“The festering wounds of those who were still alive and the noses and ears of the dead were crawling with maggots. An unbearable stench overwhelmed everyone who approached the hatch: People would be immured there for weeks…”

Since stores offer a wide variety of sweet processed drinks, few Russian families these days bother to find the time to make the traditional sweet drink, compote. However, summer is here and if you have time on your hands then this is the season to boil fresh berries and fruits to make refreshing compote.

The novel which is also translated as ‘Demons’ or ‘The Devils’ was supposed to warn Russia from the revolutionary movement and the dark side that it could bring the country into… The book was even banned in the USSR for a while.

Both tsars and private individuals were willing to experiment with church construction. Abandoning the familiar so-called “kokoshnik keel-like” arches and golden domes, they commissioned their architects to use pointed arches, spires and towers soaring to the sky…

No, Moscow was not founded in 1147. The city was only mentioned in the chronicles for the first time in that year. So, actually how old is the capital of Russia?