Discover Novy Urengoy: City History, Art and Parks

• A monument commemorates the efforts of the pioneers.
• Yaha Park has eco-trails and navigation signs.
• The art museum displays paintings, sculptures and objects relating to the city’s history, among other things.
• Druzhba Park combines walking paths with play and sports facilities.
• The only zoo in Yamal is located in Novy Urengoy.

The monument “Pamyatnik ‘Pioneram osvoeniya Urengoya’” in Novy Urengoy commemorates the efforts of the pioneers. The city’s art museum displays paintings, graphic art, decorative and applied arts, and sculptures. It also features objects relating to the city’s history. Together, a public memorial site and a collection that connects art with city history cater to different cultural interests.

The Museum of the History of OOO “Gazprom dobycha Urengoy” can also be included in your visit plans. A visitor notice updated in August 2025 advises contacting the museum representatives in advance and submitting a visit request; tours were held mainly for organized groups. Confirm the arrangements in advance, as this information may not reflect the current situation.

Yaha Park near Novy Urengoy has eco-trails and navigation signs. The walking areas were designed with the needs of people with limited mobility and families with children in mind. A report dated September 16, 2026, stated that the second phase of improvements was nearing completion.

Druzhba Park has a different focus: its listed facilities include recreation areas and walking paths, as well as play and sports facilities, a skate park and cycling paths. This distinction is useful when choosing between the parks: Yaha Park focuses on eco-trails and navigation, while Druzhba brings together several kinds of leisure and activity. You can compare the options according to your own interests.

The only zoo in Yamal is located in Novy Urengoy, next to the Detskaya ekologicheskaya stantsiya. Dozens of animal species live there; visitors can pet and feed some of them. Check the current visitor rules before your visit.

There is also an eco-complex in the forest tundra near the city, which has been operating since 2022. Visitors can learn about the way of life and culture of tundra residents, spend the night in a chum, try northern dishes or take a reindeer-sled ride. Check the complex’s current visitor status before making plans.

The nature and ethnography complex in Gornoknyazevsk was founded in 2001. Its purpose is to preserve and promote the national spiritual and material cultures of the Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North of Yamal. At the ethnopark in Gornoknyazevsk, the “Chumovye posidelki” program includes a tour about the life and everyday routines of the Indigenous peoples of the North, as well as explanations of how a chum is built and transported.

The program also includes traditional cleansing rituals using smoke and offerings to local spirits by tying a ribbon to a sacred birch. Workshops on making traditional toys and jewelry, as well as stories about Khanty folk tales, round out the program. Visits to the program must be booked in advance for organized groups.

Another attraction is Ingilor Nature Park in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. It is home to rare ecosystems and animals listed in the Red Book of Russia. These regional attractions complement the cultural and leisure sites in Novy Urengoy, but are separate destinations within the broader destination of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Discover more destinations: Salekhard, Urengoy, Yar-Sale, Muravlenko, Tarko-Sale, Nadym, Noyabrsk and Naryan-Mar.

What does the monument in Novy Urengoy commemorate?

It commemorates the efforts of the pioneers.

What should I keep in mind when visiting the Museum of History?

A visitor notice updated in August 2025 advises contacting the museum representatives in advance and submitting a visit request. Tours were held mainly for organized groups; confirm the current arrangements in advance.

Can you pet or feed animals at the zoo?

Some animals can be petted and fed. Check the current visitor rules before your visit.

For the broader travel overview: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.