About Kirovsk in the Murmansk region. Botanical Garden, Snow Village and other city attractions

Briefly about the city

In the early 20s. Geological research was carried out in the Khibiny mountain range on the Kola Peninsula, as a result of which the largest deposits of apatite-nepheline ores were discovered. The start of development in 1929 contributed to the founding of a workers' settlement, which later received city status.

Until December 1934 it was called Khibinogorsk.

Later it was renamed Kirovsk in honor of the leader of the Leningrad Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Sergei Kirov.

From the very beginning the city developed as a ski resort. In 2021 the population was 25,944. Kirovsk is also known for the fact that many famous films were filmed here, including “Morozko”, “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, “Avalanche”, “Leviathan”. Here is the Khibinogorsk convent, the northernmost monastery in the world.

"Snow Village"

The sights of Kirov are unique in many ways. The Snow Village, a popular tourist destination, is one of a kind because it is rebuilt every year from... snow and ice. In fact, this is the most environmentally friendly village in the world. Talented artists, designers and sculptures from the city of Kirovsk, Murmansk region, are taking part in the construction. You can come here for several years in a row, and each time you will be greeted by new icy streets, squares and houses.

Guests will enjoy real Russian winter fun: sleigh rides, reindeer rides, descents from incredible ice slides and serpentines, a snowball fight, meeting with Father Frost, the Snow Maiden and other fairy-tale characters from Lapland, as well as fun events and competitions. If you come to Kirovsk with a child, you simply cannot pass by the “Snow Village”!

How to get there?

Distance by car from Moscow and St. Petersburg

You can get to Kirovsk from Moscow or St. Petersburg by your own car.

The distance from Moscow along the highway is about 1800 km, travel time is 22-23 hours.

You can build a route through Tver and Veliky Novgorod, passing Kirishi and Volkhov on the way, or through Yaroslavl and Vologda. In the region of Medvezhyegorsk in Karelia, both paths converge.

From St. Petersburg to Kirovsk is 1200 km, travel time is about 15 hours. The road goes along the Kola federal highway through Petrozavodsk and Medvezhyegorsk and further to the north. This is an asphalt road in excellent condition. You can stop for a rest in Petrozavodsk or Medvezhyegorsk.

The further north the route goes, the less populated areas there are, as well as gas stations. Therefore, you should have a supply of fuel with you. On the territory of the Murmansk region, the cities of Kandalaksha, Polyarnye Zori and Apatity meet on the way.

By plane or train

You can get to Kirovsk by plane. Just 32 km from the city is the Khibiny airport, which receives flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg. There are regular bus services from Kirovsk to the airport and back.

It is possible to get by train to the city of Apatity, which is only 17 km from Kirovsk. You can get to your final destination by bus, minibus or taxi.

Train schedules can be found in the search form below:

By public transport

Buses No. 209 and No. 239 run daily from Murmansk to Kirovsk. Travel time is 3.5-4.5 hours, the distance between cities is 210 km. The schedule can be viewed here.

MUSEUM AND EXHIBITION

So, Museum and Exhibition:

— address
: Kirovsk, Lenin Ave., 4a —
telephone
: +7 (815 31) 32-887;
— website
: https://mvc-apatit.ru —
opening hours
: 9.00 – 21.00 (entrance until 20.00), the last Friday of the month is a sanitary day;
— ticket price
: free.

Firstly, despite the free entrance to the museum, cleanliness and comfort reign here. This is felt from the threshold as soon as you open the door of the museum.

The staff is very friendly, they immediately explain where to start exploring the museum and provide audio guides with headphones. Also, by the way, they are free, but you will need to leave a deposit (1000 rubles or a driver’s license).

The museum has eight halls housing various exhibitions, as well as two exhibition halls and a gallery. Starting from the history of the city of Kirovsk, ending with modeling of the mine’s production processes, everything is described in the audio guide recording. All that remains is to move from stand to stand.

It seems like history is history, stones are stones, but very interesting! And it no longer even seems that in the TV series “Breaking Bad” Hank’s passion for collecting minerals was too strong, and he himself wants to buy a couple of copies :)

Recently there was news that in the museum you can now see signs with QR codes near some exhibits. Using the telephone, information is read from the plates, for example, about minerals, their properties and areas of application. Moreover, it is available not only in Russian, but also in Finnish and English.

Eudialyte

Probably the most interesting hall is the hall where underground mining is demonstrated. It presents mock-ups of the ore mining system. Unexpectedly believable and even scary, with sound and light accompaniment.

The museum also often hosts various events: meetings, quests, competitions. There are free film screenings. Very interesting!:) Next time we will definitely join!

What to see: photo and description

When coming to Kirovsk, you should definitely visit and see the local attractions. We will tell you where to go first in summer and winter.

Ski resorts

Ski lovers will find pistes on the slopes of the Khibiny Mountains. The season is open from late November to mid-May. For recreation and sports, the resorts Kukisvumchorr, Bolshoy Vudyavr, Sparrow Mountain, and Snow Park invite you.
For a detailed overview of the Khibiny ski slopes, see here.

Khibiny

The Khibiny mountain range fascinates with its nature and picturesque landscapes. The mountains offer beautiful views all around, and the northern lights from their height are even more interesting and beautiful.

Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden: opening hours and official website

The first botanical garden located beyond the Arctic Circle. Most of it is a nature reserve. Huge collections of plants from all over the world are collected here. More than 170,000 specimens are stored in herbariums. Here they study plants that can live in the harsh conditions of the Arctic, and the most exotic plants are grown in greenhouses.

On the official website you can find out detailed information about the visit.

Art park “Mysterious Forest”

This is a unique place in the middle of a snowy forest with ups and downs, filled with sculptures and art objects made of snow, wood and various materials. The themes of the objects are riddles, other civilizations and alien life.

The atmosphere of mystery is added by colored illumination and musical accompaniment that matches the objects. For those who want to warm up, there is a café with hot tea and coffee and delicious snacks. The operating hours can be viewed here.

Excursion and tourist

A building with fabulous snowy halls and corridors of a certain theme. The halls house ice sculptures and snow exhibits. The theme of the village is unique every year.
The village is open to visitors from mid-December to early May.

Center for Stone and Minerals "Apatit" Group

The center is located in a stone building of a former fire station and is easily recognizable by the beautiful clock tower in the city center. Visitors are presented with 8 exhibition halls dedicated to the minerals of the Khibiny tundra, the Kola Peninsula and the whole world. Visiting the museum is free for everyone.

Lake Bolshoi Vudyavr

The largest mountain lake in the Khibiny. With a diameter of 2 km, it reaches a depth of 40 m. The lake has a round shape with a well-indented coastline. Located among the mountains, it attracts with its stunning beauty and unsurpassed views.

Museum of Local Lore

One of the oldest museums on the Kola Peninsula. Initially, the house-museum told about the life and work of S. M. Kirov. Today here you can see real things and authentic exhibits dedicated to the development of Khibiny and the development of Apatite, the formation of the city and its life during the Great Patriotic War.

Khibinogorsk Convent

This is the northernmost female Orthodox monastery in the world.

A place of peace and warmth. The Khibinogorsk women's monastery was opened in 1946. Gradually the wooden building began to collapse. In 1985, a new monastery building was built, which still exists.

Erofeev Museum

Visitors are presented with original manuscripts, copies of notebooks, photographs and books autographed by the writer. The room is decorated in the style of the Brezhnev era.

Temple of the Savior Not Made by Hands

Founded in 2004 on the site of the first tents of settlers who came to build the Apatit plant in the 20s. XX century The temple is stone, five-domed with a bell tower. It houses the horses of the first settlers.

Abandoned train station

The large ruined building of the small town still attracts tourists. Travelers try to unravel its mysteries and look for unsolved secrets. Construction of the station building began in 1934. It once housed bronze chandeliers and reproductions of famous paintings, but after the cessation of railway traffic and a fire in 1996, it gradually collapsed.

Monument to the miner

The bronze monument is erected in the city center on a block of apatite. This is a collective image of a mining worker - kind, smart and dreamy.

The monument is located near the building with the clock tower.

Palace of Culture

The main concert and exhibition venue of the city with modern sound and lighting equipment. Famous groups of the city practice and perform here.

You can take a big trip to Kirovsk and see the mountain slopes, tundra, Snow Village and the Mysterious Forest art park on an individual excursion with a guide “Winter's Tale”. I recommend!

Ski resort "Bolshoi Vudyavr"

1. Trails. Set up on Mount Aykuaivenchorr.
There are 23 tracks of all difficulty levels prepared here, 15 of them have artificial lighting. The total length of the trails is 25 km, the elevation difference is 550 meters. Most of all there are “blue” areas, suitable for both professionals and confident amateurs. There is also a training slope. The height of the mountain on “Big Woodyavr” on the north side is 850 meters, on the south side – 1060 meters. Bonus for skiing is a great view of Kirovsk from Aykuaivenchorr.

2. Lifts. There are 8 lifts at Bolshoi Vudyavr: 4 cable-towing, 2 belt, 1 gondola-chair and 1 chairlift. In summer, the ski lifts partially continue to operate: the K-6 cable car is available for lifting up the mountain.

3. Ski pass. In the high season (on New Year's holidays, as well as from the end of February to the end of April), a day ski pass costs from 1800 rubles, for 2 hours - from 900 rubles, for 4 hours - from 1300. In the low season, a day pass costs 1550 rubles , for 2 hours - 750 rubles. Discounts for children under 12 years old.

4. Equipment rental. There is everything you need: skis, snowboards, boots, helmets, poles. Rental points operate on the Northern and Southern slopes of the mountain. A set of skis, boots and poles costs from 720 rubles per hour and 1940 rubles per day in the high season, 550 and 1470 rubles in the low season, respectively. There are also ski services (preparation for skiing).

5. Training. An individual hour-long lesson with an instructor will cost 1,500 rubles in the low season and from 2,000 rubles in the high season.

6. Infrastructure. “Bolshoi Vudyavr” is one of the top ski resorts in Russia; here you can spend a good holiday: free parking, a cafe with a veranda, a children’s playground on the training slope, a children’s room in the service building.

Hotels

There are a large number of accommodation options for travelers in Kirovsk. You can stay in a rented apartment, camp site, sanatorium or hotel.

• The Severnaya Hotel is located within walking distance to the main attractions and entertainment of the city. Travelers are offered budget rooms and luxury apartments. There is a restaurant on site, the rooms are equipped with a coffee maker, kettle, safe, and refrigerator.
• Hotel "Khibiny" offers visitors rooms equipped with a kitchenette with a safe and air conditioning. There is a bar and restaurant on site.

You will find more housing options in Kirovsk here:

Waterfall "Beautiful"

An incredibly picturesque place in the harsh northern region attracts romantics and lovers of solitude. The waterfall deservedly received its name: among the wild Karelian nature, streams of water, clear as a tear and cold as the heart of the Snow Queen, powerfully roll down a hollow of gray stones in three cascades. Even non-professionals can take great photos here, since any point of the wonderful landscape is a real paradise for a perfectionist. A visit to the city of Kirovsk without visiting the “Beautiful” waterfall will definitely be an unfinished chapter in your travel history.

NOTE:

I’ll write again that there are many options for where to stay in Kirovsk. But there are nuances that you should pay attention to when renting an apartment, especially if you decide to come to Kirovsk for the first time.

• In Kirovsk there are several slopes “Kukisvumchorr” (or 25th km), a city slope and “Bolshoi Vudyavr”. The Kukisvumchorr slope is located in a remote area of ​​the city of Kirovsk. It is about 10 km from the city center.
• Most landlords write in rental advertisements that the location of the apartment is near a slope. And most skiers who come to relax in Kirovsk choose housing on Olimpiyskaya or Parkovaya streets. Please note that not all houses on these streets are located directly on the slope. And walking with equipment even 10 minutes after a day of skiing is quite difficult.
• If you do not have your own car, use a taxi! After all, travel around the city (not on the 25th) is inexpensive, and almost all the cars here are adapted for transporting ski and snowboard equipment! You will save both effort and time! True, we only took a taxi ride in Kirovsk once, but that’s a completely different story :) Subscribe so you don’t miss out!
• Many apartments hosting athletes have special closets for drying clothes.
• Read the reviews! Unfortunately, there are inadequate landlords who prohibit, for example, bringing guests into the apartment. But on the other hand, there are equally inadequate athletes. So sometimes you can understand the owners :)
• Several taxi numbers:

Taxi "Premier" 8 (81531) 55555 Taxi "Metro" Taxi "Taxi"))))

PS

Perhaps you know of other aspects that should be paid attention to or have questions? Write in the comments, we’ll be happy to discuss!

Train station lost in time

When choosing where to go in Kirovsk, not everyone will choose this as their destination. But adventurers will definitely be captivated by the deserted labyrinths of the abandoned railway station, a majestic architectural monument of the glorious Soviet past. Even today, the “Stalinist” building with its impressive halls and spacious passages, once lined with granite and marble, hung with bronze chandeliers and magnificent reproductions of famous artists, leaves a strong impression.