Russia UNESCO world heritage sites

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Russia UNESCO world heritage sites

Central district [capital = Moscow]

Historic Nucleus of Moscow see detail
Inextricably linked to all the most important historical and political events in Russia since the 13th century, the Kremlin (built between the 14th and 17th centuries by outstanding Russian and foreign architects) was the residence of the Great Prince and also a religious centre. At the foot of its ramparts, on Red Square, St Basil's Basilica is one of the most beautiful Russian Orthodox monuments.

Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad on av. Krasnoi Armii
This religious and military complex represents an epitome of the growth of Russian architecture and contains some of that architecture’s finest expressions.

Golden gate in Vladimir at Bolshaya Moskovskaya St, 1А
Golden Gates existed in the holiest cities of Eastern Orthodoxy: Jerusalem, Constantinople, and Kiev. On making Vladimir his capital, Andrew the Pious aspired to emulate these structures, commissioning a lofty tower over the city's main gate to be erected in limestone and lined with golden plaques.

Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir at Sobornaya Sq. 1
Originally erected in 1158 to 1160, the cathedral, with six pillars and five domes, was expanded in 1185 to 1189 to reflect the augmented prestige of Vladimir. At of 1178 m², it remained the largest of Russian churches for the next 300 or 400 years.

Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir at Bolshaya Moskovskaya St, 60
The exterior walls are separated into three bays each with the one in the middle larger than the others. Each bay contains a zakomara at the top. They are also separated at mid-level by a horizontal arcade frieze. One side of the cathedral contains an apse which is also separated into three parts. The windows and doors are deeply recessed with extensive carved ornamentation.

Palace of Alexander Bogolyubsky (Svyato-Bogolyubskiy Zhenskiy Monastery) in Bogolyubovo at 56°11'25.872"N 40°31'23.268"E
The Princely Castle at Bogolyubovo (1165) contains the remains of the 12th-century Royal Palace, in the form of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin and the Staircase Tower of Andrei Bogolyubskii. The cathedral is a 17th-century building on the site of the original structure.

Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (Tserkov' Pokrova Na Nerli) in Bogolyubovo at 56°11'44.16"N 40°31'46.919"E
The church was commissioned by Andrei Bogolyubsky. According to some sources, it was built to commemorate Andrei's victory over the Bulgars and his son Izyaslav, who was slain in the battle.

Kremlin in Suzdal at Kremlovskaya Ulitsa, 27
In Suzdal, the Kremlin (fortress) is surrounded by earthen ramparts. Within, dominating the whole town, stands the Cathedral of the Nativity, built in the 13th century and reconstructed in the 16th century, with its five-domed roof and 13th-century Golden Doors. Important monuments in the posad (civil settlement) include several cubic churches of the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the Convent of the Deposition of the Holy Robe and the Refectory Church of the Assumption, and several monasteries. The most important of the latter is the Monastery of Our Saviour and St Euthymius, founded in 1352, with its 16th-century Cathedral of the Transfiguration built in the 12th-century tradition of Vladimir.

Church of Boris and Gleb in Kideksha at Ulitsa Tsentral'naya, 63
It is one of the oldest in the district and one of the few churches built by Dolgorukii that is still extant. It retains fragments of frescoes dating back to the twelfth century.

Historical Centre of Yaroslavl see detail
The historic centre is a representative example of the development of the planning structures of ancient Russian cities, which was subject to regular urban re-development as a part of unique town-planning reform pursued by Empress Catherine the Great at the end of 18th century.

Far-Eastern district [capital = Khabarovsk]

Natural System on Wrangel Island
The island boasts the world’s largest population of Pacific walrus and the highest density of ancestral polar bear dens. It is a major feeding ground for the grey whale migrating from Mexico and the northernmost nesting ground for 100 migratory bird species, many endangered. Currently, 417 species and subspecies of vascular plants have been identified on the island, double that of any other Arctic tundra territory of comparable size and more than any other Arctic island.

Volcanoes in Kamchatka see detail
This is one of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the world, with a high density of active volcanoes, a variety of types, and a wide range of related features. The six sites included in the serial designation group together the majority of volcanic features of the Kamchatka peninsula. The interplay of active volcanoes and glaciers forms a dynamic landscape of great beauty.

Lena Pillars Nature Park in Kachikattsy (Yakutsk) at N60 40 0 E127 0 0 + N61 20 11 E126 52 42
The large cryogenically modified pillars in the region are the most notable pillar landscape of their kind known, whilst the internationally renowned and important exposures of Cambrian rocks tell us key stories about our planet and the early evolution of life during the entire Cambrian Explosion, and the story of the emergence of the frozen ground karst phenomenon.

Bikin National Park in Dalmerechensk at N46 40 59.99 E136 39 39.98
In this mixed zone between taiga and subtropics, southern species such as the tiger and Himalayan bear cohabit with northern species such as the brown bear and lynx.

Sikhote-Alin Nature Preserve in Terney at N45 19 60.00 E136 10 00
See above.

Goralij Zoological Preserve in Terney at N45 07 42.7 E136 45 22
See above.

North-Western district [capital = St Petersburg]

Curonian Spit in Morskoe on Kurshskaya Kosa
The history of the Curonian Spit is dramatic: 5,000 years ago, a narrow peninsula (98 km in length and 0.4-3.8 km in width), the Great Dune Ridge separating the Baltic Sea from the Curonian Lagoon, was formed on moraine islands from sand transported by currents, and later covered by forest. After intensive logging in the 17th and 18th centuries, the dunes began moving towards the Curonian Lagoon, burying the oldest settlements. At the turn of the 19th century, it became evident that human habitation would no longer be possible in the area without immediate action. Dune stabilisation work began, and has continued ever since.

Churches in Pskov see detail
Characteristics of these buildings, produced by the Pskov School of Architecture, include cubic volumes, domes, porches and belfries, with the oldest elements dating back to the 12th century. Churches and cathedrals are integrated into the natural environment through gardens, perimeter walls and fences.

Izhorsky Bench (Glint) in Ivangorod at Kingiseppskoye Hwy., 8
The Baltic Klint (Clint, Glint) is an erosional limestone escarpment on several islands of the Baltic Sea, in Estonia and in Leningrad Oblast of Russia. It extends approximately 1200 km from the island of Oland in Sweden through the continental shelf and the Estonian islands of Osmussaar and Suur-Pakri to Paldiski, then along the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland and Neva River to the area south of Lake Ladoga in Russia, where it disappears under younger sediment depositions.

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg see detail
The greatness of Russia's northern capital, with its horizontal silhouette coupled with vertical landmarks and its ensembles of embankments and squares, lies in the heart of the city's “imperial” spirit, its genius loci. The main feature and attraction of Saint Petersburg's historical centre is characterized by a perfect harmony of architecture and waterscapes.

Historic Monuments of Veliky Novgorod see detail
Surrounded by churches and monasteries, it was a centre for Orthodox spirituality as well as Russian architecture. Its medieval monuments and the 14th-century frescoes of Theophanes the Greek (Andrei Rublev's teacher) illustrate the development of its remarkable architecture and cultural creativity.

Petroglyphs of the Lake Onega in Pudozh at cape of Besov Nos + cape of Peri Nos
The petroglyphs are located in scattered groups on the mountains and rocks of the Besov Nos Peninsula, Guriy Island, Capes Peri Nos, Gagazhiy and Kladovets, as well as on the Kochkovnavolok Peninsula and on the Karelian Nos.

Russian Orthodox monastic complex in Ferapontovo at Kargopolskaya St., 8
The Ferapontov Monastery, in the Vologda region in northern Russia, is an exceptionally well-preserved and complete example of a Russian Orthodox monastic complex of the 15th-17th centuries, a period of great significance in the development of the unified Russian state and its culture. The architecture of the monastery is outstanding in its inventiveness and purity. The interior is graced by the magnificent wall paintings of Dionisy, the greatest Russian artist of the end of the 15th century.

Kenozero Lake in Karpova at Kenozero National Park
It incorporates a large number of traditional rural settlements with vernacular wooden architecture set in an evocative landscape of lakes, rivers, forests, and fields that preserve traces of past traditional practices. Wooden churches, churchyards and chapels, many of which were originally decorated with painted ceilings, or “heavens”, are the key social, cultural, and visual landmarks of the area. The spatial organisation of these buildings, together with sacred groves, cemeteries, and wooden crosses dotting the landscape, bear witness to the spiritual connection of the inhabitants to this environment.

Kizhi Pogost in Yersenevo on Kizhi Island
Two 18th-century wooden churches, and an octagonal clock tower, also in wood and built in 1862, can be seen there. These unusual constructions, in which carpenters created a bold visionary architecture, perpetuate an ancient model of parish space and are in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

Petroglyphs of the White Sea in Zalavruga on Uiunsaari on route 86K-32
Nowadays petroglyphs of the White Sea are an open air museum of prehistoric rock carvings where we can see the first attempts of a human to express thoughts and feelings.

Cultural and Historic Ensemble on Solovetsky Islands at Solovetsky + Anzer + Big Mucksalma + Small Mucksalma + Small Zayatsky + Big Zayatski
The complex is unique in its integrity and safeguarding of its religious, residential, domestic, defence and waterside constructions, its road network and irrigation systems of the Middle Ages harmoniously blended with the surrounding natural and cultural landscapes as well as archeological sites that reflect the ancient and medieval culture of the islands for six thousand years.

Siberian district [capital = Novosibirsk]

Putorana Plateau in Norilsk
The part of the plateau inscribed on the World Heritage List harbours a complete set of subarctic and arctic ecosystems in an isolated mountain range, including pristine taiga, forest tundra, tundra and arctic desert systems, as well as untouched cold-water lake and river systems. A major reindeer migration route crosses the property, which represents an exceptional, large-scale and increasingly rare natural phenomenon.

Altai Nature Reserve around Lake Teletskoye near Gorno-Altaisk
As a strict nature reserve, the Altai Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with "environmental education" purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are six "ecotourist" routes in the reserve, however, that are open to the public, but require permits to be obtained in advance.

Katun State Nature Reserve in Ust-Koksa at st. Zapovednaya, 1
The reserve is the center of present freezing, so there is a great number of glaciers, rocky cliffs, mountain streams with waterfalls and small lakes. The most popular lakes are Upper Multa lake and Poperechnoye lake.

Ukok Plateau (Ploskogor'ye Ukok) in Kosh Agach @
It provides a habitat for many of the world's endangered species including one of its least studied predatory animals: the snow leopard. Other endangered species protected there include the argali mountain sheep, the steppe eagle, and the black stork.

Mongun-Taiga in Kyzyl-Khaya, Tuva at N50 12 0.00 E90 12 0.00
Here, in high-altitude steppes, meadows and stony slopes of Mongun-Taiga, sparse forest grows only in the valleys of roaring, cold rivers.

Oroku-Shinaa in Tes-Khemsky Kozhuun at N50 37 0.00 E94 0 0.00
The ancient lake basin and its surroundings boast an extraordinary landscape diversity ranging from cold desert to desert-steppe and steppe, conifer, deciduous and floodplain forests to diverse wetlands and marshlands, freshwater and saltwater systems, mobile and fixed sand dunes and even tundra.

Aryskannyg in Samagaltay, Tuva at N50 40 0.00 E94 43 60.00
See above.

Ubsu-Nur in Ovyursky Kozhuun at N50 37 0.00 E93 7 60.00
Since the basin spans the geoclimatic boundary between Siberia and Central Asia, temperatures may vary from −58 °C in winter to 47 °C in summer. Despite its harsh climate, the depression is home to 173 bird species and 41 mammal species, including the globally endangered snow leopard, argali, and Asiatic ibex.

Ular in Erzinsky Kozhuun at N50 31 60.00 E95 37 60.00
See above.

Jamaalyg in Erzinsky Kozhuun at N50 15 0.00 E94 45 0.00
See above.

Tsugeer els in Erzinsky Kozhuun at N50 4 60.00 E95 15 0.00
See above.

Lake Baikal in Irkutsk at Listvyanka
Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve. Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater faunas, which is of exceptional value to evolutionary science.

Daursky Nature Reserve around Zuun Tooroi Lake at N50 11 50 E116 0 0
Cyclical climate changes, with distinct dry and wet periods lead to a wide diversity of species and ecosystems of global significance. The different types of steppe ecosystems represented, such as grassland and forest, as well as lakes and wetlands serve as habitats for rare species of fauna, such as the White-naped crane, Great Bustard, Relict Gull and Swan goose, as well as millions of vulnerable, endangered or threatened migratory birds. It is also a critical site on the transboundary migration path for the Mongolian gazelle.