During the Soviet era, the medieval capital of Volga Bulgaria served as a substitute for Mecca.

These limestone cliffs are associated with the Greek myth of Prometheus.

An iconic Soviet statue of working-class people.

Most polluted lake in the world, used as a radioactive dumping ground for years.

Located along Lysaya Mountain, this monastery is home to the largest statue of Buddha in Russia.

A curated museum of wooden sculptures inhabits this Russian home.

A model village fit for an emperor.

The largest art park on the European continent.

This late-brutalist masterpiece everyone forgot about was originally created to get the proletariat jazzed about the arts.

One of the most popular attractions in the small resort town of Kabardinka.

A collection of iconic Soviet car models on display.

Home of Vissarion, the "Jesus of Siberia."

An unused hyberbolic electricity pylon kept as architectural monument.

An abandoned mansion is now a haven for urban explorers.

A tiny park off the beaten path covered in ingenious scrap metal sculptures.

Ukrainian defense contractor's center for studying "pyramid energy."

Thousands of biblical and pagan images are carved into this small 12th-century church.

A solemn, monumental, kitschy palace of worship honoring victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Russia's own leaning tower was built on a tragic historical fable.

You'll find rocket launchers, not rollercoasters, at Russia's “military Disneyland.”

Pictures tacked onto trees remember the more than 40,000 of Stalin's victims buried here in mass graves.

These tiny cabins on a cableway have been carrying visitors at a Baltic resort down to the beach since 1912.

A magnificent, Disneyesque chateau built for 150 lucky kindergarteners.

A self-taught Siberian craftsman creates a fantastical and personal design for his 19th century village house.