Novosibirsk

Park attractions covered with snow. They will start work again in the spring. Winters in Siberia are so cold because of the strong continental climate. The average temperature in winter is about -20°C, but sometimes it's -30 (like on this day) or even -40°C.

Sergey looks at the rare coin from his collection. This coin was found somewhere in Russia and dates to Nazi Germany times. Sergey studies sociology at Novosibirsk State University in Akademgorodok – a district of Novosibirsk which is in fact an another, scientific town. Sergey is numismatist, collecting coins and notes has been his hobby since childhood. He's also very interested in history, data analysis, etc. This is typical for Akademgorodok, which was founded by scientists and the spirit is still here.

St. Nicholas Chapel. This was the geographical center of the former Russian Empire. After the empire's fall, the center moved to the east. This chapel was destroyed in Soviet times and then rebuilt.

Novosibirsk, Russia. Ferris wheel on the Ob river shore, illuminated in the night.

My grandma's brother died and this was the funeral. I didn't know him very well, but he was a good man. The whole family gathers together for a last farewell. In the past, big families lived near each other and did a lot together, but nowadays they mostly meet only at weddings or funerals.

Another photo from the Everyday Life Museum in Akademgorodok. Dressing room.

In the subway. The city's subway was built in the 1980s and changed the transport system drastically.

Ob river.

Sleighs are the best transport option for kids in winter.

Fur coat on the bus.

Night scene, -30°C outside.

Anastasia Beznosova is the owner and founder of the Everyday Life Museum in Akademgorodok. Her aim is to collect artifacts and stories about people's life and to share them with guests and friends. There are a lot of events happening in the museum: celebration of numerous holidays, historical reconstruction, fashion events, etc. The museum has not existed for very long, but its already an important place in Akademgorodok's cultural landscape. In her "other life," Anastasia is a business woman and head of a branch of one of the biggest IT-companies.

The Ob River has it source in the Altai region and flows to the Kara Sea (on the Arctic Ocean). Novosibirsk was founded because of the Ob River as well. First it was a little settlement of railway builders who built a bridge across the river.

"Pioneer" cinema hall. The space exploration theme remains important for Russians – everyone remembers that USSR was the first country to send a man into space. Despite the fact that the Russian space industry is developing much slower than in Soviet times, it's still a reason for people to be proud of their country.