The National Centre RUSSIA launched a new educational project about the country’s history

The first episode of the new educational project "8 Steps Across the Map of Russia", titled "Secrets of Russian Cartography", has been released on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA. The project is dedicated to exploring the country’s history through space, routes and the ways these were perceived in different eras. The episode’s experts were Senior Researcher at the State Historical Museum and Candidate of Geographical Sciences Vladimir Bulatov, and Professor of the Department of Regional Studies at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies of Moscow State University and Doctor of Geographical Sciences Vladimir Kalutskov. The episode is available via the link.

The premiere episode invites viewers to set off on a journey through the centuries — from Prince Oleg’s campaign against Tsargrad in 907 to the cartographic achievements of Siberia in the 17th century. The experts raise a key question: how people found their way around the world long before familiar maps, GPS and modern navigation systems appeared. At the heart of the episode is the idea that a map is not only a tool for measurement, but also a cultural text reflecting how a person or society sees the surrounding space.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

The episode explores unusual and little-known facts: how the Eastern Slavs navigated using rivers and natural landmarks, how Vikings may have used a "sunstone" for navigation, and why ancient maps were often oriented towards the south rather than the north. Special attention is given to unique artefacts, such as the 11th-century Tmutarakan Stone — a rare example of precise distance measurement in Ancient Rus.

The project "8 Steps Across the Map of Russia" will continue introducing audiences to the country’s history from unexpected angles, combining academic expertise with an engaging storytelling format.