Now on air
10:00
The bears of Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula is known for its breathtaking northern nature full of volcanos, hot springs, endless tundra, impassable forests and protected lands, which are teeming with wild animals. This is turf where the great and mighty brown bear reigns strong and people can meet him almost anywhere – in the forest, mountains, valleys, rivers or a lake – these are all bear territory. The area around Kuril Lake is a particularly good place to observe such wildlife. Every year, at the end of summer, thousands of bears come here in search of Pacific salmon. Giant schools of salmon travel to the lake in order to lay eggs and are met by these sharp-clawed, hungry landlords who tirelessly feast on fish. Such a filling food-fest helps local brown bears to build up the fat reserves they need in order to spend the winter in hibernation. During this time the bears are so involved in their intense fi...
Oreshek Fortress
Oreshek Fortress, which was founded in 1323, stands at the source of the Neva River on an island in Lake Ladoga. Over the past centuries, its citadel walls have witnessed their fair share of fierce battles. The fortress played a great role in history, as it allowed Rus’ to maintain control of the water route made by the Neva River, which flows toward the Gulf of Finland – a route that proved key for trade between Rus’ and countries in Western Europe. Throughout its existence, the island and fortress have changed names many times. At various points in history they were known as Orekhov, Oreshek, Nöteborg and Shisselburg. Nowadays Oreshek Fortress serves as a monument of historic Russian defensive architecture. RTG’s new programme investigates the different periods in the fortress’ history: Times of border outposts, prison torture chambers and the defensive fortification of the besieged ci...
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Oreshek Fortress
The cuisine of the Danilovsky monastery. Pearl barley porridge with mushrooms
For hundreds of years Russian cuisine has been heavily comprised of vegetarian and fasting dishes. At one point in time, all Orthodox Christians strictly observed all fasting days, resulting in the appearance of fasting foods on the Russian menu immediately following the adoption of Christianity in Anciant Rus.’ In the centuries that followed, monasteries have played a vital role in preserving and promoting these culinary traditions. From the beginning, porridge has always served as the foundation of Russian fasting cuisine. It was a food eaten by commoners as well as by the tsars and it was a dish often prepared during the negotiation of peace treaties between feuding princes. This is where the Russian saying, which literally translates as “You won’t be making porridge with them” (“You won’t get anywhere with them”) originated. If you can’t seem to get on with someone lo...
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