Did You Know

Interesting Facts about Russia

Trivia, oddities, and curious tidbits about Russia.

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Did You Know?

15 curious facts about Russia.

When a child loses a tooth they put their tooth in a mouse hole in the ground.
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest and deepest lake. It was formed about 25 million years ago. In one spot it is 5,134 feet deep.
The famous St. Basil’s Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561.
Russia has one of the busiest subway systems in the world carrying over 3.18 billion passengers per year.

The Kremlin in Moscow was originally a wooden fortress, built in 1156. Over the centuries it was enlarged and is now an enormous complex of government buildings. Many of Russia’s most valuable artistic and historical treasures are kept in the Kremlin
Russians tell fairy tales or skazky to children. A famous character is the witch Baba Yaga, who has iron teeth, eats children and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs.
The way of life of the Nganasan people of northern Siberia is similar to that of the Canadian Inuit. Traditionally they lived as nomadic hunters, reindeer herders and fishermen. During the Soviet period many were forced to settle on collective farms.
Early fur traders would hunt for furs in the east and north of Russia. In the 17th century fur was the most important item of foreign trade for Moscow. Every year there is an auction of furs in St. Petersburg, which is still considered the most important fur market in the world
Although most people have modern bathrooms, the weekly steam bath is a regular custom in both the city and countryside. Afterwards they lash their bodies with birch twigs, and then plunge into a cold bath or roll in the snow.
Even in remote areas, there are full education services. In Siberia, where distances from home to school are often great, correspondence courses are common.