Teriberka

About this place

Teriberka is a village in Kolsky District, Murmansk Oblast, in Russia's far northwest, on the Barents Sea coast at the mouth of the Teriberka river, about 85 km northeast of Murmansk in a straight line and north of the Arctic Circle. Teriberka is first mentioned as a settlement around 1523, though other sources say it was founded in the 1860s when the Murman coast was being settled. By the late 19th century it had a church, a lighthouse and a weather station, the first on the Murmansk coast. In the early 20th century cod and shark fishing thrived there, and it grew quickly in the mid-20th century. Beaches of huge rounded boulders line the coast, pounded by the cold Barents Sea waves, ringed by bare rocky hills snow-covered most of the year, with old wooden houses and abandoned boats scattered through the village. In winter the northern lights may appear overhead. Visitors drive from Murmansk on a long road across the tundra and walk the boulder beaches; many come in winter for the northern lights and in summer for the midnight sun. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia, and non-Russian bank cards may not work, so read the current advice before you plan.