Talarii DMC

Verkhniye Mandrogi the unique village
Located in thick forest on the Svir River — halfway between bustling St Petersburg and the lonely island of Kizhi - Mandrogi has been reconstructed, in dreamy, idealised, fairytale form, by Sergei Gutsait, a St Petersburg businessman and arts benefactor.
First came a hotel, followed by hideaways for artists and, eventually, a village full of attractions, unashamedly targeting tourists shuttling back and forth between St Petersburg and Moscow on tour ships such as our Viking Ingvar.
In recent years, there have been more additions. They include a small zoo, a working windmill, a school, a post office, a football pitch, an exhibition centre and an airstrip famously used by visiting Russia president Vladimir Putin.
Once again, the name of the “disappeared” village, which in the local language roughly means “thresholds” or “boundaries”, appears on the official Map of Russia, albeit in very small letters.

The Russian tricolor celebrates its holiday on August 22. However, few people know what the history of the flag of Russia was. The holiday itself was established relatively recently, only in 1994. The date has become permanent, and now Russia's Flag Day is celebrated annually on August 22. The date was not taken by chance. It was on August 22, 1991 that the historical tricolor was restored.
The tricolor flag itself was created by Peter I. Back in 1705, the sovereign issued a decree that merchant ships should sail only under the tricolor. Surprisingly, it was Peter himself who then came up with what the flag would look like. The history of the banner has more than 310 years. But the tricolor was destined to become the national flag only in 1896.
Officially, on August 22, 1991, the flag familiar to Russians was hoisted over the building on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment. Even then, the tricolor became the national flag. As for the name of the colors, in 1993 they became "white", "blue" and "red". However, previously the stripes were called "White", "azure" and "scarlet". Their name has been changed.
What do the white, blue and red colors of the flag of Russia mean?
- White speaks of such qualities as nobility and frankness.
- Blue speaks about such qualities as chastity, loyalty, honesty, as well as perfection.
- Red speaks of courage, love, courage and generosity.