Murmansk is a city in the north-west part of Russia. It is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle. You can reach Murmansk by plane. It’s less than 3 hours from Moscow or Saint Petersburg.
During the winter it’s possible to see there Northern Lights if you are in the countryside.
Murmansk Harbour
The Lenin boat is the first nuclear powered icebreaker. It was launched in 1957 and then decommissioned in 1989. There is now a museum inside the boat
The port of Murmansk is a beautiful building, really colourful. The sky can be also as blue as the vivid blue of the building. The picture below was taken in March during a cold day.
Memorial for the seaman
There is in Murmansk a complex for the Seamen who died in peacetime. there is a red and white hexagonal tower lighthouse of 17.5m height. A few meter down there is a ship anchor. Arrived on the top of this complex there is a nice view of the cities.
Alyosha Monument
There is another monument in Murmansk. It’s a massive statue called Alyosha. It’s a memorial complex on a hill surrounding Murmansk and the Kola Bay. The monument is so huge that it can be seen from far away. The picture below was taken on the bank of the Lake Semyonovskoye (Семёновское озеро), already frozen. According the legend the name of the Lake come fron the name of a fisherman Семёна Коржова who lived on the shore of the hill of Green Cape of the Kola Bay.
Murmansk railway
A lot of freight are transported by train in Murmansk. It’s because Murmansk is an ice-free port of the Arctic sea. The distance between Murmansk and Saint Petersburg is around 1500 km and the name of this railway is the Kirov Railway
Polar Night
In December it’s the polar night in Murmansk. the sun never goes above the horizon. but it’s still there and make some nice red colour in the sky. It’s also the best time to see Aurora. But the sky has to be clear for that.
Huskies sledding
Close to Murmansk there is a Husky farm with Siberian huskies. It’s possible to do Husky riding there. Siberian Huskies were mainly used as sled dogs and as companion for the Chukchi people. Chukchi Peninsula is located in Far East Siberia in Russia.
Teriberka
100 km from Murmansk it’s possible to visit the small village of Teriberka. The Russian movie “Leviathan” was filmed there. It’s an interesting destination for a day trip.
