I and my dogs we live in the center of Kola Peninsula in the city of Monchegorsk, Murmansk area. Our city (video panorama, 2,5Mb) is located on coast of the most beautiful lake – Imandra. Our city has received its name from a Lappish word "Moncha", that is the pearl, beautiful tundra means. Natives of the Kola ground – Laappi have appeared here in II-I millennium B.C. For a long time native people lived separately, before Russian and the Finnish field men come here.
   The nature of the north gave Lapps everything what they required and they idolized it: animals and birds, stones, trees, the ground. Till our times in the woods surrounding city were kept Seids – stones of the unusual form to which ancient Laappi gave sacrifices.
   The city was founded on September, 20th, 1937 in connection with use of the nickel ores opened here. Monchegorsk has grown in the important center of the nickel industry of world value and became the third city on size of Murmansk area.
    In 50 km from city there is a Lappish state natural biospheric reserve. Lappish reserve – the third reserve on size of the European part of Russia and one of the oldest. It was founded in 1930. For today its area cover 2784 km. Creation of reserve had the purpose preservation and restoration of a livestock of wild reindeers on Kola Peninsula. The initiator of the organization of reserve and first director became G.M. Kreps, and the first scientific employee – O.I.Simenov-Tyan-Shanski.
    Hills (on local "tundras") have surrounded Monchegorsk with a half ring       . If to climb up any of them, it is possible to admire surprising sightseeing: fancifully intertwining far to horizon the circuit of lakes. There are more than 100 thousand lakes. Imandra       – the largest of them. The pool of Lake Imandra totals 1379 water-currents and 2270 lakes. This largest reservoir of the Kola region has the area in 880 km. Length of lake is 109 km, width – up to 19 km, the maximal depths up to 67 m. On a water smooth surface of lake there are 144 islands. The coast is cut strongly up; there are many bays and the gulfs convenient for camping. Gathering of mushrooms, berries and fishing in places far from a civilization becomes even more fascinating.
    A symbol of our city - "the country of the midnight sun " - a sculpture of an elk which stands on the square “Five corners”. On a huge stone comes a wood hero. Íå looks at the city which has stretched in places was its possession.
    Monchegorsk is behind Polar circle, therefore in the winter polar night here is observed, during it about 25 days the sun does not show above horizon, and the sky decorates the polar lights, and there comes polar day, eternal day in the summer, about 46 days when the sun does not come. Common duration of a season of "white nights"  - not less than 100 days: from the beginning of May up to the middle of August.
    And pride of our city is the park.       This wonderful, untouched corner of the nature is always attractive its beauty. both for citizens, and to visitors of city. The central avenue of park goes down to Lake Lumbolka.