Places clearlymachine Wants to Go

The world's tallest statue of a woman wields the world's tallest sword and is at risk of toppling over.

What was once the base for Russia's first nature reserve is now a ghost town, right on the shore of Lake Baikal.

An unusual collection of self-made musical instruments and unique noises.

A uniquely authentic display of traditional Russian culture.

This cuddly rodent has a place of honor at a Russian institute for genetic research.

A scale model of Russia so big visitors are offered binoculars to rent so they can see the whole thing.

Siberian ghost town built by gulag prisoners.

A Marxist summer camp full of fantastical statues lies tucked away and forgotten in the forests of Moscow.

Moscow's imposing monument to the Space Age.

Moscow's most popular cemetery includes the graves of numerous cosmonauts.

A sculpture park of the tossed aside relics of the USSR, from Stalin to a massive Soviet emblem.

Nightmarish example of the unintended consequences of weapons testing.

Secret Soviet city once home to Russian cosmonauts and space training facilities.

Legends of time travel and magical woodland creatures bolster the natural charm of this verdant sanctuary in the midst of Moscow.

A little church on a tiny island looks like something from a fairy tale.

It took over half a century but a Russian monument to a famous and tragic space pup finally stands in Moscow.

This Russian religious complex is a Frankenstein's chapel that includes influence from almost all the major faiths.

Museum celebrating the achievements of the Soviet space program.

Thirteen sculptures in central Moscow graphically depicting vices of the modern world.

It's hard to believe the dizzying patterns covering this abandoned mine are completely natural.

Moscow's other, lesser known kremlin is a fairytale-like cultural complex modeled after Old Russia.

This nostalgic Russian museum is full of USSR cultural artifacts from the 1970s and 80s.

Rusted cars, trucks, and buses form a fascinating collection of Soviet-era machinery.

This frozen-in-time summer home outside Moscow provides a look at Russian life in the 1950s.