The first rulers were the Normandist knights Rurik and Oleg. They were asked by the Slave tribes to bring order in their country so that they would be able to act and cooperate as one country. Since then many wars have been fought. Russia got from many neighbour countries something to put in their culture. As from Normandists, Mongolians, Turks, Germans and also French. Also the Orthodox religion filled Russia with it's churches and monuments.
When put all these cultural ingredients together you get a fine mixture of present Russia these days is, from which the Slaves you can see as the basic. In this big country I know for sure that for every tourist there is something which he will like. Cities, buidings, cultures, history, beaches, mountains. A complete country where you can find everything you like and prefer. Besides the Russian cities you will also notice that some Kazakhstan cities are here. Although this country is no longer a Russian republic anymore, it's also a place to visit for sure.