Positioned deep in Siberia, the village of Oymyakon holds the distinction of being the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. Just a few hundred miles from the Arctic Circle and reaching... »

Martian Landscapes, Intriguing Environs, Cultures and Civilizations | Edited by Rachel

On the banks of the lower Kolyma River in the tundra of northeastern Siberia, an area that during the last ice age was the stomping grounds of mammoth and woolly rhinoceroses, there lived a vast... »

Natural Wonders, Extraordinary Flora | Edited by Rachel and Seth Teicher

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