Salekhard



Salekhard

Name: Yevgenia Zhulanova

Age: 29

Profession: Photographer

City: Salekhard, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

How long have you been doing photography? What style or genre most interests you? I have been doing photography for about four years. I am most interested in modern documentary photography.

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for? Salekhard is the only city in the world which lies directly on the Arctic Circle. It is the capital of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, a very rich region of Russia, thanks to the oil and gas sector. Yet there are no large production enterprises in the city itself. It is mainly a city of bureaucrats and functionaries.

Salekhard was founded in 1595 by Russian Cossacks. You can get to the city by airplane, or by train to the nearby city of Labytnangi, then cross the river Ob.

What is something about your city that only locals would know? The tastiest local fish is muksun, but there are limits to how many can be caught and therefore it can be difficult to find it on sale. Yet nearly every local knows how to get it. In the North, people are incredibly responsive and kind, and look ten years younger than their actual age. To this day many two story wooden homes have neither running water or toilets, and water is delivered a few times a week. Locals call the rest of Russia "the land" or "materik" (mainland).

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city?
The abandoned station Chaika in the tropospheric radio relay communication line Sever. This is a former Soviet communication system built for staying in touch with distant regions of the country. The Chaika station is located 12 km to the east of Salekhard. Chaika was rebuilt in December 2000, but the entire Sever system was taken out of commission in 2003. Locals call the place "the locators."

In the spring Salekhard hosts the Day of the Reindeer Breeder. This is a huge holiday and breeders come to the city from throughout the okrug. There are concerts and competitions in locally popular sports (log pulling and reindeer racing).

One of the symbols of the city is the monument to the mammoth, located at the crossing over the river Ob.

Any time of year is a good time to go fishing with locals.

Anything else you would like to add? The North purifies.



Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955