Have you ever wanted to travel to the ends of the Earth to explore nature and life there? Let’s discover Teriberka – a small village in the far north of Russia.
Located on the shores of the Barents Sea – part of the Arctic Ocean, Teriberka was once a forgotten village on the edge of the Earth. However, many now believe in a revival, as the harsh, icy land of the Arctic is attracting more and more tourists.
It is no coincidence that Teriberka is called the end of the Earth, as it is the last land point before crossing the vast ocean to reach the Arctic tundra. From here to the North Pole is only about 2,000 km.
Teriberka is called the end of the Earth.
The history of Teriberka began in the 16th century when the first Pomor settlers arrived on the Kola Peninsula, by the Barents Sea. This place was once a bustling fishing town due to shark fishing in the late 19th century and was one of the fishing centers of the region. Teriberka fell into decay from the mid-20th century when a new seaport was constructed in Murmansk.
The small fishing village on the shores of the Arctic Ocean was relatively unknown until it unexpectedly appeared in the film Leviathan by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev. The film won a Golden Globe in 2015 and was nominated for an Oscar. At that time, Teriberka suddenly became a hotspot for many tourists.
The main setting of the film is the quiet village nestled among snow-covered hills. Before that, Teriberka had almost no visitors, but it was discovered as a “Northern paradise.” Just 2-3 years after the film was released, a number of hotels and guesthouses opened up. According to statistics, currently, around 40,000 tourists visit this village each year.
Currently, around 40,000 tourists visit this village each year.
Ms. Elena Kryvonos – Head of Teriberka village, Murmansk region, Russian Federation: “Many people say that thanks to the film Leviathan, Teriberka became famous overnight. It may be true that Teriberka gained fame in a day, but it was not at all ready for that. The infrastructure was underdeveloped. It was just a small, quiet, and remote village.“
With the influx of tourists, life in Teriberka has changed to some extent. What hasn’t changed are the strongest winds still blowing in from the Arctic Ocean, and the polar nights that last for almost a month with little to no sunlight.
If it weren’t for filmmakers, surely few would know about Teriberka, a remote Russian village where whales wash ashore and waves erode shipwrecks. The pristine beauty of the tundra by the Barents Sea can attract many tourists, but life here is not a fairy tale.
