Naryan-Mar.

History

Long before the town appeared, the centre of the area was Pustozyorsk, founded by Muscovy in 1499. Naryan-Mar itself began to grow in 1930, during the first five-year plan, as the Pechora coalfield was opened up, and it became a town in 1935. Sawmills worked here for decades but have since closed. Today the town's life is tied to the oil industry.

Culture & traditions

Naryan-Mar is the centre of Nenets culture, and reindeer herding remains central to Nenets identity, even though only a minority of Nenets now herd directly. The town has a local history museum, an Orthodox church and a Second World War memorial. A historic quarter that predates the modern town has also survived.

Food & drink

Local food rests on what the tundra and river provide: reindeer meat, which herders sell mainly within the okrug and neighbouring regions, and northern fish from the Pechora.

Practical information

There is no railway. The airport lies 3 km from the centre, with regular flights to Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Arkhangelsk. The port on the Pechora is the only developed commercial port for thousands of square kilometres. The town is on Moscow time. The climate is subarctic, with harsh winters and short summers; the polar night lasts from 14 to 29 December and the midnight sun from 28 May to 15 July, the best time to visit.

What to see

• Pechora River — the region's main highway, close to its mouth
• Local history museum — the story of the Nenets, reindeer herding and the okrug
• Historic quarter — buildings older than the town itself
• Second World War memorial — remembering the okrug's people