October 25th 2024.
Have you ever thought living in the UK was dreary? Well, wait till you hear about Norilsk, a Russian city nicknamed the "world's most depressing". This city, situated deep in the freezing north of Siberia, has earned this title from various sources over the years. And trust me, it's not hard to see why.
First of all, Norilsk is located within the Arctic Circle, where the snow never stops and the temperatures reach a peak of only 9°C in summer, but drop down to a bone-chilling -50°C in January. And if that's not enough, the city also experiences 45 days of complete darkness during winter, as the sun never rises. It's a place where the elements are constantly against you.
Apart from its harsh climate, Norilsk is also extremely remote. It's located 1,800 miles away from Moscow and 930 miles from Krasnoyarsk, the capital of the Krasnoyarsk Krai region. The city is so isolated that there are no roads that lead in or out of it. The only way to reach it is through a five-hour flight to Moscow or one of the smaller regional airports. There is also a freight railway line that connects Norilsk to the port of Dudinka, where residents can cross the river to reach the rest of the country.
Norilsk has a grim history as it was built in the 1930s on the site of a former Gulag labor camp. The city was constructed largely by Soviet prisoners, with an estimated 16,806 lives lost due to the sub-zero temperatures between 1935 and 1936. Even today, the remains of these prisoners can be found in the soil, as reported by visitors on TikTok. But despite its dark past, Norilsk continues to thrive as it is home to the world's largest deposits of nickel, copper, and cobalt. In fact, a fifth of the world's nickel and more than half of its palladium come from this city. The Norilsk Nickel plant, which employs majority of the city's residents, is the backbone of the local economy.
But this industry also comes at a cost. The smelting process at the plant releases around two million tons of toxic gas every year, making it responsible for 1% of global sulfur dioxide emissions. The pollution from the plant has killed around half of the surrounding forests, giving the landscape a desolate, post-apocalyptic look. The effects of pollution are so severe that in 2016 and 2020, the nearby Daldykan River turned blood red due to suspected waste pipe leaks from the plant.
Apart from the pollution, Norilsk's inhabitants also have to deal with another daunting aspect of living in the Arctic - the presence of wild polar bears. These creatures have been forced into the city due to the warming winters and lack of hunting grounds in the Arctic. And while they may make for some interesting sightings, they are not exactly friendly neighbors.
Norilsk may seem like a bleak and oppressive place, but it's also a city that over 170,000 people call home. This is largely due to the employment opportunities offered by the Norilsk Nickel plant, where workers can earn more than £800 a month, which is significantly higher than the national average. Additionally, the company invests in the training and career advancement of its employees, making it an attractive option for many.
Despite its harsh conditions, Norilsk has a close-knit community, where people look out for each other. But living in this city also comes with its own set of challenges. The life expectancy in Norilsk is 10 years lower than the rest of Russia, and studies have shown that the risk of cancer here is double the national average. Children in Norilsk have a 44% higher chance of developing blood illnesses compared to an average child in Siberia. The extreme weather and lack of sunlight also lead to polar syndromes, causing symptoms like depression, irritability, and sleep problems among the residents.
But life in Norilsk is slowly improving. The city has a range of shops, a theatre, and various museums for its residents to enjoy. And in recent years, efforts have been made to beautify the city, with the central buildings and Leninsky Prospekt painted a bright sunflower yellow. The opening of the Arctic Museum of Modern Art has also given the city a new cultural attraction, which the mayor hopes will attract visitors.
If you're interested in visiting Norilsk, you'll have to get special permission from the Russian government as only around 200 foreigners are allowed to visit each year. But if you do get a chance to go, you'll get to experience the wild scenery and learn about the city's chilling past. The Norilsk Golgotha memorial, which stands at the foot of Mount Schmidtich, pays tribute to the lives lost in the Norillag labor camp. And while it may not be the easiest place to live, Norilsk has a unique charm that some find oddly calming and even beautiful.
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