Astana’s chief claim to fame is that it is the second-coldest capital city in the world, with temperatures in winter dropping as low as minus-40 degrees. (The coldest is Ulaanbaatar, in Mongolia.) ...

You’ll end up at the first statue. Activate it, then jump down the ledge and head back into the central chamber. Activating the second Winter Palace statue is less of a stumper than the first ...

As the crisp winter air flows ... they do not have access to the central electricity grid of the capital. This practice has been identified as the main cause of Ulaanbaatar’s air pollution.

On Dec. 17, 1837, a fire broke out at the Winter Palace ... the new palace featured more iron, brick and ceramic in its structures – and less wood. It now had central heating and running water.