Murmansk is the largest of the northern cities not only in Russia, but in the whole world. The severity of the climate is partly mitigated by the proximity of the sea, but still the winters are long and very cold. But the summer, albeit short, pleases with a riot of colors, when all the nature around is literally blooming.
Murmansk is the largest city in the world, located above the Arctic Circle. In addition, it is one of the largest Russian ports that does not freeze all year round. Initially, in the Russian Empire, Murmans called newcomers from the north, Norwegians and Normans. Later, the area where clashes with foreigners began to be called that way. Thus, “Murmansk” is a city on Murman, that is, the Kola Peninsula. The idea of founding a port in the Barents Sea came from the Russian authorities at the end of the 19th century, but the project’s realization had already occurred during the period of the first of the world wars. The city appeared a year later than the port – in 1916, when a temple was laid on one of the hills. Before the revolution, the city was called Romanov-on-Murman. In Murmansk in the late 1920s, the first two-story brick building was built. This house continues to stand on one of the city streets. The first asphalted street in Murmansk in the late 1930s was Leningradskaya.
Hitler’s troops intended to capture Murmansk in two days. The Germans launched two large-scale attacks on the city, but failed to take it. Throughout the war, Murmansk was subjected to massive air raids — about 185,000 bombs were dropped on it, destroying three-quarters of the city’s buildings. After the war, Murmansk became one of the 15 cities of the Union that needed priority restoration. The authorities allocated 100 million rubles for its development. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, cold arrives in Murmansk a month later than in other northern cities. From early December to mid-January night dominates in Murmansk, and from late May to late July – the day.
The highest point of Murmansk is a hill almost 306 meters high, which has no name, and the lowest is the coast of the Kola Bay. The only Murmansk high-rise is the Arktika Hotel, which occupies 18 floors. On the streets of Murmansk, there are often stones painted in different colors – this is how citizens are struggling with a lack of color during an eight-month winter. The trolleybus of Murmansk, the northernmost in the world, carries passengers along five routes.
