Norilsk is the northernmost city in the world with a population of more than 150 thousand people. Now the number of people living and working in the city is around 175 thousand people. The city is located 300 km north of the Arctic Circle. Despite the fact that the city is located on the territory of the Taimyr Peninsula and in fact the city is not separated from the mainland, due to the difficult terrain and climate, Norilsk does not have road and rail connections with other Russian cities. This significantly complicates the life of the local population and affects the quality of life. Due to the overly complex logistics, prices for some types of goods in the city are several times higher than in other regions of Russia. The main type of communication here is aviation. Navigable communication is possible only during the short summer along the Yenisei River with the city of Krasnoyarsk.
Until 1991, Norilsk had the status of a closed city. It was possible to get here only in consultation with the authorities or at the invitation of the employer. At the moment, the ban has been lifted for Russian citizens, but continues to apply to foreigners.
Norilsk is one of the coldest and windiest cities in the world, significantly colder than Murmansk, located almost at the same latitude, the average temperature in winter is -25 degrees Celsius. The polar night lasts from November 30 to January 13 (45 days). These days, the sun does not come out of the horizon at all. In Norilsk, there is often a phenomenon that locals call "black blizzard". It is characterized by squally winds, usually at the same time as a strong snowstorm. This phenomenon can occur not only in winter, but also in late autumn and early spring.
Summer in Norilsk is short, but sometimes very hot, temperatures can reach up to 30 degrees. The polar Day begins on May 20th and ends on July 24th.
At the beginning of its development, the authorities of the then Soviet Union planned to turn Norilsk into a socialist garden city beyond the Arctic Circle and make it completely autonomous.
In 1939, the work of architects, who were recruited from among the prisoners of Norillag, began to be supervised by Witold Nepokoychitsky, who arrived specifically from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) for this purpose.. It is his name that is associated with the fact that the architecture of Norilsk (especially the houses on Central Avenue) and the strict verified geometry strongly resemble St. Petersburg. But besides aesthetics, the peculiarities of the local climate were also calculated. For example, due to the fact that the city is located in the permafrost zone, all multi-storey buildings here are installed on stilts. The height of the entrance groups above the ground, as a rule, is above the mark of 2-3 meters. During severe snowstorms, this saves residents from the fact that snow can cover the entrance doors and ground floors. The central avenues are heavily blown by the winds, but the courtyards are built so that the wind does not get inside. Small holes have been left between the houses so that during a blizzard a person who finds himself on the avenue, who can be blown away by the wind, if necessary, can take shelter from the storm in the nearest courtyard. In the history of the city, there have been cases when people were really blown into snowdrifts during a snowstorm and they died of hypothermia. In addition, the house numbers here are written in huge numbers the size of two floors, so that during a snowstorm a person can navigate the terrain.
The history of Norilsk is inextricably linked with mining. Back in the 16th— 17th centuries, the copper of the local deposits was used by residents of Mangazeya (one of the richest cities of the 17th century in Russia, which fell into decline after the tsarist ban on trade and soon disappeared forever). And in 1921, during the expedition of the famous researcher Nikolai Urvantsev, a wooden hut was built at the northern foot of the Schmidtikha mountain, which is considered the first house of Norilsk. In 1935, the construction of the A. P. Zavenyagin Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine began by the forces of the prisoners of the Norillag. This year is considered the date of the official foundation of the city of Norilsk.
Today, almost the entire population of the city is somehow connected with the extraction and processing of minerals. The city-forming enterprise is the Norilsky Nickel Group of Companies. There are numerous mines and quarries around the city where ore is mined. Its composition is unique: It contains 15 minerals, of which nine are mined. These are non-ferrous metals: copper, cobalt, nickel, platinum, gold, selenium, sulfur, and purple.
After mining ore in mines and quarries, it is sent to processing plants and plants. There are two main plants in the city now: the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant and the Copper Plant. Until 2017, a Nickel plant also operated in the city. However, the management of Norilsk Nickel decided to transfer nickel production to other, more promising deposits in the Murmansk region. It was decided to close the nickel plant.
The concentration of so many large factories, mines and quarries could not but affect the environment. According to the results of recent years, Norilsk has consistently become the leader of the rating of polluting cities in Russia compiled by Rosprirodnadzor. One of the main problems for local residents is the Copper Plant. It is very close to the city. During the production of copper, a very large amount of sulfur dioxide gas is released. In the workshops of the Copper Plant, workers must necessarily comply with safety requirements and wear oxygen masks or special respirators. The concentration of gas in the workshops exceeds the permissible limits. Work is considered harmful and even dangerous. Despite the fact that special filter traps are installed at the plant, they still cannot cope with the volumes of gas released. They have to release it into the atmosphere. If the wind changes its direction and begins to blow towards the city, carrying away the gas cloud, many residents feel worse. The throat begins to feel very sore, taste buds change, allergies and various chronic diseases worsen. However, not so long ago, Russian scientists found a way out of the situation and offered their own solution to the problem. When sulfur dioxide is neutralized with an aqueous composition, sulfuric acid is formed, which it was decided to neutralize with limestone. As a result of this treatment, synthetic gypsum is obtained. The question of how to use the received material rationally is being solved now. It is expected that after the modernization of the plants and the launch of this environmental program, sulfur dioxide emissions will decrease by 90% in the future.
A lot of people in Norilsk work in shifts. They come for a few weeks, work out and leave for their regions. They mostly come here for good salaries. High-class specialists with specialized education are highly appreciated here. Norilsky Nickel also has good social conditions for everyone, including those who are engaged in harmful production. There are whole generations and even dynasties of miners and metallurgists here. The people whose parents built this city and these factories, they still continue to work daily in mining.
But at the same time, there is a place for creative people in the city. For example, perfumer Alexey Boltachev. He was born in Glazov (Republic of Udmurtia) Like many others, I once came to Norilsk to work. For 10 years he worked as an electrician in the Komsomolskaya mine, until one day he decided to do something he had long dreamed of – he began to create his own special flavors. His friend Olga Zamilova helped him learn the basics, at one time she completed courses in France at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery. After that, Alexey, inspired by his idea, began to experiment. As a result, in a few years he managed to create an entire line called "Flavors of Taimyr". It includes: "Northern Lights" (a natural phenomenon that residents of Norilsk see quite often), "Yenisei" (the fragrance is named after one of the most important and largest rivers in Russia), "Red Stones" (a local landmark of Norilsk, located at the foot of the Putorana Plateau), "Tundra" (in honor of the natural zone, in which is the city of Norilsk), as well as "Taimyr" (the name of the largest peninsula in Russia).
There is also an unusual coffee shop in Norilsk - a very popular place among tourists. Its owner– Sergey Serbin, came up with an unusual coffee recipe, with the addition of ground dried deer meat and northern cloudberry berries. In addition, in the same coffee shop you can try not only coffee, but also ice cream with venison.
Norilsk even has its own brewery. Back in the 40s, under the USSR, the production of soft drinks began here. Factory workers carried this aesthetic of consuming delicious and high-quality beer through the years. And today, the residents of Norilsk do not mind drinking some local beer after a hard work shift. Moreover, the quality of the drink here continues to remain at a very high level. Largely due to the use of the purest water, which is taken from natural sources near the Putorana Plateau. Yeast, malt and hops are imported, they carry the highest quality varieties, including from European countries, but the recipe is their own, but it is not disclosed. The amazing fact is that this is one of the northernmost breweries in Russia (the northernmost one is located only in the city of Pevek) and that beer in Norilsk is brewed only for local residents and a few tourists. Its delivery even to neighboring regions is not carried out due to extremely expensive logistics. For the same reason, beer is bottled in PET here, since it is very difficult to bring other containers to Norilsk. Norilsk beer is often brought as a souvenir. And in total, several varieties with names characteristic of the area are brewed at the plant, for example: "Norilsk", "Putorana Gold", "Zapolyarnoe".
