Extreme cold temperatures that seem unthinkable to most are an ordinary thing in this region of Russia. At this temperature, people still repair pipes and even worry about global warming.

We know almost nothing about the man who saved future tsar Mikhail from a unit of Polish-Lithuanian soldiers who were searching for him. Legend has it, instead of revealing the whereabouts of Mikhail and his mother, he guided them – where?

Architectural historian and photographer William Brumfield takes a closer look at two convents with contrasting fates, but which were both intricately involved with Moscow over the centuries.

From Beijing to Libreville, all of these imposing buildings have stories to tell.

Today, there are thousands of sister cities in the world. But it was Stalingrad and Coventry that started this tradition.