Novosibirsk, Russia

Siberian blue shows up frequently on the streets of Novosibirsk. It's one of the signature colors of not only Siberia, but also Russia as a whole. Red, on the other hand, is one of the signature colors of a certain cola company, and globalization as a whole. [1999]

Novosibirsk, Russia

Until Communism came to power, the city of Novosibirsk was built largely of wood, and many of the housing units were traditional Siberian cottages. Few are left. Those that are continue to reflect the chroma of Siberia: rich blues and greens, just like the colors chosen for the city's Ascension Cathedral. As for Communist-era buildings: no chroma. [1999]

Novosibirsk, Russia

Ascension Cathedral (Russian Orthodox, of course) came up with the city of Novosibirsk. Its wooden predecessor and the city both date back to the 1890s as the Trans-Siberian Railroad was pushing its way east. In 1970, rebuilding began (during Soviet days!) and by the time the Soviet Union collapsed, the new stone-built church was ready to take center stage. [1999]

Novosibirsk, Russia

 

Founded in the 1890s, along with the city of Novosibirsk, Alexander Nevsky church (and then cathedral) became an anchor of Russian Orthodox Christianity as the Trans-Siberian Railroad made its way west across "Russia in Asia." Although the doors were closed for more than 50 years by the Soviets, they re-opened even before the fall of the U.S.S.R. [2000]

Moscow, Russia

McDonald's came to Russia in 1990. Happy 30th Anniversary! At the time, the USSR was still in existence and the original McDonald's was the largest in the world, with over 900 seats. Recognize the alphabet? It's Cyrillic, named after St. Cyril who invented it along with his brother Methodius. You read it left to right. [2000]

Gorno-Altaysk, Altai Republic, Russia

The Altai Mountains are the highest in Siberia, and Gorno-Altaysk lies in their foothills. If the picture of shishlik cooking over an open pit reminds you of Turkey, it should. The indigenous Altai peoples are Turkic in their origins and language. Today, however, even in their own republic, they are outnumbered by Russians. [1999]

Novosibirsk, Russia

Siberia! At sunset. The Church of the Savior. Russian Orthodox. Built of native larch. Circa 1700. Originally located north of the Arctic Circle. Relocated to Novosibirsk's outskirts. Now part of an open-air museum. [1999]

Novosibirsk, Russia

Two decades ago, it looked like the relationship between Russia and the United States was becoming ever closer. Even in far-away Novosibirsk, American flags were fluttering across the Russian landscape, presumably as symbols of friendship. Alas, the era of good feelings seems to have come to an end. [1999]

Novosibirsk, Russia

These young folks, on Lenin Square in Novosibirsk, never grew old and crumbled like their political party. At one time they symbolized the high aspirations of the 'new Soviet man.' Behind them is the largest opera house in Russia, where the lightness of Prokofiev's The Love of Three Oranges contrasted with the seriousness of the statuary outside. [1999]

Moscow, Russia

Here's the signature element of Moscow's cultural landscape, St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square.  The onion-shaped domes demand that your gaze rise to the sky and that your spirit contemplate the almighty.  And they do it better than almost any other church in the world:  too bad St. Basil's has been secularized since the 1920s.  [2000]