What to See in Russia

It is no surprise that the Russian geographic coordinates system places Moscow at the center of the world. As the old and new capital and an urban area with 20 million people, Moscow has plenty to offer when it comes to architecture, art, history, museums, theaters, concert halls, universities, restaurants, coffee shops, sporting events, and so much more. Many ICM 2022 satellite meetings are being planned in the city.

See white-stone churches, fortresses and kremlins, onion-shaped domes, cherry orchards, and monasteries in a region where Russia’s ancient history is carefully preserved. The traditional route for touring the Golden Ring goes clockwise, beginning and ending in Moscow. If time is short, visiting just one or a few places is also an excellent option — Suzdal (gallery) is a popular destination. Modern trains connect Moscow to Rostov-Veliky, Yaroslavl (gallery), and Kostroma, making all three charming towns easy to visit.

The crystal-clear waters of Lake Baikal surpass in volume all of the North American Great Lakes combined. The nearby city of Irkutsk is among the most popular stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway, its unique ornate architecture, including many beautifully preserved wooden houses, one of its main attractions.

Karelia is a land of stunning natural beauty not far from St. Petersburg and a great spot to learn about the history of the region and its inhabitants. From the Stone Age petroglyphs to the craftsmanship of the Kizhi pogost, not to mention the tormented fate of the Solovetsky Islands and its ancient monastery, there are many interwoven threads of history to follow.

Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, is an especially vibrant intersection of East and West. Its historical treasures feature jewels like the Kazan Kremlin, a world heritage site, but to mathematicians it is probably best known as the birthplace of Lobachevsky geometry. Lobachevsky’s successors look forward to welcoming the ICM participants to his city and university.

The city of Sochi is the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics as well as Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix. It also hosts a major conference, research, and outreach hub called the Sirius Mathematics Center. The SMC is part of the Sirius Education Center, whose main focus is to foster young talent in a number of fields including mathematics. Located between the Caucasus mountains and the Black Sea, Sochi offers a great outdoor experience in both winter and summer.

Located only 190 km south of St. Petersburg, this namesake of Nizhny Novgorod is much older. Once the capital of the Novgorod Republic and a mighty rival to Moscow, the city is filled with masterpieces of medieval architecture and art. Abundant archeological finds of birch bark letters are a testimony to widespread literacy in those early days when the city enjoyed a flourishing culture.

Situated at the dramatic confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers, Nizhny Novgorod, nicknamed «Nizhny,» has occupied a critical place on the business, culture, and mathematical maps of Russia through the country’s nearly 800 years. Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Kazan, Nizhny — all these cities face the Volga, the longest river in Europe if not nearly the longest river in Russia. A river cruise is the traditional way to see the Volga’s majestic expanse and visit many more beautiful and historic Russian cities.

Ural, the «backbone of Russia» according to author Alexei Ivanov (the Russian word khrebet means both a backbone and a mountain range), is where Europe meets Asia geologically, and it is also where industrial ores and coal meet the fairy tale stones of emerald, malachite, and jasper that lend many St. Petersburg palaces their splendor. Yekaterinburg, the economic and intellectual center of the region, is also a breeding ground for innovative music.