At the site of the first World Youth Festival’s Assembly in Nizhny Novgorod a photo exhibition of the contest of Russian sights “From the Southern Seas to the Polar Region” was opened. This exhibition was arranged by Rosmolodezh - a partner of excursion and regional programs of the Assembly, within its More than Trip program . The goal of the exposition of 30 photos to introduce the assembly’s participants to the points of attraction of the regions that were recognized at the All-Russian contest as the best ones, as well as to historical sites of the Great Victory, achievements and discoveries made in our country, and to inspire young people to travel in Russia.   The “From the Southern Seas to the Polar Region” contest has been held by the “More Than Trip” program since 2024 on an annual basis. The goal is promotion of Russia’s sights, facilitation of the country's residents interest in studying its history and strengthening historical memory. In 2025, the event was held for the second time and was dedicated to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The contest presented the sites from all 89 regions of Russia. 543 sights were included for the participation in a popular vote, and Russians chose the top 30 iconic locations of them, giving of more than 65 thousand votes in total. Almost 1.5 m people attended the website of the contest. It has become a veritable digital travel encyclopedia.

The exhibition for the World Youth Festival’s Assembly included 10 locations of sights - the winners of the “Points of Attraction” category, as well as 10 sites each from the online galleries of the “Memorial Sites of the Great Victory” and “Russia – First in the World” contests.   As Lyudmila Klyauzova, Project Director of ANO “More than Trip” says, “Our program is aimed at discovering Russia to young people, and we really appreciate being part of such a significant international event. This is a wonderful chance to introduce our amazing and diverse Russia in all its diversity to 2 thousand representatives of active youth from 120 countries. After all, we have something to be proud of. Thanks to the photo exhibition “From the Southern Seas to the Polar Regions” participants will have a chance to make a virtual tour through the regions of Russia without leaving Nizhny Novgorod. We are confident that this program will inspire them to visit our hospitable country again, travel to new cities, study our great history, get acquainted with our cultural code, admire our nature and discover the opportunities that Russia offers to young people.”   To visit the photo exhibition you should go to the pavilion 1 at the exhibition center (next to the exhibition zone of the Nizhny Novgorod) - it is working all the days of the Assembly. Each photo of the “Points of Attraction” category has the name of the sight and the region of its location. Photos from the “Memorial Sites of the Great Victory” and “Russia – First in the World” categories are supplemented with interesting information about the sites. These galleries allow foreign visitors to get acquainted with the places of military glory, preserving the memory of heroes and feats of the Great Patriotic War, as well as to learn about events, discoveries, achievements and people who pioneered in different fields and glorified Russia. To get more information about the rest of the contest participants go to the website places of pride.rf. It still contains information about all the attractions and recommendations for travelling collected by residents of our country. The resource has become a useful tool for those who like to build new routes and discover Russia on their own.   The concept of the whole youth Assembly in Nizhny Novgorod sounds like “In Russia”. It means that all participants can find and follow their own path of discovery, get acquainted with Russia, share our values, and fill the world with good meanings. The exhibition organized by the program will become one of those platforms that will help our compatriots to discover Russia anew, and foreign guests to get to know it.   As Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate says,“Russia is a center of friendship, cooperation and boundless possibilities. Jointly with our partners, we help young leaders from different countries understand that borders are on the map only, but our hospitality has no any boundaries. After the completion of the main program of the Assembly, 200 foreign participants will visit 10 regions of Russia. It became possible, among other things, due to the partnership with Rosmolodezh within its “More than Trip” program. And on the threshold of this marathon across the regions of the country, a thematic exhibition is opening on a venue of the Assembly. Young people will see the sights. We hope that everyone will find a place that will become a reason to visit Russia again”.   Alaf Eskindar Abebe from Ethiopia has never been to Nizhny Novgorod before. He was impressed with the World Youth Festival held in Sochi last year, so he was happy to return to Russia again and discover a new city. On the opening day the participant visited the exhibition of Russian sights “From the Southern Seas to the Polar Region” and shared his impressions.   “I am truly delighted to become a part of this large-scale global event and appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the development of youth cooperation. Russia hold a special place in my heart, becoming one of my favorite countries. I truly hope that this is far from my last visit to a country that evokes in me admiration not only for its amazing natural beauty, but also for the friendly attitudes of its inhabitants. This is my first time in Nizhny Novgorod, but I am already captivated by its charming atmosphere. At the photo exhibition, I saw many sights from different regions. I am fond of digital and space technologies that are developing in Russia. Therefore, photographs of the first natural satellite of the Earth and the humanoid robot Ardi aroused particular interest. Thanks to the exhibition, I learned that such robots are produced in Perm. I would be happy to visit Russia again and come to Perm Territory to learn more about these technologies,” he says.

Overview:

In accordance with the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin on preserving and developing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, which took place on the Sirius federal territory in 2024 and brought together 20,000 young people from 190 countries, festival events will be held annually in the Russian Federation. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will be held in 2030. In 2026, there will be a smaller event, an International Youth Festival with 10,000 participants. In between World Youth Festival-themed Assemblies for 2,000 participants will be held annually. The Directorate of the World Youth Festival continues its work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.

ANO “More than Trip” operates the Rosmolodezh program “More than Trip”, thanks to which more than 290,000 young people have seen unique sights in our country, learned about the achievements of universities and industrial facilities, developed a socially important project, and made new friends. Schoolchildren, students, young professionals from the regions, and family members of military personnel - the winners and prize-winners of All-Russian projects - travel around the country.   Apart from the traditional tourist program young people get to know natural, cultural, historical specifics of the regions, visit Russian production enterprises, educational institutions and other significant venues of the country, they have the opportunity to contribute to the development of cities, participate in volunteer events, become co-authors of tours. Diversified tourism also offers opportunities for professional development—trip participants can prove themselves and receive offers of internships and employment, or apply their acquired knowledge in their home region.   The “More than Trip” program is part of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) ecosystem and is realized as part of the national “Youth and Children” project. The program is supported by the Movement of the First, the Russian “Znanie” (Knowledge) Society, the “Russia – Country of Opportunity” platform, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.