Description of the attraction
In 1986, on the basis of the exhibition, which was dedicated to the 50th Holiday of the North, a museum dedicated to the history of the Polar Olympics was opened. This museum is a territorial department of the regional museum of local lore in the city of Murmansk, as well as the only sports museum in the region. The exposition area is 70 square meters.
The exposition of the museum includes more than 500 exhibits and tells about the first Festival of the North, which took place in 1934, here you can also trace how the sports movement developed in the region in subsequent years, learn about the international competitions held within the framework of the Polar Olympics. In the museum you can see the collection of sports skis, medals and badges, which are dedicated to the Northern Holidays. Also in the museum there are photographs, materials about sports successes and personal belongings of the winners, prize-winners of the competition, Sami clothes.
In the 20s of the last century, the city of Leningrad was considered the main sports center of the North of the country. The first trainers and sports teachers of Murmansk were the people of Leningrad. At that time, the common sports were rowing, football, bast shoes, skiing, hockey, and ice skating. Competitions in weight lifting, gymnastics, and acrobatics were popular. But one of the most accessible and attractive sports was skiing, especially since the nature of the Arctic Circle contributed to this. Such outstanding athletes as A. Lopintsev, G. Abramov, V. Lyapkin, the Sintsov brothers and others created the traditions of the Holiday of the North. The first Festival of the North, which started in March 1934, was attended by 86 skiers from different cities of the country: Murmansk, Moscow, Leningrad, Vologda and Petrozavodsk.
Three years later, the program of the Festival included an unusual but characteristic sport for the North - reindeer sled racing. Athletes who participated in the Holidays of the North, cross-country skiing, mass Komsomol cross-country races, and competitions in the paramilitary program - the experience came in handy for defending the Motherland.
During the difficult wartime, the Festival of the North was one of the few competitions held in the country. The defenders of the Arctic Circle received high military awards next to the TRP badges.
The North Festival in 1970 was included in the international sports calendar. Skiers from Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, Germany, Australia and Norway competed on the sports tracks of the North. Competitions in distinctive sports, for example, reindeer sled races, are of great interest.
At the moment, the launching pad for the Festival of the North is located in the Valley of Comfort, one of the most beautiful places in Murmansk. In 1974, the North Festival marathon started for the first time. The ski marathon has gained immense popularity, not only in our country, but also abroad. Nowadays, the holiday program includes almost 20 sports: figure skating, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ball hockey, ice hockey, nordic skiing, aeromodelling sports, winter swimming, snowmobile races, reindeer sled races - are held in Murmansk; freestyle, alpine skiing, ski jumping - take place in the city of Kirovsk; in Olenegorsk - speed skating, in the city of Kandalaksha - naturban, in the Kola region - sport fishing competitions, winter surfing.
The museum is a center for the promotion of physical culture and sports in the Arctic. Every year there are meetings of sports veterans with young athletes, with representatives of the media, awards are given to the winners of the city's sports competitions, distinguished sports commentators and photojournalists.
