Umba - human settlement in Tersky District, Murmansk Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Russia

Umba (Russian: Умба) is a town on the shore of the Kandalaksha Gulf on the Kola Peninsula in Russia. It's one of the oldest settlements on the Kola peninsula, and the largest settlement east of the peninsula.

Understand

Unlike many other settlements on the Kola peninsula, Umba has no access to mineral resources and its economy is oriented around agriculture and forestry. It is famous for its dairy production, including milk, kefir, cream, sour cream, and yogurt. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Umba's population has been nearly halved from 8,300 in 1989 to about 4,400 in 2020. The subarctic climate (average year temperature is around zero) makes living conditions on the peninsula harsh. Temperatures are only positive from May to October, and although winters aren't nearly as cold as in Murmansk, they are still very long.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1466 as a fishing settlement. It became a destination for pilgrims after the Solovetsky Monastery was built in 1765, including a Christian Orthodox church. At the end of the 19th century the village started industrialisation, and in 1898 a sawmill was erected followed by a small cargo port to export timber. The logging industry is the economic life line of the town, and nearly everything is constructed out of wood, even the sidewalks!

In the 1930s, the newly established State Hydrological Institute of the Soviet Union established a research station in Umba. Researchers studied the lakes and reservoirs around the town. The station is still operational, under supervision of the Belomorsk Biological Station of Moscow State University.

Get in

Umba does not have a railway link; the nearest railway station is in Kandalaksha.

The regional bus lines 222 (Kandalaksha - Umba) and 223 (Kandalaksha - Umba - Varzuga) are the easiest connections although the journey takes 2-2½ hours from Kandalaksha. All PJSC "Murmanskavtotrans" tickets are valid on these lines.

Umba has a port, although there are no scheduled ferry services. Umba also has an airfield, Umba Northwest but as of Nov 2020, there are no scheduled services.

Get around

Umba isn't very large, but has its own bus service, line 6.

See

• Museum of History, Culture and Life of Terek Pomors (Музей истории, культуры и быта терских поморов), Dzerzhinsky St. 78, 66.67306°, 34.33531°, +7 (81559) 51532. Tu-W 09:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00, Th-F 09:00-13:00, 14:00-17:15, Sa 09:00-16:00. A small museum dedicated to the life and culture of the Pomors, early settlers of the Kola Peninsula. The museum was established in 1988 as a private initiative and by decree of the Department of Culture of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee it became a department of the Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore. The collection addresses early economy of the Pomors, including fishing, hunting, shipbuilding, and pearl fishing, as well as handicrafts in the 18th and 20th centuries (carpentry, joinery, woodworking, shoemaking, decorations and jewellery). The collection features 733 original objects and replicas of Pomor log cabins and huts. 2021-05-06
• Museum of Stonemasonry (Музей камня), 66.67888°, 34.34727°, +78155952375. M-Sa 10:00-18:00. 2020-11-26
• Kanozero petroglyphs (Музей-заповедник «Петроглифы Канозера»), st. Dzerzhinsky, 36 (улица Дзержинского 36), 66.68140°, 34.34231°, +7 (81559) 50657, umbapetroglif@mail.ru. July — August M 08:00—17:00, Tu-F 08:00—18:00, Sa-Su 10:00-16:00. A collection of rock carvings, dated to the 3rd millennium BC, making them the oldest archaeological site of the Murmansk Oblast. They were discovered in 1997 on islands in Lake Kanozero, and in the 2000s the museum was inaugurated. A decade later, in 2014 researchers from the Revda Museum of Local Lore and the Kola Archaeological Expedition discovered over a thousand more carvings and drawings on 3 islands, and a glass dome was constructed over the rock carvings to protect them against erosion. The meaning of the figures has not yet been deciphered. Free, paid excursions available 2021-05-03
• Petroglyps of Kanozero Museum (Петроглифы Канозера), улица Дзержинского 36, +7 81559 50657, umbapetroglif@mail.ru. Tu-F 10:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-16:00. After the discovery of the Kanozero Petroglyps on Kamenny Island in 1997, it soon became clear measures needed to be taken to protect the archaeological heritage site. Although excursions were sporadically organised, the site remained unattended most of the time which led to unintentional destruction by tourists such as trampling of vegetation and damage of the rock carvings. Some vandalism also took place, with modern inscriptions being added to the ancient ones. It was decided in 1998 that some form of regulation was needed, and the proposed solution was to set up a Conservation Centre and a Museum in Umba from where guided tours and excursions would be organised. A budget of 5.45 million rubles was set aside to open the museum. The aim of the museum is to offer an exhibition experience that relieves pressure on the actual archaeological site, and coordinate excursions under supervision of experienced tour guides. 2021-05-11
• Tonya Tetrina Museum (Тоня Тетрина), +7 921 740-38-57. Open air museum on the White Sea coast south-east of the town. It is conceptually an ethnographic museum, recreating the life style of pomors by reconstructing block houses and wooden ships using tools at the disposal of the settlers — including recreating the tools themselves. The interactive exhibitions invite visitors to take part in the ethnographic experience, and learn how surprisingly difficult simple tasks were for fishermen colonising the Kola Peninsula. It's possible to spend the night in a blockhouse or on the nearby camping grounds. 2021-05-11
• Babylon Stone Labyrinth (Каменный лабиринт «Вавилон»). 24/7. A stone labyrinth, dated to the 2nd millennium BC. Its original purpose is unknown, but is assumed to be ritualistic in nature. It shows striking similarities to 2 other labyrinths on the Kola Peninsula, one in Kandalaksha and another near Rogozero Lake around Murmansk. What distinguishes the Umba labyrinth is that it is laid out on rocky soil at an angle. The labyrinth is a designated archaeological site. In recent years archaeologists have argued that the layout of the labyrinth and its condition indicate it can be not older than 20 to 30 years. The debate on whether it is an artefact of ancient civilisation or an elaborate joke from modern times is ongoing, and locals reported that large ravens can be seen circling around the labyrinth adding to the mysticism of the place. Free 2021-05-05

Do

• Public sauna (Баня), Горная улица 41, 66.69376°, 34.34593°. 2020-11-26

Buy

• Amethyst Coast (Сувернирная лавка «Аметистовый берег»), ул. Горная, д.60. 11-19 daily. Rocks, minerals, souvenirs. 2020-11-26

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Connect

Go next

• Kandalaksha — transport hub 110 km to the west