Mysterious Forest (Kirovsk)

The Mysterious Forest art park (Tainstvenny Les) is an open-air space of art installations and illuminations set in a real conifer forest near Kirovsk, Murmansk Oblast. It covers about 3 hectares in the foothills of the Khibiny Mountains, at the foot of Mount Lovchorr, next to the southern slope of the Bolshoy Vudyavr ski resort, by the Kirovsk to Koashva road. Open since 2018, it has become one of the most visited sights of the Kola Peninsula.

History

The park was conceived by tourism instructors Oleg Ivanov and Denis Bankin, whose idea was to show the northern forest in an unusual way without cutting anything down. The trees and bushes were kept, and the trails were laid between them. Sculptures and installations are made by artists from different Russian cities, including Khabarovsk and Ryazan. The exhibits are renewed every season, so the park looks different on a return visit.

The park's running story is about mysterious visitors who supposedly left strange objects and structures behind in the northern forest. Hence the "crashed" flying saucer, the space station and the figures in spacesuits.

What to see in the Mysterious Forest

The trails, a little over a kilometre long, follow wooden bridges, boardwalks and stairs. Dozens of objects stand along them:

• mastodons and tyrannosaurs, a troglodyte cave;
• stone idols in the style of Easter Island;
• a flying saucer, a space station and a space bathyscaphe;
• Alangasar giants, huge mushrooms, crystals and lotuses;
• the "Ear of the Forest" hidden among the snowdrifts;
• a crooked fisherman's hut with its owner sitting on a bench.

One of the oldest spruces in Kirovsk, about 300 years old, grows in the forest.

The highlight of the winter park is the lighting, which picks out trees, bushes and snowdrifts, so it is best seen at dusk and after dark. From early December the polar night sets in, and for most of the day the park runs under artificial light.

In summer a trail leads to a waterfall in the Pirrotitovoye Gorge, and there is SUP boarding, workshops and concerts. A café, a souvenir shop and a mobile visitor centre of the Khibiny National Park operate in the forest.

Getting there

The park is at the 2nd kilometre of the Kirovsk to Koashva road, signposted from the Apatity to Kirovsk and Kirovsk to Koashva highways. It is about 30 km from Apatity and about 210 km from Murmansk, 2.5 to 3 hours by car. Parking is free. From Kirovsk you can take a taxi, and a transfer from Kirovsk and Apatity runs on advance booking.

Good to know

There are two seasons: winter from December to April and summer from July to September. The park opens from midday to the evening; hours and ticket prices change with the season, so check them before the trip. The busiest time is the weeks around New Year.

Allow 2 to 3 hours for the walk. In winter bring warm clothes and non-slip shoes, in summer mosquito repellent, especially near the water.