Baron Sigismund Herberstein (1486–1566) was an outstanding diplomat in the service of the Imperial House of Habsburg. Carrying out orders from his crowned overlords, he traveled all over Europe, meeting with influential and famous people. Among his interlocutors are the Christian Emperor Charles V and the Commander of the Faithful, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Herberstein visited the Muscovite state twice, where he negotiated with Grand Duke Vasily III. His fascinating book “Muscovy” for the first time gave Europeans a detailed description of a distant and mysterious country, its people and their customs. Many of Herberstein's judgments have become firmly entrenched in cultural memory and remain valid to this day. The book is richly illustrated and addressed to a wide range of readers. Extensive comments to it in an interesting and accessible form give an idea of a bygone era, of the cultural and everyday realities of old life from the Atlantic to the Urals.