Rostov-on-Don



Rostov-on-Don

Name: Sveta Balashova-Kuzmina

Age: 30

Profession: Photographer 

City: Rostov-on-Don

How long have you been doing photography? What style or genre most interests you? I have been taking photos for over 10 years, 6 in commercial photography. My favorite genre is portraits of women. I love to reveal the beauty and sexiness of women through portraits.

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for? Rostov-on-Don is the capital of the Southern Federal District. It has access to five seas: the Sea of Azov, the Caspian, the Black, the Baltic and The White. Also there is a port. It is one of the largest and most technically equipped ports in the European part of Russia.

What is something about your city that only locals would know?

In Rostov there is no storm water diversion. So every time when it rains the streets flood heavily (in the center and in the outskirts). The water drains slowly into the Don River because the city is located in the hills.

In Rostov-on-Don, the locals. Maybe this is due to the lack of normal leisure activities... :) There are a huge number of restauratnst on the left bank of the Don. The most important local dish to sample is crawfish. 

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city?

The famous flea market on the Stanislavsky Street. It is in the oldest part of the city center. You can find coins from the tsarist era, antique statues, Soviet memorabilia and more. 

Paramonov's Warehouses are a complex of nineteenth century storage facilities along the banks of the river Don. It is a historical monument. But today the warehouses are in ruins, decorated with springs and waterfalls. Thanks to the constant temperature of the springs – 9° C –  Paramonov's Warehouses have their own microclimate. Nearly all year round the grass is green here.  

The old Central Market of Rostov is included in lists of the top 10 markets in the world. Products are brought from different parts of the region, and neighboring southern countries.

The beautiful old staircase – "staircase artists" on Pushkinskaya Street. The house is over a hundred years old. Once, the entire staircase was decorated with canvases. On the third floor there are often local photographers with glamorous girls, and there is a "smoking room" for employees of the dentistry practice on the second floor.

Anything else? In 2018, Rostov-on-Don will be a host city for the World Cup. A huge sports complex is planned for the left bank of the city.

Website: www.svetasts.com

Instagram: @svetasts

 



Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955