In our country there is an amazing place - Chukotka. Bilibino is a city located in this region with a continental climate. This area is characterized by cold, up to -40, winter and warm, up to +25, summer. It is difficult to live beyond the Arctic Circle, but it turns out to be possible. And in Soviet times it was even prestigious. People were attracted to Chukotka. Bilibino is a city where people came to earn money, they built houses and cultural institutions here. What does the city live in our time? We will tell in this article.
Wonderful land
The place where, according to some, to live well is Chukotka. Bilibino should also be a heavenly place. After all, there are gold mines and this precious metal is mined more than in other regions of Russia. Moreover, the first placer was discovered back in 1955.
Geologists settled on the Karalvaam River. The village, which spontaneously arose in this place, was given a name in honor of one of the employees of the intelligence expedition - Yu. N. Bilibin. The deposit turned out to be so rich that additional force was needed to ensure uninterrupted mining of the precious metal.
The USSR Council of Ministers decided to build the first and only nuclear power plant in the permafrost region. Chukotka (the city of Bilibino) was a place where gold was mined in huge quantities. For example, in 1969, the production of the Bilibino Mining and Processing Plant amounted to 14 tons. Of course, the nuclear power plant had to be serviced; for this, people who created human conditions were needed. They built schools, a post office, a library, a cinema.
End of story
Such well-being ended in 1997, when the plant ceased operations. Chukotka lost its attractiveness for those wishing to earn extra money. Bilibino lost his dignity in the form of jobs and wages, and even payments to employees ceased. Residents of the city, especially young people, began to leave in search of a better life. As a result, the population declined by almost 10 thousand from the previous 16.
Now the mining and processing plant does not exist both legally and physically. From the rich enterprise, only ruins remained.
The remaining residents work at the nuclear power plant, at the Caralveem gold mine, in shops, in budgetary institutions left in the city, in a taxi service.
There are almost no personal cars here. And it’s hard to imagine how they are delivered to Bilibino (Chukotka). How to get there? Through the air. The nearest airfield in Magadan and Anadyr. You can fly from them to Keperway in three hours. And from there to Bilibino will have to overcome only 40 kilometers by road.
There is also a winter road that runs along the route Magadan - Zyryanka - Bilibino and has a length of 2500 kilometers. It is interesting that some romantics come here in search of adventure, despite the difficult journey and the cost of the flight, which is about 20,000 rubles.
What can be visited?
You can get to the Nuclear Power Plant with a guided tour if you sign up for it in advance. Those who want to inspect what is inside need to wear special slippers, and when entering the room with a nuclear reactor, take off your shoes altogether. Inside, everything looks pretty clean and tidy. Everything works and is in its place.
It is noteworthy that on some devices you can see the icons. Of course, it is desirable that God protect Mr. Bilibino (Chukotka) from dangerous incidents and, moreover, from the explosion of a power plant.
sights
In such a small town, located far from civilization, it turns out there is something to show the visiting visitor. The sights include the Museum of Local Lore. G.S. Glazyrin. What is the most interesting about him? Of course, these are exhibits telling about northern life, including mammoth tusks, one of which was found near the city. The museum also sells walrus bone and deer antlers, as well as works of folk artists, paintings by artists, and printed materials.
The local library is equipped in a completely modern way, has many interesting books, and even has an electronic catalog.
Here they are always happy to help pass the long, unoccupied evening. You can dispel boredom in the local House of Culture. It hosts various events, performances by creative groups, discos for young people.
There are monuments, steles and other iconic places in the city. One of them, of course, is a bust established in honor of the geologist Yu.A. Bilibin. There are many interesting places in nature with stunning views.
What do locals eat?
Food purchased products and what you can get from your farm. Prices in the city are very high. Apples cost about 400 rubles, eggs 180 rubles, bananas and lemons from 400 rubles. up to 700 rubles., beef 300 rubles.
Moreover, fruits and vegetables are much more expensive than meat. Because there is no way to grow the latter in permafrost, and the locals raise cows, and deer, seal and fish are cheaper here, because for people living here it is not at all exotic.
What are the buildings in Bilibino?
They live in the city in high-rise buildings and private houses. The Arctic region looks best. Piled houses, as it should be in northern conditions, are painted with cheerful, colorful stripes and look quite strong. Bilibino (Chukotka) is a city in which there are a lot of abandoned equipment and empty buildings. Taking all this out of here is expensive.
It is interesting that construction of various facilities is still underway. For example, in 2011 an Orthodox church was built. There are many playgrounds in the city, and the children themselves are still there. Even in such circumstances, people want to create families and have kids.
Previously, there was a pool, the building of which could not stand the frost and cracked. But in September 2014 a new modern sports and fitness complex was opened. To visit the pool located in it, you need, as elsewhere, get a medical certificate and purchase bathing accessories. They carefully monitor the composition of the water and even installed a boiler, so that the building always had something to wash in the shower. As in all northern cities, in Bilibino there is a bath in which you can warm up.
A tourist will see a lot of interesting things in the city. A distant, but wonderful and beloved by locals place - Bilibino (Chukotka). The photos that can be seen in this article show that people want to live everywhere.
The city, in principle, is not going to die, although it seems that soon it will nevertheless have to do it if they close the nuclear power plant, which is already in the state’s plans.
In general, Bilibino (Chukotka) is a picturesque place. There are mountains, a forest, and a river. Some residents are so used to their city that they do not want to leave here. And there is simply nowhere for others.