Paratrooper scouts, photo by Vasily Kunyaev (USSR, 1964)
This blog is about old postcards, book illustration, history and culture of Russia and the Soviet Union. I'm a long time collector, and this blog is 10 years old.
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The first cosmonauts of the Soviet Union (1960s)
Moscow, February 4, 1990. The most massive protest in the history of the Soviet Union. 300 thousand people marched from the Crimean Bridge along the Garden Ring and Gorky Street (now Tverskaya) to the 50th Anniversary of October Square (Manezhnaya). The main demand of the protesters was to abolish Article 6 of the USSR Constitution that declared the leading role of the Communist Party.
Soviet Union of the 1960s - photography by Vsevolod Tarasevich. We will be visiting his exhibition on March 10! (info)
Porcelain tea set commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union (1967)
Traditional Russian wooden houses. Soviet Union in 1966-1967. Photos by Georg Oddner.
Soviet Union in 1966-1967. Photos by Georg Oddner.
May 1—celebrated as the Day of International Solidarity of Workers in the Soviet Union.
Here’s to all of us who work for a living!
Holiday cartoons from Soviet Union - my top 5
“The Last Year’s Snow Was Falling” (1983)
This one is a legend. Packed with phrases that every Russian person recognizes in a conversation. I watch it religiously every year on December 31. I pretty much know it by heart, but I still enjoy watching it! Voiced by the amazing Stanislav Sadalsky. Great music too!
(«Уж послала так послала!» «А вот это мой размерчик.» «Ох уж эти сказочки! Ох уж эти сказочники…»)
(Watch with English subtitles here)
“Father Frost and Summer” (1969)
It’s sooo cute! And those songs! Love love love it.
(LQ quality but with English subtitles)
“Winter in Prostokvashino” (1984)
Another classic cartoon - the third installment in the story of the little village called Prostokvashino. Check out the Christmas tree decorated in attic-found vintage. :)
(«Фиг вам называется!»)
(with English subtitles)
“The Nutcracker” (1973)
I remember watching this as a child and being mesmerized with the music. It was long before I knew who Tchaikovsky was! And the scene when Nutcracker turns into boy gave me goose bumps.
This one needs no translation.
“Father Frost and Grey Wolf” (1978)
I mostly include this one for the song - «Тревога! Тревога! Волк унёс зайчат!» - which is an old joke between me and my sister. We watched this one a lot back in the day. :)
(with English subtitles)
Making this list has put me into holiday mood! :)
Set of 15 vintage stamps commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Soviet Union (1957)
The Hermitage Art Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia
From Ogonyok magazine, 1960s