Mirny.

History

On 13 June 1955 geologists of the Amakinsky Expedition, Yuri Khabardin, Ekaterina Elagina and Viktor Avdeenko, discovered the Mir kimberlite pipe, and a settlement sprang up beside it that same year. Open-pit diamond mining began in 1957 and lasted 44 years, until 2001; mining later moved underground. Mirny became a town in 1959. In 1992 the Soviet-era trust became the company ALROSA, which has its headquarters here.

Culture & traditions

The story of diamond mining is told at the Kimberlite Museum, opened in 2002, and the ALROSA history and industry museum, founded in 1986. Concerts and performances take place at the Almaz Palace of Culture, opened in 1977. The town also has a Polytechnic Institute, a branch of North-Eastern Federal University.

Sport

The Kimberlit sports palace hosted major international futsal tournaments in 2005 and 2007. The 5,000-seat Triumph stadium opened in 2005, and swimmers use the Kristall pool.

Practical information

The only year-round way to reach Mirny is by air: road links are seasonal, and a permanent highway to Yakutsk is still only planned. Helicopters are not allowed to fly over the pit. Local time is Moscow plus 6 hours. The climate is sharply continental, averaging about −30 °C in January and +17 °C in July, so summer is the best time to visit.

What to see

• Mir pit — a giant crater 525 m deep and more than 1.2 km wide.
• Kimberlite Museum — about the rock in which diamonds are found.
• ALROSA Museum — the history of Yakutia's diamond industry.
• Almaz Palace of Culture — the town's main stage since 1977.