What does “достопримечательность” mean in Russian?

Достопримечательность is Russian’s go-to word for a tourist landmark or sight. It looks intimidating, but it splits cleanly: досто- (from достойный, “worthy”) + примечать (“to notice”) + -ность (a noun suffix). Put it together and you get “the thing that is worthy of noticing” — which is exactly what a landmark is. Once you see the seam, the word becomes memorable rather than monstrous.

The plural, достопримечательности, is what you see on maps and tour apps — “sights of the city.” In this clip, the Baitirek tower in Astana — Kazakhstan’s most iconic golden-sphere monument — is introduced as «главная достопримечательность города», “the main sight of the city.” A young man — a 19-year-old student — then poses there in an irreverent way (the same trick tourists try at the Leaning Tower of Pisa), posts it online, and earns five days' administrative arrest for petty hooliganism. The police’s speed in tracking him down lands almost as a punchline — and makes the word достопримечательность very hard to forget.