Our country is beautiful and truly boundless. It will take years to get acquainted with its main attractions; and a life will not be enough to visit them all. On August 18, the V Festival of the Russian Geographical Society opened in Moscow's Zaryadye Park, in the heart of the capital. Guests can discover Russia in all its splendor.
The winds of distant wanderings can be felt already in Vasilievsky Descent. At the ancient Pokrovsky Cathedral, traditional Bashkir and Yakut dwellings stand brightly colored in the sun, and the fervent sounds of Caucasian dances are heard. The aroma of amazing discoveries is mixed with the smell of steppe grasses of the Russian south, coniferous forests of the Urals and Siberia. The RGS Festival represents virtually the whole of Eurasia – the greatest continent on the planet, a significant part of which is occupied by Russia.
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"E" is the first letter of the name of the largest continent on Earth. It is part of the cipher word "Г-Е-О-Г-Р-А-Ф-И-Я" (eng. “geography”), which became the main theme of the V RGS Festival. To unravel the meaning of the remaining letters, you need to go around the entire territory of Zaryadye Park. It will be a real adventure: you will have to conquer mountain peaks and solve their riddles along the way, you will see the inhabitants of the depths of the polar seas and sink to the bottom of Lake Baikal in a bathyscaphe, get acquainted with Amur tigers and Far Eastern leopards, sit in the chair of the newest snowmobile, and visit the inside of a mobile shelter for climbers.
Hundreds of enthusiasts of geographical science from different regions of the country prepared an interactive journey through Russia, which the guests of the RGS Festival will be able to make in 10 days. They will become your guides, conduct many fascinating master classes, give dozens of informative lectures, share their rich experience and love for their native country. The rich program of the main geographical event of the year will be interesting to everyone without exception: children and adults, professional geographers and simple travel lovers. Come and see for yourself!
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The RGS Festival was opened on the main stage by the greeting of the President of the Russian Geographical Society Sergei Shoigu. He invited the guests of the forum to an exciting journey through Russia, which will not leave anyone indifferent.
“It will be incredibly interesting. Come visit!” Sergei Shoigu emphasized.
The concert program of the first day of the RGS Festival was attended by art collectives from the Rostov Region and Moscow, the republics of Tyva, Dagestan, and Bashkortostan. The audience saw lively dances, enjoyed the beauty of folk songs, and participated in quizzes.
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Another highlight of the RGS Festival was the award ceremony for the winners of the photo contest "The Most Beautiful Country". This year, the Russian Geographical Society received almost 47,000 images, and it was not easy to choose the best of them. The intrigue persisted until the last day. The works of the laureates and finalists can also be seen in Zaryadye Park.
The evening program of the geographical forum includes documentaries of the TV channel "Moya Planeta" (eng. “My Planet”). Every evening on the screen of the main stage there are new films that no one has seen yet.
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The start of the V RGS Festival was timed to Geographer's Day, celebrated in Russia on August 18, and to the 177th anniversary of the Russian Geographical Society. But the holiday will last for 10 days, each of which will be unlike the previous one, will delight with new discoveries and vivid impressions. Come solve our cipher "Г-Е-О-Г-Р-А-Ф-И-Я" and rediscover Russia with the Russian Geographical Society. We are waiting for everyone to visit!
Alexander Zhirnov