North Ossetia: Vladikavkaz

Vladikavkaz is the capital of the North Ossetia, a federal member of the Russiam Federation. The city was established as a Russian outpost and fortress on the foothills of the Caucasus mountains in 1784 and was the base for further expansion of the Russian influence in the region. To the north of the city lie endless Russian flat steppes, but just few kilometers to the south rise majestic mountains. River Terek runs through the heart of the city and paralleling it is the Mir Prospect with old buildings and a wide tree-lines avenue. Vladikavkaz is the capital of North Ossetia, but just 100km to the east is Chechnya – the region saw a fair share of religious conflict and wars, including two recent governor assassinations and a terrorist attack in 2011, but it’s quite now – and Russian orthodox churches coexist with Muslim mosques.