"Smolensk. 200 miles west of Minsk. 200 north of Kursk. 1500 miles west of Omsk." About 1100 miles east of Moscow and east of the Urals.
Population well in excess of 1 million.
Can't say I ever heard of it, or, if I did, it didn't register.
What surprised me was how cosmopolitan the city is with modern day sky scrappers, excellent roads & bridges, beautiful parks, etc..
Had no idea ...
"Smolensk. 200 miles west of Minsk. 200 north of Kursk. 1500 miles west of Omsk."Can't say I ever heard of it
Famous as the place where the last czar and his family were executed in 1918 (one hundred years ago in July).