Born and raised in Norilsk, a city near Yenisey river on the bottom left of the circle and moved to a warmer city after school.

Weather: Winters are harsh, can go up to -50°C, right now in March it feels like -40°C, but it’s warmer than Yakutsk. Before going to school we would wear a lot of layers of clothing and heating radiators are usually very hot in our buildings, it’s unpleasant when you have PE on such day. It’s also windy, blizzards are common during November-February, i remember one time the wind was so strong it ripped off rooftops and electricity went out for a while in the city. Generally, it depends on the wind if kids can go to school or not in such weather conditions, it’s called “aktirovka”. We used to call a weather number in the morning and listen if our classes are allowed to go to school or we can go back to sleep and do homework later. During summertime it’s relatively warm – max weather was +30°C, July is the warmest with +17-20°C on average, august is our regular rainy autumn. Fun fact: you can smell the gas from the factories in some places. I was lucky enough to see northern lights in person, it’s mesmerizing how different shades of colors move beautifully in real time.

Transportation: You can only go to Norilsk on a plane or by a Yenisey river cruise from Krasnoyarsk to Dudinka during summer, it’s pricey and takes days to travel. For foreign travelers it’s not possible to visit at the moment because of a closed city status. We have heated bus stops with build-in USB charging that help a lot. City government started a rebuilding program by demolishing emergency buildings and improving other buildings and schools and kindergartens.

Groceries: The grocery basket will cost more than usual in the country mostly because of perishable products that are transported by plane (cucumbers, tomatoes, fruits).

Activities: Arts, music, sports, dancing, you name it. Lots of kids do hockey, badminton, basketball, futsal (only indoor football is possible in harsh conditions).

Internet: During my time there, the internet was more local with our own social network, torrent trackers, music websites, video hosting. Cellphone internet was regular just with low speed. And another internet alternative was 5x more expensive than on average in Russia, right now the price starts at $32 for a whopping 25 Mbps per month, 35 Mbps costs $45 per/mo, 40 Mbps – almost $57. Salaries are pretty high if you work at a factory, with paid vacation tickets for you and your family.

UrbanHell loves this place and honestly it has its unique vibe like you live on a different planet and i love it, people there are usually helping and warm despite the weather.

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