Murmansk (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: ''Мурманск'' lit. "

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni'';

: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;''

Kildin Sámi Kildin Sámi (also sometimes known as ''Kola Sámi'', ''Eastern Sámi'', and ''Lappish'', though all of these are ambiguous) is a Sámi language spoken on the Kola Peninsula of northwestern Russia that today is and historically was inhabited by ...

: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') is a

port city A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

and the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of Murmansk Oblast in the far northwest part of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. It sits on both slopes and banks of a modest

ria A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

Kola Bay Kola Bay (russian: Кольский залив) or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma, Rosta ...

, an estuarine inlet of the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...

. Its bulk is on the east bank of the inlet. It is in the north of the rounded

Kola Peninsula sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк , image_name= Kola peninsula.png , image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast , image_size= 300px , image_alt= , map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg , map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblas ...

which covers most of the

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdo ...

. The city is from the border with Norway and from the Finnish border. The city is named for the

Murman Coast The Murman Coast (russian: Мурманский берег, no, Murmankysten) is a coastal area in Murmansk Oblast in northwest Russia. It is located on the southern side of the Barents Sea, between the Norway–Russia border and Cape Svyatoy ...

, which is in turn derived from an archaic term in

for "Norwegian". Benefiting from the

North Atlantic Current The North Atlantic Current (NAC), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current within the Atlantic Ocean that extends the Gulf Stream northeastward. The NAC originates from where ...

, Murmansk resembles cities of its size across western Russia, with highway and railway access to the rest of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, and the northernmost

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

system on Earth. It lies over 2° north of the Arctic Circle. Its connectivity contrasts to the isolation of Arctic ports like the

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

n Dikson on the shores of the

Kara Sea The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...

and

Iqaluit Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the Frobisher Bay, large bay on the c ...

, Nunavut in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on Baffin Island's

Frobisher Bay Frobisher Bay is an inlet of the Davis Strait in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island. Its length is about and its width varies from about at its outlet into the Labrador Sea to ...

off the

Davis Strait Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Atlantic Ocean that lies north of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. To the north is Baffin Bay. The strait was named for the English explorer John ...

. Despite long, snowy winters, Murmansk's climate is moderated by the generally ice-free waters around it. Although there was a building boom in the early twentieth century's arms races, Murmansk's population has been in decline since the Cold War, from to 270,384 (2021 Census). It remains the largest city north of the Arctic Circle, with over 100,000 more inhabitants than

Norilsk Norilsk ( rus, Нори́льск, p=nɐˈrʲilʲsk, ''Norílʹsk'') is a closed city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located south of the western Taymyr Peninsula, around 90 km east of the Yenisey River and 1,500 km north of Krasnoyarsk. Norilsk ...

, Russia, and is a major port on the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

History

Murmansk was the last city founded in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. In 1915,

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

needs led to the construction of the railroad from

Petrozavodsk Petrozavodsk (russian: Петрозаводск, p=pʲɪtrəzɐˈvotsk; Karelian, Vepsian and fi, Petroskoi) is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, which stretches along the western shore of Lake Onega for some . The population ...

to an ice-free location on the

in the

Russian Arctic The Extreme North or Far North (russian: Крайний Север, Дальний Север) is a large part of Russia located mainly north of the Arctic Circle and boasting enormous mineral and natural resources. Its total area is about , ...

, to which Russia's allies shipped military supplies.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 24 The terminus became known as the Murman station and soon boasted a port, a naval base, and an adjacent settlement with a population that quickly grew in size and soon surpassed the nearby towns of Alexandrovsk and

Kola KOLA (99.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Redlands, California, and broadcasting to the Riverside-San Bernardino-Inland Empire radio market. It is owned by the Anaheim Broadcasting Corporation and it airs a classic hits radio for ...

. On , 1916, Russian Transport Minister

Alexander Trepov Alexander Fyodorovich Trepov (; 30 September 1862, Kiev – 10 November 1928, Nice) was the Prime Minister of the Russian Empire from 23 November 1916 until 9 January 1917. He was conservative, a monarchist, a member of the Russian Assembly, a ...

petitioned to grant urban status to the railway settlement. On , 1916, the petition was approved and the town was named Romanov-on-Murman (, ''Romanov-na-Murmane''), after the Imperial Russian dynasty of

Romanov The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to ...

s. On , 1916, the official ceremony was performed, and the date is now considered the official date of the city's foundation. After the February Revolution of 1917, on , 1917, the town was given its present name.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp. 60–63 In the winter of 1917 the

British North Russia Squadron The British North Russia Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy based at Murmansk from 1917 to 1919. History The squadron was formed as part of an initiative by the Entente Powers to keep the Russian Empire in the First World War. One goal ...

under Rear Admiral Thomas Kemp was established at Murmansk. From 1918 to 1920, during the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

, the town was occupied by the Western powers, who had been allied in

, and by the

White Army The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв� ...

forces. On February 13, 1926, local self-government was organized in Murmansk for the first time, during a

plenary session A plenary session or plenum is a session of a conference which all members of all parties are to attend. Such a session may include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and is not necessarily related to a specific st ...

of the Murmansk City

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

, which elected a Presidium. Before this, the city was governed by the authorities of

Alexandrovsky Uyezd Alexandrovsky Uyezd (russian: Александровский уезд) was an administrative division (an uyezd) of Arkhangelsk Governorate of the Russian Empire and later of the Russian SFSR. The origins of Alexandrovsky Uyezd trace back to Kols ...

and later of

Murmansk Governorate Murmansk Governorate (russian: Му́рманская губе́рния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the early Russian SFSR which existed in 1921–1927.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp.&nbs ...

. On August 1, 1927, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) issued two resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast", which transformed Murmansk Governorate into

Murmansk Okrug Murmansk Okrug (russian: Му́рманский о́круг, ''Murmansky okrug'') was an administrative division (an okrug) of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, which existed in 1927–1938. Creation The okrug was established on August 1, 1927, ...

within

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...

and made Murmansk the administrative center of Murmansk Okrug. In 1934, the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee developed a redistricting proposal, which included a plan to enlarge the city by merging the surrounding territories in the north, south, and west into Murmansk. While this plan was not confirmed by the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee, in 1935–1937 several rural localities of Kolsky and

Polyarny District Polyarny District (russian: Поля́рный райо́н) was an administrative division (a district) of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1960. It was est ...

s were merged into Murmansk anyway. According to the Presidium of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee resolution of February 26, 1935, the administrative center of Polyarny District was moved from Polyarnoye to

Sayda-Guba Sayda-Guba (russian: Сайда-Губа), also known in English as Sayda Bay, is a rural locality (an inhabited locality) within the administrative jurisdiction of the closed administrative-territorial formation of Alexandrovsk in Murmansk Oblast ...

.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 48 However, the provisions of the resolution were not fully implemented, and due to military construction in Polyarnoye, the administrative center was instead moved to Murmansk in the beginning of 1935. In addition to being the administrative center of Murmansk Okrug, Murmansk continued to serve as the administrative center of Polyarny District until September 11, 1938. On February 10, 1938, when the VTsIK adopted a Resolution changing the administrative-territorial structure of Murmansk Okrug, the city of Murmansk became a separate administrative division of the okrug, equal in status to that of the districts. This status was retained when Murmansk Okrug was transformed into Murmansk Oblast on May 28, 1938. The Germans were promised the use of the port, they called Norwegenhafen for transportation of goods and raw materials from 1922 to 1941. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Murmansk was a link to the Western world for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

with large quantities of goods important to the respective military efforts traded with the Allies: primarily seeing military equipment, manufactured goods and raw materials brought into the Soviet Union. The supplies were brought to the city in the

Arctic convoys The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...

. German forces in Finnish territory launched an offensive against the city in 1941 as part of

Operation Silver Fox Operation Silver Fox (german: Silberfuchs; fi, Hopeakettu) from 29 June to 17 November 1941, was a joint German– Finnish military operation during the Continuation War on the Eastern Front of World War II against the Soviet Union. The objecti ...

. Murmansk suffered extensive destruction, the magnitude of which was rivaled only by the destruction of

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and Stalingrad. However, fierce Soviet resistance and harsh local weather conditions with the bad terrain prevented the Germans from capturing the city and cutting off the vital Karelian railway line and the ice-free harbor. The ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

'' bombed the city 792 times during World War II. For the rest of the war, Murmansk served as a transit point for weapons and other supplies entering the Soviet Union from other Allied nations. This resistance was commemorated at the 40th anniversary of the victory over the Germans in the formal designation of Murmansk as a Hero City on May 6, 1985. During the Cold War Murmansk was a center of Soviet submarine and icebreaker activity. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the nearby city and naval base of

Severomorsk Severomorsk (russian: Северомо́рск), known as Vayenga () until April 18, 1951, is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Severomorsk is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. The town is located on the coast o ...

remains the headquarters of the Russian

Northern Fleet Severnyy flot , image = Great emblem of the Northern Fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Northern Fleet's great emblem , start_date = June 1, 1733; Sov ...

. In 1974, a massive tall statue '' Alyosha'', depicting a Soviet World War II soldier, was installed on a high foundation. The Hotel Arctic opened in 1984 becoming the tallest building above the Arctic Circle. On January 1, 2015, the territory of Murmansk was expanded when the

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...

of Roslyakovo, previously under the jurisdiction of the

closed administrative-territorial formation A closed city or closed town is a settlement where travel or residency restrictions are applied so that specific authorization is required to visit or remain overnight. Such places may be sensitive military establishments or secret research ins ...

of Severomorsk, was abolished and its territory merged into Murmansk.Law #1812-01-ZMO

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of Murmansk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.Law #96-01-ZMO As a municipal division, the City of Murmansk is incorporated as Murmansk Urban Okrug.Law #531-01-ZMO

City divisions

, the city is divided into three administrative okrugs:Charter of Murmansk, Article 3.1 * Leninsky (Ленинский(Lenin) ) * Oktyabrsky (Октябрьский (October)) * Pervomaysky (Первомайский (First May) ) City districts were established in Murmansk for the first time by the Decree of the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was the collective head of state of the Russian SFSR and the permanent body of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR that was accountable to the Supreme Sovi ...

of April 20, 1939; at the time, three city districts ( Kirovsky, Leninsky, and Mikoyanovsky) were created. They were abolished on June 2, 1948. The same city districts were created for the second time on June 23, 1951. Mikoyanovsky City District was renamed Oktyabrsky on October 30, 1957, but on September 30, 1958, all three city districts were again abolished. On June 10, 1967, two city districts were created (Leninsky and Oktyabrsky); Pervomaysky City District was split from Oktyabrsky on February 21, 1975. In the Charter of the Hero City of Murmansk, adopted on December 17, 1995, the districts started to be referred to as administrative okrugs.

Demographics

The population of the city, according to the 2010 Census, was 307,257, of these, 141,130 men (45.9%) and 166,127 women (54.1%),Статистический сборни�
Численность, размещение и возрастно-половой состав населения Мурманской области. Итоги Всероссийской переписи населения. Том 1. 2012
/ Федеральная служба государственной статистики, Территориальный орган Федеральной службы государственной статистики по Мурманской области. Мурманск, 2012 — 75 с. down from 468,039 recorded in the 1989 Census. Ethnic

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

make up the majority of the population, but

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

and Belarusian minorities also live in the city. Ethnic composition (2010): *

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

– 89.6% *

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...

– 4.6% * Belarusians – 1.6% *

Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

– 0.8% * Azerbaijanis – 0.7% * Others – 2.6%

Politics

In November 2010 direct mayoral elections were abolished; they were reinstituted in January 2014, with the most recent elections for mayor and city council taking place in September 2014.

Museums and monuments

Murmansk has two main museums: Murmansk Oblast Museum and Murmansk Oblast Art Museum; there are also several small museums. There are three professional theaters, libraries, and an aquarium in Murmansk. Murmansk is the venue of the decommissioned ''

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

'' which is now a museum ship. Alyosha Monument, Murmansk or Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War monument is also located in Murmansk. The main square of Murmansk is Five Corners, Murmansk. Атомный ледокол "Ленин".jpg, ''

'', converted into a museum ship House_with_no_light.jpg, Monument of sailors in Murmansk Вечный огонь у Алеши.JPG, Memorial to Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War Памятник жертвам интервенции 1918-1920 г.jpg, Monument to the victims of the intervention of 1918–1920, Murmansk

Culture

There are three professional theaters in Murmansk. The oldest is the Murmansk Puppetry, opened in 1933. The largest in the city was the Murmansk Regional Drama Theater, opened in 1939 . the Drama Theater of the Northern Fleet was opened in 1946. Театр Северного флота.JPG, Drama Theater of the Northern Fleet Oblastnoi_dramteatr_murmansk.jpg, Murmansk Regional Drama Theater Театр кукол летом.png, Murmansk Puppetry

Sports

The city's association football team,

FC Sever Murmansk FC Sever Murmansk (russian: ФК «Север» Мурманск) was a Russian association football club from Murmansk, founded in 1961. It played professionally from 1961 to 1984 and again from 2008 until 2013/14 season, after which it was disso ...

, played in the Russian Second Division until 2014 when it folded due to financial difficulties. Стадион_«Строитель»,_Мурманск.jpg, Stadium Stroitel Хоккей на стадионе «Строитель».jpg, Hockey at Stroitel stadium Центральный стадион в Мурманске..JPG, Trade Unions Central Stadium venue of

Плавательный бассейн.JPG, Murmansk Municipal Swimming Pool Перед стартом марафона на Празднике Севера 31 марта 2013 года.JPG, Polar Olympiada in 2013 Bandy club Murman has played in the

Russian Bandy Super League The Russian Bandy Super League (russian: Чемпионат России по хоккею с мячом — Суперлига), is a men's professional bandy league in Russia, the top division of Russian bandy. There is no definite rule which t ...

, last in 2011–2012. Between 2012 and 2018 they were playing in the second tier

Russian Bandy Supreme League Russian Bandy Supreme League (russian: Первенство России среди команд Высшей лиги) is the second tier of Russian bandy, below Russian Bandy Super League. In the 2016–17 season, 23 teams competed in three gro ...

, but will from the 2018–19 season be a Super League team again. Their home arena, Stadium Stroitel, has an audience capacity of 5,000. The city is one of only three places with representation in the female league, through the team Arktika. Proximity to pole and its side effects,

Polar Night The polar night is a phenomenon where the nighttime lasts for more than 24 hours that occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth. This occurs only inside the polar circles. The opposite phenomenon, the polar day, or midni ...

, has brought sport festivals such as and . The former has been awarded every years since the inaugural tournament in 1934. Norway, Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic countries take part in the North Festival Polar Olympiad.

Religion

To commemorate the 85th anniversary of the city's foundation, the snow-white church of the Savior-on-the-Waters was modeled after the

White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal The White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal in Russia have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The patrimony embraces eight medieval limestone monuments of Zalesye from the late 12th and early 13th centuries. They include Russian Ortho ...

and built on the shore for the sailors of Murmansk. 15 religious associations have been registered in Murmansk. The largest is the Russian Orthodox Church, Murmansk is the center of its Murmansk and Monchegorsk diocese, as well as the Murmansk Metropolis. The city has about a dozen Orthodox churches, the department of the head of the diocese and the metropolis of Metropolitan Simon is located in St. Nicholas Cathedral. Church of the Saviour-on-Water Murmansk 4.JPG, Church of the Saviour on the Water, Murmansk Храм Архангела Михаила (Мурманск).jpg, St. Michael the Archangel's Church Всехсвятская церковь. Мурманск.jpg, All Saints' Church Комплекс Свято-Никольского кафедрального собора.JPG, St. Nicholas Cathedral

Economy

Media

Murmansk's evening newspaper is '' Vecherniy Murmansk'', published since 1991.

Transportation

The port of Murmansk remains ice-free year round due to the warm

and is an important fishing and shipping destination. It is home port to

Atomflot FSUE Atomflot (russian: ФГУП «Атомфлот») is a Russian company and service base that maintains the world's only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. Atomflot is part of the Rosatom group, and is based in the city of Murmansk. , the ...

, the world's only fleet of

nuclear-powered icebreaker A nuclear-powered icebreaker is an icebreaker with an onboard nuclear power plant that produces power for the vessel's propulsion system. , Russia is the only country that builds and operates nuclear-powered icebreakers, having built a number of ...

s. The

Port of Murmansk Murmansk Commercial Seaport (russian: Мурманский морской торговый порт) is a seaport located on the eastern shore of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea in the city of Murmansk. The port ranks fourth in Russia in terms of ...

is the headquarters of

Sevmorput ''Sevmorput'' ( rus, Севморпуть, p=sʲɪvmɐrˈputʲ, Northeast Passage) is a Russian nuclear-powered cargo ship. The 1988-built vessel is one of only four nuclear-powered merchant ships ever built and, after returning to service in 2 ...

(Northern Sea Route) and the administration of Russian Arctic maritime transport. In 2018, the Russian government transferred the main responsibility for the Northern Sea Route to

Rosatom Rosatom, ( rus, Росатом, p=rɐsˈatəm}) also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom or Rosatom State Corporation, is a Russian state corporation headquartered in Moscow that speciali ...

which through its ROSATOMFLOT subsidiary manages the Russian nuclear powered icebreaker fleet based in Murmansk. Murmansk is linked by the

Kirov Railway Railway between Murmansk on the Baltic_Sea.html"_;"title="Arctic_Ocean_and_Saint_Petersburg_on_the_Baltic_Sea">Arctic_Ocean_and_Saint_Petersburg_on_the_Baltic_Sea_ Kirov_Railway_(russian:_Кировская_железная_дорога,_''Kiro ...

to St. Petersburg and is linked to the rest of Russia by the M18 Kola Motorway.

Murmansk Airport Emperor Nicholas II Murmansk Airport (russian: Аэропо́рт Му́рманска им. Николая II or ; ) is an international airport serving the city Murmansk in Russia. It is located near the town of Murmashi in Murmansk's souther ...

provides air links to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

and St. Petersburg, as well as an international connection to

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. Buses and trolleybuses provide local transport. Вокзал станции Мурманск.jpg, Murmansk central rail station MurmanskHarbour.jpg,

Murmansk.Trolleybus№6.jpg, Trolley Ziu-682 with

Azimut Hotel Murmansk The Azimut Hotel Murmansk is a high-rise hotel in the center of Murmansk, Russia. It opened in 1984, as the Hotel Arktika (russian: Арктика) and was renamed the Azimut Hotel Murmansk in 2014, following major renovations. It is the tallest ...

in the background Развязка Восточно-объездной дороги и Планерной улицы на подъезде к Мурманску.jpg, An interchange of the Eastern Bypass Road and Planernaya Street Murmansk (MMK - ULMM) AN1445818.jpg,

Draha_na_murmansk.png,

connects Murmansk city and

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. Arctic_Routes_(RUS).svg, Arctic Bridge sea route linking Murmansk to the Canadian port of

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

Arctic Bridge

Murmansk is set to be the Russian terminus of the Arctic Bridge, a sea route linking it to the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

port of

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

. Even though the passage has not been fully tested for commercial shipping yet, Russian interest in this project (along with the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...

) is substantial, as the bridge will serve as a major trade route between North America,

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

Education

Murmansk is home to

Murmansk State Technical University Murmansk State Technical University or MSTU is one of the oldest universities on the Kola peninsula. The university was founded in 1950. Initially it had a name of the High Marine School (HMS). Later it received the status of the Russian State A ...

, the Murmansk Arctic State University (formerly Murmansk State Pedagogical University), the Murmansk Institute of Humanities and the

Murmansk College of Arts The Murmansk College of Arts located in Murmansk, Russia, trains professional musicians in the region. The college was founded in 1958. The institute specializes in the field of culture and art of the Kola Peninsula. Courses offered * Instrumen ...

(the only Art School of the

, formerly the 'Murmansk Music School'). The city has 86 primary schools and 56 secondary schools, two boarding schools, and three reform schools. There is also a branch of the Naval Academy in Murmansk, where cadets study, who in the future should become officers of the Russian Navy.

Twin towns – sister cities

Murmansk is twinned with: * Luleå, Sweden (1972) *

Vadsø Vadsø (; sme, Čáhcesuolu; fkv, Vesisaari) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark County, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vadsø, which was the administrative centre of the former Finnmark county. O ...

, Norway (1973) *

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, United States (1975) * Groningen, Netherlands (1989) *

Alanya Alanya (; ), formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a district of Antalya Province on the southern coast of Turkey, in the country's Mediterranean Region, east of the city of Antalya. As of Turkey's 2010 census, the city had a population of ...

, Turkey (2014) *

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, Belarus (2014) * Harbin, China (2016)

Former Twin towns – sister cities

* Szczecin (1993-2022) Cancelled as a result of the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; sme, Roavvenjárga ; smn, Ruávinjargâ; sms, Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Per� ...

(1962-2022) Cancelled as a result of

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

. *

(1972-2022) Cancelled because of concerns related to the

Akureyri Akureyri (, locally ) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's fifth-largest municipality, after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær and Kópavogur, and the largest town outside Iceland's more populated southwest corner. Nickn ...

, Iceland (1994-2022) Cancelled as a result of the

Notable people

Nikita Alexeev Nikita Sergeyevich Alexeev, sometimes transliterated as Alexeyev, (russian: Никита Алексеев, born December 27, 1981) is a Russian former professional ice hockey forward who last played in the Kontinental Hockey League with Severs ...

, ice hockey player *

Vitaliy Nikolayevich Bubentsov Vitaliy Nikolayevich Bubentsov (Russian: Виталий Бубенцов; born February 12, 1944, Murmansk) is a Russian artist working in the genres of portrait, landscape, still-life and thematic picture executed in various techniques. He is a ...

, Russian artist *

Aleksey Goman Aleksey Vladimirovich Goman (russian: link=no, Алексей Владимирович Гоман) (born 12 September 1983, in Murmansk) is a Russian pop singer, composer and television presenter, who rose to popularity after winning the first se ...

, pop singer *

Kate Grigorieva Yekaterina Sergeyevna Grigoryeva (russian: Екатерина Сергеевна Григорьева; born 15 September 1988), known professionally as Kate Grigorieva, is a Russian model. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2015 to 2016. E ...

, supermodel *

Valentina Gunina Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina (russian: Валентина Евгеньевна Гунина; born February 4, 1989, in Murmansk) is a Russian chess grandmaster. She has won thrice the Women's European Individual Chess Championship (2012, 2014, ...

, chess grandmaster *

Halyna Hutchins Halyna Anatoliivna Hutchins ( uk, Галина Анатоліївна Хатчінс; , uk, Андросович; April 10, 1979 – October 21, 2021) was a Ukrainian cinematographer. She worked on more than 30 feature-length films, short fi ...

, cinematographer and journalist *

Vladimir Konstantinov Vladimir Nikolaevich Konstantinov (russian: Владимир Николаевич Константинов; born March 19, 1967) is a Russian-American former professional ice hockey player who played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) caree ...

, ice hockey player * Irina Kovalenko, supermodel and Miss Russia winner *

Larisa Kruglova Larisa Nikolayevna Kruglova (russian: Лариса Николаевна Круглова, born 27 October 1972 in Murmansk) is a Russian sprinter who mainly competes in the 100 metres. Her greatest success has come in relay races, where sh ...

, sprinter *

Sergey Kuryokhin Sergey Anatolyevich Kuryokhin (russian: Серге́й Анато́льевич Курёхин, also transliterated as Sergei Kuriokhin, Sergei Kurekhin, Sergueï Kouriokhine, Sergey Kuriokhin, etc.; nicknamed "The Captain"; 16 June 1954 – 9 Ju ...

, actor and musician * Irina Malgina, biathlete *

Elizaveta Nazarenkova Elizaveta Sergeyevna Nazarenkova (russian: Елизавета Сергеевна Назаренкова; born 27 August 1995) is a retired Russian individual rhythmic gymnast who competed for Uzbekistan. She is a two-time all-around silver med ...

, Uzbek rhythmic gymnast * Yevgeny Nikitin, opera singer *

Zlata Ognevich Inna Leonidivna Bordiuh ( uk, Інна Леонідівна Бордюг, Inna Leonidivna Bordiuh, ; born 12 January 1986), known professionally as Zlata Ognevich ( uk, Злата Огнєвіч, Zlata Ohnievich, links=no, ), is a Ukrainian sing ...

, Ukrainian singer *

Sergei Rozhkov Sergei Leonidovich Rozhkov (russian: Серге́й Леони́дович Рожко́в; born 1 April 1972) is a former Russian biathlete. Biathlon results All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union. Olympic Games :''*Mas ...

, biathlete *

Alexei Semenov Alexei Semenov may refer to: * Alexei Semenov (mathematician) (born 1950) is a Russian mathematician * Alexei Semenov (ice hockey) (born 1981) is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman {{hndis, Semenov, Alexei ...

, ice hockey player *

Sergey Subbotin Sergey Alekseyevich Subbotin (born 15 August 1955, Yushkovskaya village, Arkhangelsk Oblast, USSR) is a Russian politician who the former mayor of Murmansk. He won a surprise victory in March 2009 over United Russia United Russia ( rus, ...

, former mayor * Konstantin Volkov, ice hockey player * Vitaly Zdorovetskiy,

YouTube personality A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influen ...

, prankster *

Yana Kunitskaya Iana "Yana" Kunitskaya (born November 11, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist competing in the bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of September 19, 2022, she is #6 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings. ...

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

fighter

Geography

Photographing Murmansk from Omni Hotel Murmansk

Climate

Murmansk features a subarctic climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfc''), with long and cold winters and short, cool summers. In the city, freezing temperatures are routinely experienced from October to May. Average temperatures exceed 0 degrees Celsius only from May through October. The average low during the coldest part of the year in Murmansk is approximately . However, temperatures routinely plunge below during the winter. Murmansk's brief summer is mild, with average highs in July exceeding . The city is slightly wetter during the summer than the winter and receives an annual average of just under of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

. The "

midnight sun The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When the midnight sun is seen in the Arctic, ...

" is above the horizon from 22 May to 23 July (63 days), and the period with continuous darkness lasts a bit shorter,

polar night The polar night is a phenomenon where the nighttime lasts for more than 24 hours that occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth. This occurs only inside the polar circles. The opposite phenomenon, the polar day, or midni ...

from 2 December to 10 January (40 days). Extreme temperatures range from on January 6, 1985 and January 27, 1999 up to on July 9, 1972; the record cold daily maximum is , set on January 6, 1985, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is last set on July 9, 1972. Murmansk has been affected by

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

in recent decades, similar to other Arctic locations. For example, December 2007 had an average high of , while a average high was measured for March 2007. Summer has also been affected, with a average high for June 2013, and a average high during July 2018.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Official website of Murmansk

News of MurmanskInteractive map of Murmansk

Barentsnova.com, Murmansk business news, statisticsAtomic ice breaker fleetMurmansk's gorgeous garages — a photo journal by BBC news journalist Jorn MadslienViews of Murmansk group on FlickrVideo overview of Murmansk in English, 4½ minutes, 2009Murmansk State Technical University
* ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6103384.stm "Big-dollar deals tempt Arctic firms" BBC article on the energy industry's effect on Murmansk {{Use mdy dates, date=August 2012 Populated places of Arctic Russia Barents Sea Cities and towns in Murmansk Oblast Populated coastal places in Russia Russian and Soviet Navy bases Port cities and towns in Russia 1916 establishments in the Russian Empire Populated places established in 1916