If there’s one souvenir that’s synonymous with Russia, it’s surely the nesting dolls known as matryoshkas. It’s hard to resist bringing a set home from your holiday, but few who do know much about their origin and how they get…
How would you like to visit the home of Leo Tolstoy?
Leo Tolstoy, author of the classics Anna Karenina and War and Peace, is undisputedly one of Russia’s greatest writers. He was born on 9th September 1828 at the family estate, Yasnaya Polyana, located about 120 miles from Moscow in Tula…
Commemorating the 98th anniversary of the death of Tsar Nicholas II
17 July marks the day almost a century ago when the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks in the city of Yekaterinburg. That day in 1918 was to change the course of Russian history…
A quick guide to Peter the Great
Happy birthday Peter the Great! Peter 1, Tsar of Russia from 1682 to 1725, was born 344 years ago on 9 June 1672. He’s considered one of the country’s great reformers, dragging Russia out of mediaeval oblivion and transforming it…
A tribute to Boris Pasternak – “I am tied to Russia by birth, by life and work”
Best known for the novel Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak’s work is both popular and influential in his native Russia. Ironically, the book that led to worldwide fame was banned in his homeland for its commentary on the Communist state and…