Dudinka.

History

The Dudino winter outpost for collecting fur tribute is first recorded in 1667 and was connected with Mangazeya. In 1930 the settlement became the centre of the Taymyr National Okrug, and by 1937 the port and the railway to Norilsk had been completed. Dudinka received town status in 1951. In 1978 the nuclear icebreaker Sibir and the icebreaker Kapitan Sorokin led a convoy that opened year-round navigation on this stretch of the Arctic.

Culture & traditions

Dudinka is the hub of a district home to Dolgans and Nenets, whose languages are still spoken here. The Taymyr Museum of Local History presents the peninsula's history and way of life, while concerts and festivities take place at the House of Culture. The town also has an Orthodox church.

Sport

The main venue is the Taymyr ice arena, described as the northernmost facility for international ice sports. In a town with such a long winter, it is the heart of local sporting life.

Practical information

The nearest airport is Alykel, about 44 km away; a railway and the A382 road link Dudinka with it and with Norilsk. In summer you can travel down the Yenisei by river from Krasnoyarsk, and sea vessels sail to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk year-round. Since 2001 foreign visitors have needed a special permit. Local time is Moscow plus 4 hours. The climate is harsh and subarctic, with an annual average of around −9 °C and winter frosts of −50 °C or lower, so the short summer navigation season is the time to come.

What to see

• Seaport — Russia's northernmost international port and, according to sources, the only one in the world flooded every year during the spring ice break-up.
• Dudinka–Norilsk railway — the world's northernmost railway.
• Taymyr Museum of Local History — the history and culture of the peninsula's peoples.
• The Yenisei at Dudinka — a broad river with summer sailings to Krasnoyarsk.