Solvychegodsk



Solvychegodsk

Name: Anton Unitsyn

Age: 29

Profession: Photographer 

City: Solvychegodsk

How long have you been doing photography? What style or genre most interests you? I fell into photography by accident; I never dreamed of becoming a professional photographer. At first it was a hobby, but with time it turned into my favorite activity. I began to be drawn into photography in 2006, and became a professional in 2009. From the very beginning, I have been most interested in real, unplanned, un-staged photography. To this day I remain convinced of this and for the most part do documentary photography.

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for?

Solvychegodsk is in Arkhangelsk Oblast. It is a city with a great past and a quiet present. It was founded in the sixteenth century, and its name is derived from two words: salt (соль) and vychegda. Salt was the city's basic trade resource and the reason for its rise. Vychegda is the name of the river, upon which the city was founded.

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

Solvychegodsk was the cradle of the famous Stroganov dynasty. In gratitude for their wealth, as believers, they built many churches in the city – thirteen by all accounts. Solvychegodsk was a place of political exile, and was "visited" for that reason by such historical personalities as Gannibal, Pushkin's grandfather, and Joseph Stalin.

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

Vvedensky Sobor, Blagoveshchensky Sobor, the Sanatorium for Treatment with Unique Sulphurous Mud.

Anything else you would like to add?

Since the sixteenth century, as the value of salt has fallen, so has the general condition of the city. At the beginning of century there were 13 churches [built by the Stroganovs], but just 3 remain. This is largely connecte with the communist period and the persecution of churches that occured then. However, in the Soviet era the city developed through industry, yet after the fall of the USSR the majority of the city's enterprises were shuttered. Since 1992, the population of Solvychegodsk has been cut in half. At present, the city's most prosperous enterprise is the local sanatorium that offers healing treatments with unique sulphurous muds.

Your website: unitsyn.com

Your Instagram: @unitsyn



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

Some of Our Books

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

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.  
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
The Little Golden Calf

The 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)

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.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

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