Murmansk: The Russian City That Lives 40 Days Without Sun

Travel blogger Mark Yeremin has put Murmansk in the spotlight with a striking description: “40 days without sun.” Writing on the Dzen platform, he explains that from early December through late January, the sun never rises in this Arctic port city. “The polar night isn’t a metaphor or poetic exaggeration,” Yeremin writes. “It’s an astronomical fact. The sun dips below the horizon and simply doesn’t reappear. The sky doesn’t go dark suddenly—it just stops getting light.”

Life adapts. Streetlights burn brighter, shop windows glow with extra wattage, and New Year’s decorations stay up longer than anywhere else in Russia. But don’t expect a day off. “People work regular hours—there’s no special clause in the labor code for polar night,” Yeremin notes. “But there are polar salary bonuses: 80 percent and up, depending on how long you’ve been there.”

The blogger, who previously traveled to the Caucasus and explained the cultural differences between Chechens and Dagestanis, says Murmansk’s residents take the darkness in stride. The city, home to around 300,000 people, sits well above the Arctic Circle. For those who stay, the trade-off is simple: long, dark winters in exchange for generous paychecks and the surreal beauty of a sunless sky.