A photograph taken by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev of the Tobol Kremlin in Siberia was auctioned for 51 million rubles (1.7 million U.S. dollars) on Saturday, Xinhua reported.
The black and white photo of the fortress was taken by Medvedev, a photography enthusiast, during one helicopter trip in Siberia from the air, local media reported.
The annual fund-raising auction held at St. Petersburg usually sells paintings by politicians and celebrities, with a special requirement that each of the artworks shall be created in connection with one letter from the Russian alphabet.
A total amount of 81 million rubles (2.74 million dollars), which will be directed to charity causes, have been raised this year.
Last year a hand-painting by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of a frosted winter window fetched 1.1 million dollars.