Culture

The president of the Association of the Kola Saami, Nina Aphanasjeva

The Murmansk region has its cultural image, which distinguish it from the other regions of the Russian Federation. There are no memorials and historical places here, having national importance, no famous names of culture and art figures. But there is unite cultural environment, limited alloy of traditions and innovation, unique experience of international cooperation, its holidays, festivals and exhibitions.

The cultural potential of the Murmansk region today joins harmonically to cultural space of the North and West of Russia and European countries.

For the last decades international cultural connections of the Murmansk region and countries of Barents, Euro Arctic region and CIS were expended essentially. Joint conferences and symposiums, concerts, exhibitions, seminars, exchange with creative groups enrich cultural space of the Murmansk region.

Petroglyph

History of the Kola Zapolyarye goes deep in centuries and millenniums. The bright evidence of it are petroglyphs of IV-II millennium B.C., founded in the middle course of Ponoy and at the banks of Kanozero or marvellous tombstones of wooden architecture XVII century in ancient Pomor villages Varzuga and Kovda, admited as objects of all Russian significance.

Folk traditions of Kola Saami and Pomors are original. Special way of life came to us from the Middle Ages, determined a lot of the cultural development of XX century and sparkled with new sides of talent, inspiration and creative enthusiasm for the last decades, when Kola Zapolyarye gained status of the Murmansk region.

A lot of people touch culture in different ways: readers, spectators, listeners, participants of amateur art activities, members of amateur unions, students of musical and art schools.

Thousand of people work in the sphere of culture: organize holidays and give books, keep history and create art masterpieces, provide wit information and train different kinds of art. They not only introduce the citizens of the region to cultural values and organize leisure time, but they create good mood and give confidence in tomorrow.