#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The Norilsk bureau consisted of two departments: the travel department, which dealt with trips to other cities of the Soviet Union, and the excursion department, which took citizens and guests to inspect Norilsk and the environs.
The big sightseeing bus tour told about Norilsk yesterday, today, tomorrow. But they also offered various thematic ones: Norilsk Sports – with a trip to the Arctica sports palace, to the pool and to the Ol-Gul ski base, Norilsk Metallurgical – about the production process of the combine, Norilsk Scientific – about the work of the Norilsk Industrial Institute, Research Institute of Agriculture of the Far North and chemical laboratories. And also Norilsk Industrial, Norilsk Creative, Norilsk Theatrical, Talnah – a shock-work Komsomol construction site.
Only a couple of specialists worked as in-house guides in the bureau, but there were also up to 60 freelance guides – involved journalists, actors, museum workers, scientists – telling about their directions.
The cost of a three-hour bus tour for 30 people in 1975 was 30–35 rubles.
Tourists from other cities arrived by motor ships to Dudinka, and then by buses to Norilsk. All-Union tourist route No. 73 – a trip along the Yenisey from Krasnoyarsk to Dikson – was very scarce. The route also included a 12-hour visit to Norilsk.
The four-hour sightseeing tour included the history of the city, Norilsk of those days, and a visit to the Valyok health and recreational house and Talnah district, and a visit to the Mayak mine, where a piece of ore was given as a keepsake. That excursion ended with lunch in one of the two city’s best restaurants – Lama or Taimyr.
In the last issue of the History Stop photo project, we told that first Norilsk ambulance was horse-drawn.
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Text: Svetlana Samohina, Photo: Nornickel Polar Division archive
