Murmansk Port Viewpoint (Abram-Mys)

The Murmansk port viewpoint is an informal spot right at the water's edge on Sudoremontnaya Street in the Abram-Mys neighbourhood (Pervomaysky District of Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast). Abram-Mys sits on the western shore of the Kola Bay, opposite the city centre, so from here the port and the whole of Murmansk are seen from an unusual angle: across the bay, much as from the deck of a ship.

The view

The shore looks out over the Kola Bay to the eastern bank, where the berths of the Murmansk sea port stretch along the water with their gantry cranes, warehouses and moored ships, and the city's blocks climb the hills above them. Vessels pass all the time: trawlers, tugs, cargo and service ships, and now and then the icebreakers based in Murmansk. On the near shore you can see the berths of ship-repair yards, which gave Sudoremontnaya ("Ship Repair") Street its name.

The view changes with the northern light. In summer, during the polar day (roughly late May to late July), the panorama is visible around the clock. In winter, during the polar night (roughly early December to mid-January), the port and the city become a scatter of lights over dark water, and on clear nights the northern lights may appear over the bay.

Murmansk port

The Murmansk Commercial Sea Port dates back to 1915, when, during the First World War, a port was built on the ice-free Kola Bay to receive Allied military cargo. The city grew up around the port: it was founded in 1916 as Romanov-on-Murman and soon renamed Murmansk. Thanks to a warm current the bay does not freeze, so the port works all year round; today it is one of the largest ports in north-western Russia and the starting point of the Northern Sea Route.

Getting there

By car from central Murmansk, take Kolsky Prospekt to the Kola Bridge (opened in 2005, about 1.6 km of it over water), cross the bay and turn off for Abram-Mys after the bridge. City buses run to the neighbourhood; the stop is Posyolok Abram-Mys. From the residential streets you can walk down to the water. Sudoremontnaya Street is lined with private houses, so respect the residents' peace and do not block driveways.

Good to know

This is not a landscaped viewing platform, just a way down to the water, with no benches or railings. In places the shore is littered with rubbish, broken glass and traces of fuel and oil, so wear closed shoes and do not swim here. The weather over the bay changes quickly and the wind off the water is cold even in summer, so bring warm clothes in any season.

To compare the views, look at the bay from the city side too: the eastern bank has several viewpoints on the hillsides, for example by the Memorial to Sailors Lost in Peacetime above Semyonovskoye Lake.