Murmansk

Address of Administration: Lenina Avenue, 75, Murmansk, 183006
Telephones of Administration:
(815 2) 45-81-60 (815 2) 45-81-61 (815 2) 45-55-72
Telephones of press centre of the Administration:
(815 2) 45-80-56 (815 2) 47-65-07 (Tel.\Fax) (815 2) 45-93-62

The city of Murmansk is teh administartion centre of the Murmansk region. It was founded in the reign of the Romanov tsar, Nickolay II, on October 4th 1916 and was originaly called Romanov-na-Murmane. In 1917 it was renamed Murmansk.

Murmansk is situated on the eastern coast of the Kola Bay. It takes good economical and geographical situation. Murmansk is a maritime city. There are the Trade Sea Port founded in 1915), the Fishing Port (1934), the first Russian Trawler Fleet (1920), The Murmansk Shipping Company and a lot of other large enterprises dealing with the sea. Here is the unique nuclear icebreaker fleet. In 1977 the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" reached the geographical point of the North Pole.

Murmansk was strategically important city of the Soviet Union in the period of the First World War. Murmansk is one of the few Russian towns which was not occupied by the Nazis in the period of the Second World War.

On the 6th of May of 1985 Murmansk was decorated with the rank of "Hero-City".

Murmansk is the largest city behind the Polar circle. The number of ppopulation is about 350 thousand people. It is divided into three main districts: Leninsky, Oktyabrsky and Pervomaysky. The part of industrial production of Murmansk consists 17,7 % of the regional production.

The main branches of the industry are fishery catching and fishery processing industry, maritime transport, ship repair, marine, railway and car transportation, metal processing, food industry, marine geology, geological exploring works on the shelf of the Arctic seas.

The main types of producing products are products of fish, tins, metal products, catching equipment, and packing material. The outlooks of city development connect with fish industry and fish processing and with development of Arctic oil and gas development. There are some outlooks for the development of Arctic transportation.

There is administrative authority of the Murmansk region in Murmansk, The Government of the Murmansk region, the chief Federal inspector of the Murmasnk region, some federal representatives and departments.

The main scientific institutions are Polar research scientific institute of the fishery industry and oceanography (PINRO),The Murmansk marine biological institute of the Russian Academy of Science (MMBI), Polar geophysical institute of the Kola scientific centre of the Russian Academy of Science.

The most important educational institutions are Murmansk State Technical University (MSTU), Murmasnk State Pedagogical University (MSPU), 26 of the other institutions of the higher education or their branches, departments and study consultation centres.

Secondary professional academic institutions are Murmansk maritime fishery college, Cooperative technical school, Murmasnk college of economy, statistic and informational science, Murmansk musical college, Murmasnk pedagogical college, Murmasnk medicine college.

There are more 70 professional technical colleges, schools, gymnasiums and lyceums in Murmansk. The main cultural institutions are the Regional Drama theatre, the Regional Palace of Culture, the Regional Museum of local lore, theMuseum of the Northern Fleet, the Regional Universal Scientific Library, the Theatre of the Northern Fleet, the Regional Puppet Shoe and etc.

There are more 10 hotels in Murmansk, among them are "Arctic", "Polyarnye Zory", "Meridian". Two stadiums, Ice palace of sport with artificial ice, swimming pool, closed tennis court, ski stadium "Dolina Yuta" function in Murmansk.

Different tourist firms of Murmansk organise fishery ecological tourism. Murmansk Shipping Company conducts cruises on the icebreakers to the districts of the North Pole (Arctic tourism).

There are 22 religious associations, 13 confessions in Murmasnk. Murmansk is a centre of Murmasnk and Monchegorsk eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. The head of the eparchy is Bishop Simon. The twin towns of Murmansk are Vadso and Tromso (Norway), Lulea (Sweden), Rovaniemi (Finland), Jacksonville (the USA), Groningen (Netherlands), Akkureiri (Island) and Shetsin (Poland).

The Government of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, General Consulate of Norway, Honoured Consulate of Island, branches of general consulates of Finland and Sweden. Since 1992 about 300 joint enterprises had been registered here, 20% of which have economical activity. Murmansk is one of the important business centre of the Barents Euro Arctic region, which includes the northern parts of Russia, Norway, Finland and Sweden.

It is included in the Assosiations of the towns of Zapolyarye and the Far North.