Polyarnye Zori: City History and the MiG-19 Monument

• The city was built for employees of the Kola Nuclear Power Plant.
• A tour schedule lists 09:00 for the walk through Polyarnye Zori; dates for assembled groups are available on request.
• The MiG-19 monument was erected in Afrikanda in 1978 and moved to Polyarnye Zori in 2002.
• After renovation, plaques bearing the names of 28 airmen were added in 2004.

The monument’s history includes several stages. In 1978, it was erected in Afrikanda to commemorate the history of military and postwar aviation. In 2002, it was brought to Polyarnye Zori after the air regiment was disbanded and the airfield closed. The monument was moved to preserve it as a symbol of northern aviation. The dates therefore refer to different places and events: Afrikanda marks its erection, and Polyarnye Zori its later relocation.

After renovation, plaques were installed beside the monument in 2004. They bear the names of 28 airmen who fought in the North during the Finnish War and the Great Patriotic War and were Heroes of the Soviet Union. The monument and the name plaques thus connect aviation history with the airmen’s biographies and the two periods of war.

The city’s purpose and the history of the MiG-19 monument offer two different perspectives on Polyarnye Zori: one focuses on the city built for employees of the Kola Nuclear Power Plant, the other on military and postwar aviation history. A tour schedule lists a walk through Polyarnye Zori at 09:00. If you plan to take it, arrange a date for your group in advance; dates are available on request.

First, consider whether to include the walk through Polyarnye Zori as a separate activity or explore other cultural topics in the broader destination of Murmansk Oblast.

In Umba, in the broader destination of Murmansk Oblast, the history of the Pomors is among the topics explored. The guided hiking trail “Starinnaya pomorskaya derevnya Umba” is 5.5 kilometers long. Seven information boards cover the history of the settlement and the Pomors’ livelihoods and everyday life. The trail offers insights into northern wooden architecture and Pomor life, runs along a river, and leads to the sea. The guided tour must be booked at least two days in advance; confirm current arrangements before your visit.

The exhibition at the Museum of the History, Culture and Everyday Life of the Tersky Pomors in Umba offers another historical focus. It covers livelihoods from the 18th to the early 20th century, including fishing, hunting marine mammals, shipbuilding, and pearl fishing. Another section covers carpentry and cabinetmaking, woodworking, shoemaking, as well as women’s crafts and needlework. By comparison, the MiG-19 monument in Polyarnye Zori focuses on aviation history and the names of the airmen.

Discover more destinations: Kildinstroy, Teriberka, Kandalaksha, Lovozero, Zapolyarny, Kirovsk, Murmansk, Fedoseyevka.

When is the walk through Polyarnye Zori scheduled?

A tour schedule lists 09:00. Dates for assembled groups are available on request.

Where was the MiG-19 monument erected?

The monument was erected in Afrikanda in 1978 and moved to Polyarnye Zori in 2002.

What does the hiking trail in Umba offer?

The 5.5-kilometer guided trail covers the history and everyday life of the Pomors. There are seven information boards along the route; the tour must be booked at least two days in advance.

To the broader travel overview: Murmansk Oblast.