Salekhard is the capital of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. This area is considered the largest gas producing region in the world. The city has a well-developed industry. It was founded in 1595. The inhabitants of Salekhard are friendly and hospitable people. The population is about 48 thousand people, and every year this indicator is growing.
Features of geographical location
Salekhard is the only city on our planet located directly on the latitude of the Arctic Circle. This fact is indicated by the “parallel 66” stele installed at the entrance to the city, moving which you cross the Arctic Circle of the Earth. This arrangement distinguishes Salekhard from other cities. There is no polar night in the city, but the polar day lasts from 07.06 to 07.07, this phenomenon repeats every year. For more than half of the calendar year there is snow and it is very cold. However, despite such difficulties, the capital of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is quite beautiful, the nature here is incredibly picturesque.
Take a look at the story
Until 1933, Salekhard was called Obdorsky. The first mention of this settlement dates back to the development of Western Siberia, in 1595, when the Russian Cossacks at the confluence of the Ob and Poluy rivers laid the Obdorsky fort. By the way, in 2006, the Cossack fortress was reconstructed and opened to the public. The jail was recreated in the spirit of the time, and during the construction the craftsmen did not use a single nail. For centuries, Obdorsk has been an outpost of the Russian Empire on its way to the Pacific Ocean. It was the harsh climatic conditions that became a good reason for the convicts to use this region for exile, both under the tsar and during the Soviet era.
The indigenous inhabitants of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug have been engaged in hunting, reindeer husbandry, fishing, and trade for centuries. Every year the famous fair was held here, to which many people engaged in trade, including from Europe, always came. Merchants brought here some goods (jewelry, metal products, fabrics, flour), and left with others, usually furs, fish, etc.
City development
In 1894, the construction of the Peter and Paul Church was completed, built without piles in permafrost. This unique church was the first stone building in Yamal. In 1931, a fish canning factory was opened in the city, the products of which were even noted at the World Exhibition in New York.
With the discovery of mineral deposits in the 60s. XX century Salekhard (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug) turned into the capital of the gas and oil region of our country. Currently Salekhard is growing rapidly and developing: the city center has been updated, new roads have been laid, many infrastructure facilities have been built, as well as residential neighborhoods painted in different colors.
sights
At the entrance to the city, a life-size mammoth sculpture is installed, it is located on the banks of the Ob River. And this is no coincidence: for a very long time mammoths lived in the local vicinity, the remains of which scientists periodically find. There is one more monument to the unchanging companion of nomads ’life - the reindeer.
Familiarity with the culture and customs of the indigenous peoples of these parts should begin with a visit to the Shemanovsky Museum and Exhibition Complex, which will be 110 years old in 2016. Here are the remains of mammoths, costumes of the peoples of the North and much more. Visitors can get acquainted with household items and art, as well as with various ornaments of northerners in the District House of Crafts.
Speaking about the culture and history of these places, one cannot but mention the sanctuary of Ust-Poluy, located 4 km from Salekhard. This archaeological site of the Iron Age is known throughout the world. Not far from the airport, right in the open air, is the Museum of Polar Aviation, which presents a huge collection of different equipment. Scientists believe that thanks to her there was a successful development of Yamal.
The capital of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is proud of the famous cable-stayed Fakel bridge with a viewing platform at the very top. The height of the structure reaches 100 m, and the piles go to a depth of tens of meters. On hot summer days, the favorite vacation spot for locals is the beach, which is considered the northernmost in the world.
Offers for tourists
In Salekhard, tourists are happy to taste the dishes of northern Russian cuisine - venison and sliced musk fish. All this can be purchased on a colorful market called “Gifts of Yamal”. On Saturday and Sunday, here with their goods - venison, fish, skins, berries - the inhabitants of the tundra dressed in national costumes come together.
Northern lights, white nights, the beauty of the Ob and the vast expanses of the Polar Urals, the traditions of centuries - all this attracts tourists from all over the world to Salekhard.
The capital of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is connected with the Labytnangi railway station: in summer - by ferry, in winter - by ice. There is also a river port and a modern airport, so getting there is no big deal.