Russian officials and BY-935800

Great russian cards!

 RU-1806708, sent by Julia.

This is a card from Izhevsk, the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Russia, situated in the Western Urals. The cathedral on the card is the Orthodox Alexander Nevsky's Cathedral. The Neoclassical building was erected between 1818 and 1823.

In the Soviet years the building stood domeless and was used as a cinema.

RU-1780077, sent by Olga.

I've many cards from Moscow but this is my 1st one of this tower.

 Ostankino Tower is a television and radio tower in Moscow, Russia, owned by Moscow branch of unitary enterprise Russian TV and Radio Broadcasting Network. Standing 540.1 metres (1,772 ft) tall, Ostankino was designed by Nikolai Nikitin. It is currently the tallest freestanding structure in Europe and seventh tallest in the world. The tower was the first free-standing structure to exceed 500 m (1,600 ft) in height. Ostankino was built to mark the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It is named after the Ostankino district of Moscow in which it is located.

Construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1967. Extensive use of prestressed concrete resulted in a simple and sturdy structure. It surpassed the Empire State Building and was a masterpiece of Soviet engineering in the time period it was built, to become the tallest free-standing structure in the world. It held this record for nine years until the CN Tower was completed in Toronto, Canada in 1976, which surpassed its height by 13 metres (43 ft). The Ostankino Tower remained the second-tallest structure in the world for another 31 years until the Burj Khalifa surpassed both it and the CN Tower in height in 2007. The Ostankino Tower has remained the tallest structure in Europe for 46 years. - in: wikipedia

 RU-1742920, sent by Masha.

Different Moscow's views.

RU-1714898, sent by Elena.

A card from Yaroslav showing the Tolga Monastery. The monastery is almost 700 years old but the present buildings date from about 1670.

Legends hold that in 1314 Bishop Trifon of Yaroslavl, spending the night at the site awoke to see a pillar of fire which led him to an icon of the Virgin and the monastery was established at this location.

The soviets closed the monastery in 1926 and used the building for various purposes including an educational center, a World war II hospital and a correctional center for juvenile delinquents. It was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1987. There has been considerable restoration done and it is now operated as a nunnery. - in: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenny_rainbow/5912898834/

 RU-1674612, sent by Svetlana.

Another monastery but this one is located 100 km from Nizhny Novgorod.

Zheltovodsky Makaryev Convent (formerly Monastery) of the Holy Trinity is one of the convents of Russian Orthodox Church.

The Makaryev (Makaryevsky) Convent was founded originally as a men's monastery. According to the legend, it was founded by the missionary Saint Macarius (Makary) in the early 15th century.

In 1439, the monastery was burned by Tatar Khan Ulu Mukhammed. Macarius was taken prisoner, but released by the Khan on the condition that he not rebuild the monastery.

In 1620, the monk Avramy (Abraham) from Murom came to this place to rebuild the monastery, and soon he was surrounded by other monks.

Most of the existing major monastery buildings were constructed of stone between 1651 and 1667. The entire complex is surrounded by a fotress-like stone wall with towers, forming a square with each side being about 200 meters long.

The monastery lost importance and its main source of income when the Makaryev Fair was moved to Nizhny Novgorod and monks started leaving. Besides, in the early 19th century the Volga had shifted its course. The monastery buildings were now threatened by the waters of the great river, with its annual spring floods. First, parts of the monastery walls fell due to erosion of the shore. Concerned with the monks' security, the Nizhny Novgorod Eparchy (Orthodox Diocese) and the local authorities decided to abolish the monastery. In 1869, the monastic community was dissolved;

A few years later, the Volga shifted its course again, and now was almost a kilometer away from the monastery buildings, not endangering them anymore. In 1882, the old monastery was resurrected, now as a women's convent.

After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks nationalized monastic properties. In 1927, the nuns were expelled from the convent. In 1928–1929, the buildings were used for an orphanage, and later rented out to various institutions. The premises were used by a military hospital during World War II, and in 1943 they were transferred to the Lyskovo College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine.

In January 1992, Zheltovodsky Makaryev Convent of Holy Trinity was restored to the Nizhny Novgorod Orthodox Diocese. As of 2006, twenty-two nuns live there. - in: wikipedia

BY-935800, sent by Alena.

This is a russian card but sent as an official from Belarus.

Smolensk Kremlin is a kremlin (a fortress) enclosing the center of the city of Smolensk in western part of Russia. The partially preserved fortress wall was built between 1595 and 1602, during the reign of Tsars Fyodor I Ioannovich and Boris Godunov. The length of the walls is about 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi), of which less than the half was preserved. The fortifications were built under supervision of the architect Fyodor Kon. The Smolensk Kremlin is classified as an architectural monument protected at the federal level, and also has a great historical significance, in particular, as the fortress protecting the Russian state from the west over centuries. - in: wikipedia