I find this city fascinating for some reason. It's something about the fact that it's so harsh, but humans are still able to live there. Here's a YouTube video of it that makes it look almost artistic:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks9E9XQp_2k" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks9E9XQp_2k</a>
I recommend watching the documentary “A Moon of Nickel and Ice” about some of the varied inhabitants of this city. Interesting interviews and great cinematography. Free for Prime members: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Nickel-Ice-François-Jacob/dp/B07592GDWN" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Nickel-Ice-François-Jacob/dp/B07...</a>
My favorite Norilsk trivia is that the topsoil is so polluted that it'd be profitable to mine it for heavy metals. [1]<p>[1] <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15120490-300-rich-pickings-from-russias-polluted-soils/" rel="nofollow">https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15120490-300-rich-pic...</a>
Wow. I find these places amazing. I don't understand how they can "work".<p>Like in... why do people stay?! Russia's a huge country and with free movement you'd imagine such places would get depopulated quickly...
Sudbury Ontario is farther south and has a warmer climate. However, it is of a similar size, fairly isolated, and has severe environmental problems due to a history of nickel mining and smelting.