Tula gingerbread — the sweet symbol of the city

🇷🇺 Tula gingerbread is known not only for its filling, but also for its unusual appearance. It was baked in special wooden moulds with carved patterns: ornaments, inscriptions, images of animals and city symbols appeared on the surface. Jam or honey was usually placed inside, and the finished gingerbread came out dense, aromatic and did not go stale for a long time.

🍓 In Tula, the gingerbread craft developed over centuries. Gingerbreads were sold at fairs, given as gifts on holidays and presented as presents — sometimes with congratulatory inscriptions. Craftsmen passed on the secrets of production from generation to generation, and the carved moulds made it possible to create items of the most varied sizes and designs.

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❤️From Russia with love

Iturup — the largest island of the Kuril Islands

🌋 Iturup is part of the Kuril Islands of the Sakhalin Region. Here there are several volcanoes, including the active Baransky volcano, hot springs and waterfalls. One of the island's main attractions is the White Cliffs on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. They are formed of light pumice that appeared as a result of volcanic eruptions.

⛰️ The island also has fumaroles — outlets of hot volcanic gas, thermal streams and black sand beaches. Due to its remoteness and difficult terrain, many places can only be reached by off-road vehicle or as part of a guided tour. Iturup is interesting primarily for its volcanic nature, which manifests itself here in a wide variety of forms.

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👩‍🎨 Isaac Levitan — a 19th-century Russian painter, known primarily for his landscapes. He often painted unremarkable places of central Russia: rivers, forests, country roads and small villages. In his paintings there are almost no spectacular mountains or exotic views — he knew how to find something interesting in an ordinary landscape.

🖼️ One of his most famous works is «Above Eternal Peace» (1894). The painting depicts a large lake, a high bank and a small wooden church. Among other famous canvases are «Golden Autumn», «March» and «Vladimirka». Levitan painted a great deal outdoors, and a separate studio was even built for him by Lake Ostrovno. There Levitan could calmly paint large canvases without going far from the nature he depicted.

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☦️ Church of the Nativity of Christ in Krokhino

In 1961, when the Sheksna Reservoir was filled, Krokhino found itself in the flood zone, and its residents were resettled. The church was preserved as a navigational landmark: a lantern was installed above the dome to warn vessels of shallow water. Thus a village church became a lighthouse church.

Decades in the water led to serious destruction. Now the team of the «Krokhino» foundation and volunteers are working to preserve the building and are collecting the history of the vanished village — archival documents, memories of the resettled residents and household items.

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❤️From Russia with love