Even if you are going to stay in Norilsk for a short period of time, you definitely will realize that this is a city of contrasts: in summer the sun never sets, in 2 winter months it doesn’t rise at all. Advanced local airport “Alykel” looks weird in the middle of northern tundra. Milky light of sleepy sun is diluted by the colors of new Norilsk buildings, which are the creations of young architects of the city. Despite low temperatures (sometimes it falls down to -60°C) Norilsk citizens are friendly and smiling people.

Together with satellite towns Talnakh and Kayerkan the population of Norilsk city (the biggest city of the Subarctic) is 176 thousands people. The first citizens of Norilsk were geologists and prisoners of Norillag (Norilsk Corrective Labor Camp), whose labor was used in mines, roads and housing construction as well as for ore and coal production, and quarry development. “Insidious house” is a not very pleasant sightseeing of Norilsk, because it was a headquarters of secret police in 1935. Those prisoners who have already served a sentence had to be registered there, and in some days they were standing in long lines waiting for their turn.

There are a lot of interesting approaches to architecture, such as Saint-Petersburg-style arches on Bogdana Khmelnitskogo street, romantic places as “Alley of beloved” and “Island of romanticist”. One of the best sightseeings is a “Kissing bridge”, the newlyweds have to stay there for some time to make their marriage bonds stronger and make them a close-knit family.

Also there is a night club in Norilsk called “Krasnoyarsk Stolby”, it has billiards, dance floor and bar for their guests.

A vast territory covered with tundra lies right behind the city. The name of the city comes from the name of the river Norilka, which connects Melkoye and Pyasino lakes. From the bridge across the river you can see an amazing landscape: far bald mountains, small lakes, forest with white birches. Almost every lake of Norilsk region has a tourist camp on its shore. Norilsk citizens like the tourist camp of Norilsk Railway the most, because for them it is a piece of south on the north with a sand beach. There are also a beautiful waterfall and high Red rocks in 40 minutes away by foot from Talnakh.  There are unique Lama lake and “polar grove” situated in 80 km away from Norilsk.

Please note, that Norilsk is a closed city, the Russian Security Service requires a special permission to enter Norilsk and Dudinka, all foreigners must apply in advance, better in 40 days before arrival. 

GMT +8 hours

You can look through the professional pictures of Norilsk at the website of photographer Elena Chernyshova. The documentary was supported by the Lagardère foundation grant for photography.