Teriberka is a village in the Murmansk region on the Kola Peninsula, located on the shores of the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. This is the only place in Russia on the shores of the Barents Sea in Russia that can be reached by car.
The first mention of Teriberka dates back to the XVI century. By that time, the first temporary settlement of Russian fishermen appeared here.
In 1869, a mass migration of permanent residents — Russian colonists - began from the shores of the White Sea to Teriberka. Those who lived permanently on the Murmansk coast received some benefits from the government. The first inhabitants of the village were engaged in animal husbandry, fishing and whaling. At the beginning of the XX century, the extraction of cod and shark species of fish was well developed in Teriberka.
The village of Teriberka reached its greatest development after the end of the Great Patriotic War. In the 1940s and 1960s, there were already two fishing collective farms, two dairy farms, a poultry farm, about 2,000 deer, an American mink farm, two fish factories, ship repair workshops worked and developed at full capacity, active housing construction was carried out, there was a stadium, a cultural center, a pioneer club, two schools, a hospital, polyclinic, outpatient clinic, printing house.
The decline in the village began in the 1960s, when the center of the district was moved to the neighboring city of Severomorsk. Large-tonnage vessels began to be built. The processing of fish in bulk was transferred to Murmansk. Due to the lack of work, many local residents were forced to move to other cities in order to somehow feed their family. By the beginning of the noughties, the village began to be actively resettled, many abandoned buildings began to appear. There are only a few dozen residents left in the once prosperous village. The situation was unexpectedly changed by the film Leviathan, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, released in 2014
The film essentially became the author's interpretation of the story of the biblical Job, set out in the context of modern Russia. In the center of the plot is Nikolai, who lives in the north, who built a house and workshop together with his father. But his usual life is crumbling under the influence of fate and under the pressure of a person holding a public position. According to Zvyagintsev, he was inspired by the story of Marvin Himeyer's rampage in 2004 in a small American town using a modified bulldozer.
The film so elegantly conveys the atmosphere of the Far North and the Russian longing and life of the abandoned hinterland that the film inspired many people to visit this place. It turned out that there were so many people who wanted to come to the very edge of the earth that in the end it became an impetus to start developing the tourist infrastructure here. Abandoned objects, such as the graveyard of ships and fishing boats, have become a very popular location for photo shoots. Over time, trendy restaurants with original cuisine appeared in the village. The fishing industry has partially revived, for the needs of all the same restaurants. Once a year, the Arctic Festival is now held here, where thousands of tourists from all over the country come to live in tents on the shores of the Barents Sea for a few days, listen to their favorite musicians and enjoy unusual dishes of Northern cuisine. In winter, organized kiting tours are organized here, as well as photo tours for everyone who hunts for the Northern Lights. This phenomenon is very common here. New hotels and glamping sites have appeared in the village. Some people have returned to their villages again, as there is now a job for them.
