatures make Yakutsk practically uninhabitable. Yet 200,000 brave, or... »

Weird Weather Phenomena | Edited by serflac, atimian and others

Tucked away in the Northern Ural Mountains of Russia, seven massive rock formations inexplicably explode from the flat landscape around them. Jutting up to heights of over 200 feet, the Manpupuner... »

Geological Oddities | Edited by serflac, atimian and others