January 25, 2021

The Kingdom of Eternal Permafrost


The Kingdom of Eternal Permafrost

With abnormally cold weather in the Siberian city of Yakutsk, television news channels across Russia are advertising two lovely features of the subpolar city: the annual ice sculpture competition and the perpetual Kingdom of Permafrost.

This year's ice and snow contest was called Diamonds of Yakutiya and featured 60 works of water. It was dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Russia's victory in World War II, with many of the waterworks featuring military themes like tanks and life-size propaganda posters.

With the pandemic keeping international sculptors at bay, young local artists had a better chance to hone and show off their skills. The biggest prizes went to local Yakuts.

The Kingdom of Permafrost, a glacier and museum rolled into one, planted its flag in Yakutsk in 2005. The sovereign land remains frozen all year and includes an ice bar serving regional favorites like stroganina, frozen strips of raw fish that need to be eaten on ice before they spoil. Relax on the Iron – er, Ice – Throne from Game of Thrones and check out Grandfather Frost's house. Do not forget to bring your New Year's list. Also, try your hand at the inexplicably Olympic sport of curling.

Finally, take a ride down the ice slide, upon which you will earn a certificate with legal force confirming that you have been to the Kingdom of Permafrost.

Iron - er, Ice, Throne
A throne designed to make relaxation impossible. / Wikimedia Commons user JukoFF

 

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

Some of our Books

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

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.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

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 Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

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...

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

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 Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

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