Origin of the Name Murmansk: What Does the Word 'Murman' Mean The name Murmansk sounds harsh and northern — like the city itself beyond the Arctic Circle. But what does it actually mean? The etymology goes back to ancient times, to the people who inhabited these lands long before the first Russian settlements appeared. The word 'Murman' is the Old Russian name for Norwegians and Scandinavians in general. It originated from the distorted 'Norman': through the Finnish 'ruotsi' (Swedes) or directly from the Scandinavian 'norðmaðr' (northern man). In Russian chronicles…
Sami dwellings on the Kola Peninsula, among the hills and lakes, the Sami built dwellings for centuries, adapted to a nomadic lifestyle and harsh nature. Their homes changed along with their way of life: from light portable structures to solid log cabins. We tell how Sami housing evolved — from the vezha to two-story houses. Vezha: Ancient Sami Dwelling The Sami vezha is a frame structure of pyramidal shape, covered with turf and birch bark. At the end of the 19th century, it was widespread throughout the Kola Peninsula, but…
Tourism in Teriberka is immediately striking. Expensive restaurants and creative photo zones coexist with half-ruined houses and rusty ship hulls. The film 'Leviathan' (2014) turned the village into a symbol of accessible Arctic — tourists poured in. But for local fishermen, ambiguous times arrived. Lake fishing, which used to be a quiet leisure activity, turned into a shadow trade. And secrecy became the main tool for survival. What happened to fishing after 'Leviathan' Before the tourist boom, lake fishing in Teriberka was a 'walk for beauty'. Locals went to the…
Teriberka is not just a point on the map of the Kola Peninsula. It is a place where the history of the North can be read in every stone, in every wave of the Barents Sea. From the first Pomor camps to the filming of 'Leviathan,' the village has gone through three eras, each leaving its mark. Pomor beginnings: from seasonal camps to a colony The history of Teriberka begins long before the official founding date. Already in the mid-16th century, Karelian fishermen from the White Sea region were developing…
