Few tourists decide to travel to Naryan-Mar. The sights of this northern city are, first of all, its geographical position, color and originality.
Journey to the Russian Tundra
The city of Naryan-Mar is the only one within the Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Russia. It is located just beyond the Arctic Circle, a hundred kilometers from the coast of the cold Barents Sea. One and a half thousand kilometers separates Naryan-Mar from Moscow, 350 km from the nearest railway station Usinsk. To get to it from the city by land is possible only by a special road.
What might be of interest to tourists Naryan-Mar? Sightseeing in its classical sense - there are few of them. But this city is not for this. People come here to experience the local flavor, to feel the harshness of northern life, to get acquainted with the rich traditions of the local population.
The city of Naryan-Mar lies in the tundra natural zone, within the subarctic climate zone. Winter is long, but relatively mild (as for its latitudes). Two weeks (from December 14 to 29) in Naryan-Mar lasts a polar night. Summer in the Arctic capital is short and cool with average temperatures of 12-14 degrees. Although occasionally “attacks” of real summer heat happen here - warm greetings from the Kazakhstan steppes!
About 25 thousand people live in Naryan-Mar. A quarter of them are indigenous to the Nenets. The local regions are very rich in oil and gas, the extraction of which is carried out by several large companies at once. But the Nenets, apparently, are aware that the “combustible resource” will last for a short time. Therefore, do not abandon their ancient crafts. They are still involved in hunting, fishing and reindeer husbandry.
Deer for local residents - an animal almost sacred. This is a vehicle, and warm clothes, and food. Even the flag of the city shows a deer head with beautiful branchy horns. By the way, it is in Naryan-Mar that you can try venison, which is prepared in a variety of ways.
Naryan-Mar: features, crafts, traditions
So, what else can surprise a guest of Naryan-Mar? The sights of the city are, first of all, its people, traditions and crafts. The latter are kept especially carefully. Here, warm mittens, fur hats, jewelry, diamonds and belts are still handmade.
By the way, foreign tourists love Naryan-Mar. Finns, Norwegians, French come here with great joy to annual festivals and holidays ...
Foreign guests are very surprised to discover the rich and incredibly delicious local cuisine. True gourmets are delighted with tasting venison and planing. In summer, you can enjoy the delicious gifts of the tundra - cloudberries, cranberries, lingonberries and blueberries.
Naryan-Mar: attractions of the city
There are few architectural or historical monuments in this city. After all, Naryan-Mar arose only at the very end of the 19th century. A real decoration of the city is the main post office building - an elegant two-story building made of timber, decorated with a tower. It was built in the middle of the last century. Another architectural monument of Naryan-Mar is the local administration building with an elegant ten-meter spire.
Local historians will be very interested in visiting the local museum of local lore, which is located on Victory Street. It was founded back in 1929. Today the museum has a huge collection consisting of 32,000 different exhibits. These are rock samples, bones of ancient animals, objects of culture and life of the Nenets and much more.
Among the monuments of Naryan-Mar it is worth highlighting the monument to Yak-7B - the heroic aircraft of Captain Tarasov. It was built with the money of local residents and during the years of World War II shot down 12 enemy aircraft.
Big Gate Canyon
Naryan-Mar is an excellent transit point for visiting a real natural miracle - the Great Gate canyon. The unique geological monument is located 150 km west of the city, on the banks of the Belaya River, and covers an area of 212 hectares.
Here, rocks and minerals of the Timan Ridge come to the surface, creating a picturesque and unique landscape. In some places, canyon cliffs reach a height of 80-90 meters. Within the natural monument you can see the classic tundra. Bluegrass bluegrass, blackish scherd, arctic gentian and some other plants listed in the Red Book grow here.
The Big Gate Canyon is of great interest to paleontologists. So, on the slopes and cliffs of the canyon were found trilobites, corals, teeth of shellfish, prints of ancient plants.