The city of Murmansk, located beyond the Arctic Circle, is called the “northern sea gate of Russia.” Founded in 1916 near the Northern Sea Port, it stretches along the rocky coast of the Kola Bay of the harsh Barents Sea for almost 20 kilometers. The uniqueness of the polar city lies in its unusually beautiful northern nature, polar days lasting 50 days and polar nights covering it for 42 nights.

Nuclear icebreaker “Lenin”

The silhouette of the legendary first ever nuclear icebreaker “Lenin”, built in the USSR in 1957, is already impressive when approaching the Murmansk seaport. Here in 1989, having served its working term, the icebreaker was laid up at the sea station, becoming a museum complex.

About the grandeur of the ship say its impressive size. In length, it stretched for 134 meters, and its displacement was 16 thousand tons. Taking a tour of the first-born of nuclear icebreaking, tourists will see the working premises of the ship and the cabins for the rest of the crew members, of whom there were 243 people.

You will be told how the icebreaker could continuously stay in autonomous navigation for a year, opening the way for caravans of ships in the Arctic ice. Excursions on the atomic icebreaker “Lenin” last one hour, passing on weekdays starting at 12.00, and on weekends from 11.00 to 15.00.

Memorial “Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Second World War”

The hallmark of Murmansk was the memorial erected in 1967 to the defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War. The monument is erected on a hill where an anti-aircraft battery stood in 1941 to protect the city from bombing. On a seven-meter pedestal, the majestic figure of a Soviet soldier in a raincoat and a machine gun over his shoulder rises to 31.5 meters. The townspeople affectionately call him Alyosha.

Near the monument, on a podium made of black stone, the Eternal Flame does not go out. The stern look of the warrior is turned to the west, from where the invaders came in 1941. The memorial complex ends with a sloping trihedral pyramid, set at a distance behind the monument. It symbolizes the battle banner, which was lowered to half-mast as a sign of mourning for the dead fighters.

The ensemble is complemented by a granite stele with the name of military units, border and partisan detachments that fought for the city and anti-aircraft guns that served to protect the port city. The Alley of Hero Cities of the Soviet Union leads to the memorial.

Monument “Waiting”

In the city, recognized as the cradle of the northern military fleet, the expectation of sailors and fishermen who have gone to sea is the fate of their mothers, wives and girlfriends. In 2012, a monument “Waiting” was erected to relatives and friends anxiously waiting for loved ones from swimming.

The idea of creating such a monument was the poem “Sentimental Watch”, written by a former navigator of one of the fishing boats. A quatrain from a poem about a waiting woman, as an image of the whole earth, is engraved on a slab near the sculpture.

A three-meter bronze sculpture of a girl with a scarf in her hands rises on a massive three-meter granite pedestal weighing 18 tons. She looks at the Kola Bay, seeing off her loved ones at sea and meeting them from the voyage.

The total height of the monument “Waiting” at 6 meters impresses with its monumentality. In the center of the granite pedestal, the words “To those who know how to wait…” are engraved, and at its foot, a sea wave is depicted in a bas-relief. The monument “Waiting” has become a symbol of love and fidelity for the residents of the city.

Five Corners Square

The outlines of the main city square, laid out at the intersection of five roads, surprise with the non-standard shape of a pentagonal rhombus.

From here, the Five Corners Square got its unusual name in the 90s of the last century. It is called the heart and birthplace of the polar city, because it was on this place in 1916 that the first stone of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra was laid. Today, 4 streets originate from Five Corners Square, which has become the business and cultural center of Murmansk.

The buildings of the regional and city governments, the regional Duma, the Drama Theatre, the Palace of Culture, the Main Post Office and two large hotels, Arktika and Meridian, are woven into its architectural appearance, which was formed in Soviet times.

The green oases of the square are: the square located behind the Palace of Culture with a children's town, a fountain and a monument to cod fish and a square behind the Arktika Hotel, notable for the first city monument to the victims of the 1915 intervention and a weeping fountain.

Oceanarium

The official opening date of the oceanarium is December 1991. It was created in the village of Dalnie Zelentsy on the basis of the former laboratory of marine mammals of the Academy of Sciences, which trained dolphins and seals to help people in wartime and peacetime.

Now this experience is used in the circus training of marine animals. The Murmansk Oceanarium is the only aquarium complex in Europe where harp and gray seals, Dick sea hare playing musical instruments and ringed seals not only live, but also study and perform in performances.

In addition, the aquarium serves as a scientific center that studies the physiological characteristics of these animals: their sound perception, visual acuity, and ability to distinguish colors. Visitors to the aquarium admire the talent of the gray seal Fili, who is invited to perform in various circuses around the world. No less famous in the world circus arena are other pinnipeds and mustachioed inhabitants of the oceanarium.

Museum of Local Lore

The four-story building of the regional museum of local lore stands out on the central Lenin Avenue with its light green facade, white square columns and entrance decor. It first opened its doors to visitors on October 17, 1926.

Over the years of its existence, the museum has amassed a large collection, of which 15,000 exhibits are on display to the public. The regional museum has 2 unique branches.

One of them in the village of Lovozero is dedicated to the history and life of the Saami who lived on the Kola Peninsula, another branch in the village of Umba introduces the culture and life of the Pomors. In the expositions of the museum, thematic collections about the history of the region, about the seas and marine inhabitants of the Kola Peninsula, about the birds living in the region, about the landscapes of the tundra, minerals and others are of interest.

In connection with the reconstruction of the main building, planned until the end of 2020, these expositions can be seen in the hangar on Pavlova Street.

Monument to the border guards of the Arctic

In the square next to the Regional Drama Theater, there is a monument to the border guards of the Arctic, erected in 2013 in honor of the 95th anniversary of the border guard.

The representative monument to the defenders of the northern borders of the country harmoniously fit into the alley of the park and is visible from afar. Three full-length bronze figures of a pilot, a sailor and a soldier of the ground forces courageously stand at the border post A-35 of the Soviet-Finnish border, which the advancing Nazi troops could not cross in this place.

A dog sits near the soldiers, which has long helped to faithfully keep watch on the border. On the pedestal lies a piece of rock, on which border guards fearlessly stand, symbolizing the impregnability of the northern border. On the pedestal of the monument there is a plaque with the inscription in large golden letters “To the Border Guards of the Arctic”.

Naval Museum of the Northern Fleet

The opening date of the Naval Museum of the Northern Fleet was October 1946. It began to be created immediately after the Great Patriotic War on the basis of the city House of Officers. Today, the museum's funds have more than 65,000 exhibits placed by historical periods in 8 halls.

Visitors will learn about the history of the creation and development of the Northern Fleet in museum expositions using the example of documents and models of submarines, surface ships and naval aviation. All museum exhibits cover the period from 1693 to the present day.

A large exposition is devoted to the contribution made by the Northern Fleet to the victory over fascist Germany, its commander admirals – Heroes of the Soviet Union. Of great interest is the exposition highlighting the achievements of the modern ocean fleet.

Of great interest are the exhibitions of armaments, flags and battle colors, personal belongings, awards, documents and photographs of sailors, wartime maps and works of fine art dedicated to the Russian Northern Fleet.

Art Museum

The opening of the art museum took place in 1990 in a building of 1927, historical by local standards, located on the central Komintern street near Five Corners Square. Over the years of the museum's work, it has collected an art collection, numbering more than 10 thousand exhibits of fine art.

Most of the collection is represented by paintings by masters of art of the 18th-21st centuries. Among them are works by Mikhail Klodt, Boris Ioganson, Yevsey Moiseenko, Mikhail Konchalovsky, as well as paintings by Murmansk artists depicting sea and northern landscapes.

An extensive collection of graphic works by famous Leningrad painters and original tapestries are impressive. Sculpture lovers will be interested to see the works of the famous Soviet sculpture Sergei Konenkov. The section of arts and crafts presents original examples of Russian art crafts.

Bridge across the Kola Bay

The automobile bridge, built in 2005 across the Kola Bay, is the main object of pride for residents. It stretches in four lanes for 2.5 km, connecting the two shores of the bay and providing road communication with the areas of the Murmansk region located in the west, with Finland and Norway. All technical characteristics of the bridge meet modern requirements. From it, at any time of the year, beautiful views of the hills open up, and at night the bridge looks magical in fabulous illumination.

The bridge crossing in the summer became the venue for the annual sports and entertainment festival “Murmansk Mile”.

Its exciting program consists of a sailing regatta and a swim through the Kola Bay; beach volleyball and mini-football on the sand, cycling and performances by skateboarders. However, the main sporting event of the festival is the mass athletics race at a distance of 1611 meters.

Northern Lights Park

“Northern Lights” is called an active recreation park with a wide range of services according to the interests and age of visitors. One of the types of outdoor recreation offered by the park has become one-day tours to nearby lakes for fishing and distant water bodies with an overnight stay, from where fishermen return with a catch of fish and shrimp. In summer, banana rides from 1 km to 3 km are arranged here, and in winter on husky and reindeer sleds. Vacationers can rent a grill house, eat in a cafe.

The highlight of the park is the Northern Lights gallery. It is known that many tourists travel to the Arctic to see this mysterious and amazing natural phenomenon with their own eyes. The Northern Lights Gallery creates an atmosphere of the Far North with interactive screens showing unique video footage of the Northern Lights, installations and music. An approximation to the real situation of the North was the presence in the gallery of a real plague made of deer skins.

Husky kennel “Smile of Alaska”

A visit to the sled dog kennel “Smile of Alaska” delivers a huge range of positive emotions from communicating with dogs surrounded by the nature of the Kola Peninsula. A 15-minute drive from the city, you find yourself in another world, where 70 charming husky dogs greet you, joyfully wagging their tails.

Visitors see the equipment of sled dogs, how they are prepared for dog sledding competitions and expedition trips. Wet-nosed huskies allow you to touch yourself with your hands, feed them, play with them and take memorable photos. In addition to dogs, two reindeer and a fox couple live in the kennel.

It was a great pleasure for the children to get acquainted with the real dwelling of the Indians – tipi and the opportunity to fry nipples on a fire. In the “Smile of Alaska” the visitor in winter will be offered to make an exciting five-kilometer dog sledding trip. Summer tours of the kennel include a trip with mushers who tell interesting stories about the life of a husky.

musical alley

There is an alley in the city, called Musical or Alley of Love by Murmansk residents. This place received such a romantic name for the sound of classical music, to which couples in love like to stroll.

The alley leads to the city college of arts, from where the sounds of music fly, and on benches imitating piano keys, musicians like to sit, playing melodies. The decoration of the Musical Alley was a paved path, with trees, shrubs, lawns and flower beds on both sides.

Along the footpath there is an arcade of neon hearts, magically glowing in the evenings, for which this place is also called Heart Alley. The unique magical aura created by the music and the light emanating from the heart-shaped arches has served as the recognition of the Musical Alley by National Geographic Traveler Russia magazine as the most romantic place in Russia. Today, the Musical Alley of Love has become a favorite place for wedding photo shoots.

Church of the Savior on the Waters

Church of the Savior on the Waters (Savior Not Made by Hands) is an Orthodox church that got its name from the icon of Christ walking on water. It was built in 2002 as part of a memorial complex dedicated to the memory of sailors who died in peacetime.

The architecture of the church is a one-apse quadrangle, completed with one golden onion with a cross. The snow-white temple is distinguished by the traditional old Russian style. Adjacent to the temple is a three-tier hipped bell tower crowned with a golden onion and a cross.

Inside the church are collected icons revered by Christians: Christ walking on the waters, the Primordial Apostle, the Mother of God, the Holy Matrona of Moscow, St. Seraphim of Sarov. These and other icons have taken their place in the church iconostasis, carved from linden in the northern style. Also, a place of honor in the church is occupied by the icons of northern saints, miracle workers helping sailors – St. Tryphon of Pechenga and Varlaam of Keret.

Monument “Broken Heart”

With the Broken Heart monument, opened in August 2001 on the anniversary of the sinking of the Kursk submarine, residents of Murmansk honored the memory of Murmansk residents who gave their lives performing military duty during local military conflicts.

In a symbolic heart made of red granite, torn from the inside by a cast-iron tree, life and death are depicted in an inseparable unity. The personification of life was a half of a tree with leaves on branches and death – the other half with dead branches.

The tree rises up to 2.4 meters inside the heart of the entire three-meter composition. The lower part of the monument is surrounded by a black granite ribbon with an inscription in gold letters “To Murmansk residents who died in the line of military duty and protecting the interests of the Fatherland.” There are always fresh flowers near the monument, and on the day of the Airborne Forces, commemorative events are held here.

Monument to A.F. Bredov

The monument to the Hero of the Soviet Union, Murmansk resident Anatoly Fedorovich Bredov, erected at the expense of the townspeople, paid tribute to his immortal feat in protecting the city from Nazi invaders.

Bredov, fighting in the battles of the Great Patriotic War, was the commander of the machine-gun section of the rifle regiment, which destroyed 80 Germans together with the gunner from his machine gun. When there was no longer a chance to fight further, he, together with a friend, blew himself up and the machine gun with the last grenade.

The monument with the figure of the hero was unveiled on May 9, 1958. The three-meter-high sculpture of a soldier shows him at the moment of the strongest physical and moral stress.

A grenade is squeezed in his right hand raised high, and the hero's face reflects the readiness to stand to the end. The decisive figure of a fighter with a fluttering cape emphasizes the aspiration to the last throw from a monolithic granite block.

St. Nicholas Cathedral

In the architectural complex of St. Nicholas Cathedral there is an ensemble of temples built from 1986 to 1989. The Cathedral, named in honor of St. Nicholas, the protector of sailors and travelers, and the church of Tryphon of Pechenga, the founder of Orthodoxy on the Kola Peninsula, the chapel of the icon of the Mother of God “The Conqueror of Bread” and the bell tower located near it, are in harmony with the surrounding harsh polar nature.

The cathedral, built of white silicate brick, has a strict external appearance. It is crowned with blue onion-domes with crosses: four small ones on the sides, and a large main golden dome on the central drum. The interior of the cathedral is much richer than its appearance. He admires the beautiful iconostasis and skillful wall paintings.

The main relic of the cathedral is myrrh, brought from the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the church in the Italian city of Bari, where St. Nicholas served. Among the sacred relics preserved in the cathedral, one can touch the particles of the holy relics of Matrona of Moscow, Seraphim of Sarov, St. Innocent.

Waterfall on the river Lavna

This natural attraction is located 20 kilometers from Murmansk beyond Abram Cape. The waterfall owes its birth to the turbulent Lavna River, rushing from the lake of the same name 21 kilometers to the Kola Bay.

A stormy flow of water through cascades and rapids falls from a height of 4 meters, admiring the full flow and the surroundings of picturesque nature: endless forests and flowering fields in the summer. The coast of the waterfall on the way to the bay is dotted with stones, overgrown with lichen and moss from moisture. Tourists love to take pictures near the cascade, and the townspeople like to have barbecue picnics.

The waterfall also gives pleasure to fishermen who often return with a catch of perch, pike, burbot and other local fish. Only brave daredevils can swim in Lavna – the water here remains cold even on hot days, and the current is too strong.

The waterfall is especially full-flowing and powerful in spring, but even in winter, in frost, most of it does not freeze, which makes an indelible impression.

Raven stone

In the Pervomaisky district, the rocky top of the Goreloy hill attracts attention with a fantastic view of a stone structure called the Voronii Stone megalith. There are many scientific hypotheses and fantastic legends around this stone miracle of nature.

There are allegations that this mysterious building was left from Hyperborea – the place of residence of the progenitors of mankind, who flew from space to Earth. Close to this theory is the hypothesis of the existence of an ancient civilization of the Land of the Light, the Sunny Country or the White Earth.

Some scientists claim that the Raven Stone appeared under the influence of a glacier. There are also such amateur scientists who call this natural miracle an ancient observatory, where the gap visible between its side plates is compared with the female womb, “where the lunar ray penetrates during the full moon as a male sexual organ and “fertilizes” it. However, the question of how this structure appeared on top is still open.

Ostrich farm

It is surprising that in the Arctic on the permafrost you can see African ostriches. They feel great at the Northern Lights ostrich farm, opened in 2007 in the village of Molochny, one of the Murmansk families. Southern birds, which survived the formidable dinosaurs in ancient times, moved here from Vilnius and quickly settled in. In addition to ostriches, the farm is home to feathered families: quails, geese, ducks and indo-ducks, peacocks and a formidable eagle.

You will also meet representatives of the larger fauna: deer, sheep, goats and rabbits. In a word, the Northern Lights farm can be called a petting zoo, because here you can stroke, feed and take pictures with animals and ostriches, see nests and chicks hatched from eggs, ride horses and ATVs.

The farm will offer to buy organic products: ostrich and quail meat, eggs, rabbit meat and goat milk products. The local guide will tell you a lot of interesting things about the habits of the inhabitants of the farm.

Church of All Saints

In the Eastern microdistrict of Murmansk, the Orthodox Church of All Saints rises on a hill. There are many interesting events in the history of the construction of the temple.

After the Divine Liturgy, held in 2000 on the hill, where the construction of the temple was supposed, a procession was made to the source nearby, which was consecrated in honor of the Murmansk miracle-working saints Peter and Fevronia. Earlier, near the source, a miraculous image of a cross was found on a stone.

By the end of 2003, a small wooden chapel was built here at the expense of the townspeople. After some time, the building of the chapel was expanded with a full-fledged altar room and turned into a real church where services are held.

And for several years, a new red-brick church has been rising next to the old chapel. It flaunts a large dome shining with gold, small golden domes sparkle on the apse of the temple and the bell tower. Now the church has a Sunday school and a library.

Enotopolis

On Oktyabrskaya Street there is an interesting establishment “Enotopolis”. It cannot be called a petting zoo or a circus. Officially, “Enotopolis”, where raccoons live as a friendly family, is called the Animal Therapy Center.

Visitors to the center see how these fluffy thieves live and what they do, tidying up everything in their paws. There are no cells in the center, so contact with funny animals takes place close. You can feed them, give them a drink, stroke them, carry them in your arms, but be careful at this time, because cute raccoons love to fumble in their pockets.

Visitors will be warned that if the animal is angered, it may bite. You will learn a lot of interesting things about the habits of these animals from an omniscient raccoon instructor. On the whole territory of “Enotopolis” you can take pictures and shoot videos. When planning to visit this amazing place, please note that raccoons sleep and days off strictly according to the regime, so you need to sign up for a visit in advance.

Children's town “Skazka”

The children's town “Skazka” has become an ornament of the central Leninsky district. It was erected on the site of an old town with red brick towers, dilapidated over the years. Today “Fairy Tale” is called the youngest landmark of the city. The fairy-tale town grew up near the Alyosha monument.

Immediately upon entering its gates, guests are greeted by a huge figure of the Serpent Gorynych with a cheerful and kind expression of all three heads. Next to him are three heroes, in relation to the size of the three-headed monster, they look like gnomes.

To the right of the Serpent Gorynych stands the funny Baba Yaga, and throughout the town you will meet her two girlfriends – in a hut on chicken legs, with an accordion in her hands and a cat on her shoulder. Also in the town, meet other heroes of popular cartoons and fairy tales. In “Fairy Tale” there are many towers, houses where fairy-tale characters live. The children play with great pleasure on the playground, decorated under the “Flying Ship”.

Museum of entertaining sciences “Focus”

In the museum of entertaining sciences “Focus”, located within the walls of the regional scientific library on Sofya Perovskaya Street, there is an immersion in the entertaining world of science, full of secrets and mysteries that are interesting for visitors of all ages. In its halls, each person will make amazing discoveries for himself and acquire new knowledge. In Focus, most of the presented museum exhibits are interactive. They are allowed to experiment, conduct experiments, play.

On weekends in the museum you can take part in exciting master classes, watch a scientific show program using water, magnets, air, vacuum and electricity. It is also curious to conduct all sorts of experiments and experiments yourself. In the Focus Museum, everyone can become the creator of a unique product: an author's mug, a wicker bracelet, a three-dimensional plastic figurine drawn with a 3D pen, and take part in an exciting quest.

Museum of the History of the Murmansk Commercial Port

Near the pontoon berth of the sea station, there is the building of the Museum of the History of the Murmansk Commercial Sea Port, opened in 2015.

The reference point for the tourist is the nuclear-powered icebreaker-museum “Lenin” standing near the museum. In a short time of its work, the museum has become a popular place to visit for residents and guests of the Arctic. It contains more than a century of history of the port, from its inception to the present day.

Thanks to all the residents of the city, unique documents, photographs and objects have been collected that tell about the stages of the development of the commercial port. The museum has many interesting models of merchant and other ships and 37 light photopanels. In six main museum sections, placed in a sequence of historical milestones – from survey work to modern achievements, moving from one exhibition to another, as if moving through time.