Norilsk.

History

Expeditions in 1919–1926 found rich ores here, and the first wooden house went up in 1921. Construction of the mining and smelting plant began in 1935, carried out by prisoners of the Norillag camp; the first metal was produced in 1939. Norilsk became a city in 1953, and the camp was closed in 1956. The first master plan was drawn up by Leningrad architects Vitold Nepokoychitsky and Lidia Minenko, with prisoner-architects such as Gevorg Kochar and Mikael Mazmanyan also contributing.

Culture & traditions

The Mayakovsky Polar Drama Theatre, founded in 1941, is regarded as one of the northernmost theatres in the world. The Museum of the History of the Norilsk Industrial Region includes an art gallery, and a separate exhibition occupies the city's very first house. The mosque built in 1998 is described as the northernmost Muslim prayer house in the world. On Mount Shmidtikha stands a memorial to the prisoners who died in the camp.

Sport

The city's best-known club is futsal side Norilsk Nickel, and an ice hockey club, HC Norilsk, was founded in 2023. In winter sport moves indoors, to the Arktika sports palace, the Ldinka indoor rink and swimming pools. In summer the Zapolyarnik stadium is in use, while skiers head to the Ol-Gul base and Mount Otdelnaya.

Practical information

The only link to the mainland is Alykel Airport, about 35 km west of the centre; there are no roads or railways to the rest of Russia, and the line to the port of Dudinka has carried freight only since 1998. Foreign citizens need special permission to visit. Local time is Moscow plus 4 hours. The climate is harsh and subarctic, with around 280 days of frost a year, January averaging about −28 °C, and a place among the five windiest settlements on Earth. Polar night lasts roughly from 30 November to 13 January and the midnight sun from 20 May to 24 July, which is the most comfortable time to visit.

What to see

• Polar Drama Theatre — one of the world's northernmost theatres, open since 1941.
• Norilsk Museum — the city's story, an art gallery and Norilsk's very first house.
• Memorial on Mount Shmidtikha — remembering the prisoners of Norillag.
• Old town — districts laid out by Leningrad architects.
• Putorana Plateau — mountains rising to about 1,700 m not far from the city.