Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Infobox Russian inhabited locality Murmansk (Template:Langx) is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Kola Bay, an estuarine inlet of the Barents Sea, with its bulk on the east bank of the inlet. The city is a major port of the Arctic Ocean<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and is about Template:Convert from the border with Norway, Template:Convert from the border with Finland and Template:Convert from Moscow.
Benefiting from the North Atlantic Current, Murmansk resembles cities of its size across western Russia, with highway and railway access to the rest of Europe, and the northernmost trolleybus system on Earth. Its connectivity contrasts with the isolation of Arctic ports like the Siberian Dikson on the shores of the Kara Sea, and Iqaluit, in the Canadian Arctic. Despite long, snowy winters, Murmansk's climate is moderated by the generally ice-free waters around it.
Although there was a building boom in the early twentieth century's arms races, Murmansk's population has been in decline since the Cold War, from Template:Su-census1989 Template:Ru-census2002 Template:Ru-census2010 to 270,384 (2021 Census).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
EtymologyEdit
The name of the city is derived from Murman, from an old name for Norwegians by Russians, likely a borrowing from Old Norse norðmaðr, which gave its name to the Murman Coast and the surrounding region including the Kola Peninsula.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
HistoryEdit
,_1936_%D0%B3.jpg){kind=link}
Murmansk was the last city founded in the Russian Empire.<ref>The Moscow Times. It's Always Colder in Murmansk Template:Webarchive, May 20, 2012</ref> In 1915, World War I needs led to the construction of the railroad from Petrozavodsk to an ice-free location on the Murman Coast in the Russian Arctic, to which Russia's allies shipped military supplies.<ref name="ATSBook24">Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, p. 24</ref> The terminus became known as the Murman station and soon boasted a port, a naval base, and an adjacent settlement with a population that quickly grew in size and soon surpassed the nearby towns of Alexandrovsk and Kola.<ref name="ATSBook24" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
On Template:OldStyleDateNY, 1916, Russian Transport Minister Alexander Trepov petitioned to grant urban status to the railway settlement.<ref name="ATSBook24" /> On Template:OldStyleDateNY, 1916, the petition was approved and the town was named Romanov-on-Murman ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Romanov-na-Murmane), after the Imperial Russian dynasty, the Romanovs.<ref name="ATSBook24" /> On Template:OldStyleDateNY, 1916, the official ceremony was performed,<ref name="ATSBook24" /> and the date is now considered the official date of the city's foundation. After the February Revolution of March 1917, on Template:OldStyleDateNY, 1917, the town was given its present name.<ref name="ATSBook60">Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, pp. 60–63</ref>
In the winter of 1917 the British North Russia Squadron under Rear Admiral Thomas Kemp was based at Murmansk.<ref name="Kinvig">Template:Citation</ref>
From 1918 to 1920, during the Russian Civil War, the town was occupied by the Western powers, who had been allied in World War I, and was also controlled by White Army forces.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On February 13, 1926, local self-government was organized in Murmansk for the first time, during a plenary session of the Murmansk City Soviet, which elected a Presidium.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> Before this, the city was governed by the authorities of Alexandrovsky Uyezd and later of Murmansk Governorate.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> On August 1, 1927, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) issued two resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast", which transformed Murmansk Governorate into Murmansk Okrug within Leningrad Oblast and made Murmansk the administrative center of Murmansk Okrug.<ref name="ATSBook60" />
In 1934, the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee developed a redistricting proposal, which included a plan to enlarge the city by merging the surrounding territories in the north, south, and west into Murmansk.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> While this plan was not confirmed by the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee, in 1935–1937 several rural localities of Kolsky and Polyarny Districts were merged into Murmansk anyway.<ref name="ATSBook60" />
According to the Presidium of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee resolution of February 26, 1935, the administrative center of Polyarny District was moved from Polyarnoye to Sayda-Guba.<ref name="ATSBook48">Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, p. 48</ref> However, the provisions of the resolution were not fully implemented, and due to military construction in Polyarnoye, the administrative center was instead moved to Murmansk in the beginning of 1935.<ref name="ATSBook48" /> In addition to being the administrative center of Murmansk Okrug, Murmansk continued to serve as the administrative center of Polyarny District until September 11, 1938.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> On February 10, 1938, when the VTsIK adopted a Resolution changing the administrative-territorial structure of Murmansk Okrug, the city of Murmansk became a separate administrative division of the okrug, equal in status to that of the districts.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> This status was retained when Murmansk Okrug was transformed into Murmansk Oblast on May 28, 1938.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> The Germans were promised the use of the port they called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for transportation of goods and raw materials from 1922 to 1941.
During World War II, Murmansk was a link to the Western world for the Soviet Union, with large quantities of goods important to the respective military efforts traded with the USSR's Allies: primarily military equipment, manufactured goods and raw materials brought into the Soviet Union. The supplies were brought to the city in the Arctic convoys.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
German forces in Finnish territory launched an offensive against Murmansk in 1941 as part of Operation Silver Fox. Fierce Soviet resistance and harsh local weather, with the bad terrain, prevented the Germans from capturing it. The Luftwaffe bombed the city 792 times during World War II.<ref>Hansen, Trond. 25 June 2021. "Dagen for mot og utholdenhetTemplate:Dead link" [day of courage and endurance]. Sør-Varanger Avis. P.10</ref> Murmansk suffered extensive destruction, the magnitude of which was rivaled only by the destruction in Leningrad and Stalingrad.<ref>Мурманску исполняется 90 летTemplate:In lang</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
For the rest of the war, Murmansk served as a transit point for weapons and other supplies entering the Soviet Union from other Allied nations. The city's resistance was commemorated at the 40th anniversary of the victory over the Germans in the formal designation of Murmansk as a Hero City on May 6, 1985.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the Cold War Murmansk was a center of Soviet submarine and icebreaker activity. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the nearby city and naval base of Severomorsk remains the headquarters of the Russian Northern Fleet.
In 1974, a massive Template:Convert tall statue Alyosha, depicting a Soviet World War II soldier, was installed on a Template:Convert high foundation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Hotel Arctic opened in 1984, becoming the tallest building above the Arctic Circle.
On January 1, 2015, the territory of Murmansk was expanded when the urban-type settlement of Roslyakovo, previously under the jurisdiction of the closed administrative-territorial formation of Severomorsk, was abolished and its territory merged into Murmansk.<ref name="Roslyakovo">Law #1812-01-ZMO</ref>
Administrative and municipal statusEdit
Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the City of Murmansk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.<ref name="Ref395">Law #96-01-ZMO</ref> As a municipal division, the City of Murmansk is incorporated as Murmansk Urban Okrug.<ref name="Ref811">Law #531-01-ZMO</ref>
City divisionsEdit
Template:As of, the city is divided into three administrative okrugs:<ref name="MurmanskCharter">Charter of Murmansk, Article 3.1</ref>
- Leninsky (Ленинский (Lenin))
- Oktyabrsky (Октябрьский (October))
- Pervomaysky (Первомайский (First May))
City districts were established in Murmansk for the first time by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR of April 20, 1939; at the time, three city districts (Kirovsky, Leninsky, and Mikoyanovsky) were created.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> They were abolished on June 2, 1948.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> The same city districts were created for the second time on June 23, 1951.<ref name="ATSBook60" />
Mikoyanovsky City District was renamed Oktyabrsky on October 30, 1957, but on September 30, 1958, all three city districts were again abolished.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> On June 10, 1967, two city districts were created (Leninsky and Oktyabrsky); Pervomaysky City District was split from Oktyabrsky on February 21, 1975.<ref name="ATSBook60" /> In the Charter of the Hero City of Murmansk, adopted on December 17, 1995, the districts started to be referred to as administrative okrugs.
GeographyEdit
ClimateEdit
Murmansk experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc), with long and cold (though average by arctic standards) winters and short, cool summers. In the city, freezing temperatures are routinely experienced from October to May. Average temperatures exceed 0 degrees Celsius only from May through October. The average low during the coldest part of the year in Murmansk is approximately Template:Convert. However, temperatures routinely plunge below Template:Convert during the winter.
Murmansk's brief summer is mild, with average highs in July exceeding Template:Convert. The city is slightly wetter during the summer than the winter and receives an annual average of just under Template:Convert of precipitation.
The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 22 May to 23 July (63 days), and the period with continuous darkness is somewhat shorter — the polar night lasts from 2 December to 10 January (40 days).
Extreme temperatures range from Template:Convert on January 6, 1985, and January 27, 1999, up to Template:Convert on July 9, 1972; the record cold daily maximum is Template:Convert, set on January 6, 1985, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is Template:Convert last set on July 9, 1972.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Murmansk has been affected by global warming in recent decades, similar to other Arctic locations. For example, December 2007 had an average high of Template:Convert, while a Template:Convert average high was measured for March 2007.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Summer has also been affected, with a Template:Convert average high for June 2013, and a Template:Convert average high during July 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Weather box
| Sea temperature data for Murmansk | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |
| Average sea temperature °C (°F) | style="Template:Weather box/colt"|3.4 (38.12) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|2.5 (36.5) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|1.9 (35.42) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|2.2 (35.96) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|3.9 (35.96) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|7.1 (44.78) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|10.5 (50.9) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|10.9 (51.62) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|9 (48.2) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|7 (44.6) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|5.3 (41.54) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|4.6 (40.28) |
style="Template:Weather box/colt"|5.69 (42.245) | |
| Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||||||||||
DemographicsEdit
Template:Historical populations
.jpg){kind=link}
The population of the city, according to the 2010 Census, was 307,257, of these, 141,130 men (45.9%) and 166,127 women (54.1%),<ref name="ms">Статистический сборник Численность, размещение и возрастно-половой состав населения Мурманской области. Итоги Всероссийской переписи населения. Том 1. 2012 Template:Webarchive / Федеральная служба государственной статистики, Территориальный орган Федеральной службы государственной статистики по Мурманской области. Мурманск, 2012 — 75 с.</ref><ref name="murmanskstat.gks.ru">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> down from 468,039 recorded in the 1989 Census. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the city has been consistently losing population, as the extensive military facilities the city is built around have declined. Ethnic Russians make up the majority of the population, but Ukrainian and Belarusian minorities also live in the city.
Ethnic composition (2010):<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Russians – 89.6%
- Ukrainians – 4.6%
- Belarusians – 1.6%
- Tatars – 0.8%
- Azerbaijanis – 0.7%
- Others – 2.6%
PoliticsEdit
In November 2010, direct mayoral elections were abolished; they were reinstituted in January 2014, with the most recent elections for mayor and city council taking place in September 2014.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Museums and monumentsEdit
Murmansk has two main museums: Murmansk Oblast Museum and Murmansk Oblast Art Museum; there are also several small museums. There are three professional theaters, libraries, and an aquarium in Murmansk. Murmansk is the venue of the decommissioned Lenin which is now a museum ship. Alyosha Monument, Murmansk or Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War monument is also located in Murmansk. The main square of Murmansk is Five Corners, Murmansk.
- Атомный ледокол "Ленин".jpg
Lenin, converted into a museum ship
- House with no light.jpg
Monument of sailors in Murmansk
- Вечный огонь у Алеши.JPG
Memorial to Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War
- Памятник жертвам интервенции 1918-1920 г.jpg
Monument to the victims of the intervention of 1918–1920, Murmansk
CultureEdit
There are three professional theaters in Murmansk. The oldest is the Murmansk Puppetry, which opened in 1933. The largest in the city was the Murmansk Regional Drama Theater, which opened in 1939. The Drama Theater of the Northern Fleet was opened in 1946.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Театр Северного флота.JPG
Drama Theater of the Northern Fleet
- Oblastnoi dramteatr murmansk.jpg
Murmansk Regional Drama Theater
- Театр кукол летом.png
Murmansk Puppetry
SportsEdit
The city's association football teams are FC Sever Murmansk, which played in the Russian Second Division until 2014 when it folded due to financial difficulties, and FC Murmansk, a football team founded in 2022.
- Стадион «Строитель», Мурманск.jpg
- Хоккей на стадионе «Строитель».jpg
Bandy at Stroitel stadium
- Центральный стадион в Мурманске..JPG
- Плавательный бассейн.JPG
Murmansk Municipal Swimming Pool
- Перед стартом марафона на Празднике Севера 31 марта 2013 года.JPG
Polar Olympiada in 2013
Bandy club Murman<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> has played in the Russian Bandy Super League, last in 2011–2012. Between 2012 and 2018, they were playing in the second tier Russian Bandy Supreme League, but will from the 2018–19 season be a Super League team again.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their home arena, Stadium Stroitel, has an audience capacity of 5,000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The city is one of only three places with representation in the female league, through the team Arktika.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Proximity to pole and its side effects, Polar Night, has brought sport festivals such as Template:Ill and Template:Ill. The former has been awarded every year since the inaugural tournament in 1934.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Norway, Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic countries take part in the North Festival Polar Olympiad.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReligionEdit
To commemorate the 85th anniversary of the city's foundation, the snow-white Church of the Saviour on the Waters was modeled after the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal and built on the shore for the sailors of Murmansk.<ref>see photograph Template:Webarchive)</ref>
Fifteen religious associations have been registered in Murmansk.<ref name="listOfRelig">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The largest is the Russian Orthodox Church. Murmansk is the center of its Murmansk and Monchegorsk diocese, as well as the Murmansk Metropolis. The city has about a dozen Orthodox churches. The department of the head of the diocese and the metropolis of Metropolitan Simon is located in St. Nicholas Cathedral.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Church of the Saviour-on-Water Murmansk 4.JPG
Church of the Saviour on the Waters, Murmansk
- Храм Архангела Михаила (Мурманск).jpg
St. Michael the Archangel's Church
- Всехсвятская церковь. Мурманск.jpg
All Saints' Church
- Комплекс Свято-Никольского кафедрального собора.JPG
St. Nicholas Cathedral
EconomyEdit
MediaEdit
Murmansk's evening newspaper is Vecherniy Murmansk; it has been published since 1991.
TransportationEdit
The port of Murmansk remains ice-free year round due to the warm North Atlantic Current and is an important fishing and shipping destination. It is home port to Atomflot, the world's only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Port of Murmansk is the headquarters of Sevmorput (Northern Sea Route) and the administration of Russian Arctic maritime transport. In 2018, the Russian government transferred the main responsibility for the Northern Sea Route to Rosatom which through its ROSATOMFLOT subsidiary manages the Russian nuclear powered icebreaker fleet based in Murmansk.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Murmansk is linked by the Kirov Railway to St. Petersburg and is linked to the rest of Russia by the M18 Kola Motorway. Murmansk Airport provides air links to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Buses and trolleybuses provide local transport.
- Вокзал станции Мурманск.jpg
Murmansk central rail station
- MurmanskHarbour.jpg
- Murmansk.Trolleybus№6.jpg
Trolley Ziu-682 with Azimut Hotel Murmansk in the background
- Развязка Восточно-объездной дороги и Планерной улицы на подъезде к Мурманску.jpg
An interchange of the Eastern Bypass Road and Planernaya Street
- Murmansk (MMK - ULMM) AN1445818.jpg
- Draha na murmansk.png
Kirov Railway connects Murmansk city and Saint Petersburg.
- Arctic Routes (RUS).svg
Arctic Bridge sea route linking Murmansk to the Canadian port of Churchill, Manitoba.
Arctic BridgeEdit
Murmansk is set to be the Russian terminus of the Arctic Bridge, a sea route linking it to the Canadian port of Churchill, Manitoba. Even though the passage has not been fully tested for commercial shipping yet, Russian interest in this project (along with the Northwest Passage) is substantial, as the bridge will serve as a major trade route between North America, Europe and Asia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
EducationEdit
Murmansk is home to Murmansk State Technical University, the Murmansk Arctic State University (formerly Murmansk State Pedagogical University), the Murmansk Institute of Humanities and the Murmansk College of Arts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (the only art school of the Kola Peninsula, formerly the 'Murmansk Music School'). The city has 86 primary schools and 56 secondary schools, two boarding schools, and three reform schools. There is also a branch of the Naval Academy in Murmansk, where cadets study, to become officers of the Russian Navy.
Twin towns – sister citiesEdit
Murmansk is twinned with:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Div col
- Template:Flagicon Luleå, Sweden (1972) Paused as a result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Vadsø, Norway (1973)
- Template:Flagicon Jacksonville, United States (1975)
- Template:Flagicon Groningen, Netherlands (1989)
- Template:Flagicon Alanya, Turkey (2014)
- Template:Flagicon Minsk, Belarus (2014)
- Template:Flagicon Harbin, China (2016)
Former twin towns – sister citiesEdit
- Template:Flagicon Szczecin (1993–2022) Cancelled as a result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Template:Flagicon Rovaniemi (1962–2022) Cancelled as a result of Russian invasion of Ukraine.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Tromsø (1972–2022) Cancelled because of concerns related to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine<ref>https://www.nrk.no/tromsogfinnmark/tromso-avslutter-vennskapsbyavtale-med-russiske-byer-1.16153548. NRK.no. Retrieved 2022-10-26</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Akureyri, Iceland (1994–2022) Cancelled as a result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine<ref>"Murmansk terminates sister city relations with Akureyri", The Barents Observer, 15 December 2022</ref>
Notable peopleEdit
- Nikita Alexeev, ice hockey player
- Vitaliy Nikolayevich Bubentsov, Russian artist
- Aleksey Goman, pop singer
- Kate Grigorieva, supermodel
- Valentina Gunina, chess grandmaster
- Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer and journalist
- Vladimir Konstantinov, ice hockey player
- Irina Kovalenko, supermodel and Miss Russia winner
- Larisa Kruglova, sprinter
- Sergey Kuryokhin, actor and musician
- Irina Malgina, biathlete
- Elizaveta Nazarenkova, Uzbek rhythmic gymnast
- Yevgeny Nikitin, opera singer
- Zlata Ognevich, Ukrainian singer
- Sergei Rozhkov, biathlete
- Alexei Semenov, ice hockey player
- Sergey Subbotin, former mayor
- Konstantin Volkov, ice hockey player
- Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, YouTube personality, prankster
- Yana Kunitskaya, UFC bantamweight fighter
ReferencesEdit
NotesEdit
SourcesEdit
- Template:RussiaAdmMunRef
- Template:RussiaAdmMunRef
- Template:RussiaBasicLawRef
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite Russian law
External linksEdit
- Official website of Murmansk Template:In lang
- News of Murmansk
- Interactive map of Murmansk Template:Webarchive
- Barentsnova.com, Murmansk business news, statistics
- Atomic ice breaker fleet
- Murmansk's gorgeous garages — a photo journal by BBC news journalist Jorn Madslien
- Views of Murmansk group on Flickr
- Video overview of Murmansk in English, 4½ minutes, 2009
- Murmansk State Technical University Template:Webarchive
- British North Russian Expeditionary Force 1918–1919 (based at Murmansk)
- "Big-dollar deals tempt Arctic firms" BBC article on the energy industry's effect on Murmansk
Template:Murmansk Oblast Template:Hero Cities Template:Authority control Template:Use mdy dates