Just approaching the city of Kirovsk, Murmansk region, you will immediately see the green building of the hotel “Khibiny”. The hotel is 800 metres from the city centre and just a 5-minute walk from The ColaSportLand Ski Centre. In walking distance from you will be more than 30 km of descents. Trails with a length of 250 to 2700 are aimed at both beginners and professionals. There are 6 lifts, a chairlift, two ski jumps and three acrobatic ski jumps. It’s all going to be right next to you. Here you can roll down the mountain directly to the entrance to the hotel.
Location and infrastructure
Kirovsk is surrounded by majestic Khibiny from almost all sides. The streets of the city bend, then descend from the hill, then go up. Kirovsk is a multi-level city. The settlement itself appeared thanks to Soviet archaeologists. It was they who discovered the apatite-oiline field in this area at the beginning of the XX century. Kirovsk is a young city. It has yet to celebrate its centenary.
Breathtaking mountain landscape, picturesque views, fantastic northern lights, picturesque mountain landscape, well-developed infrastructure, low prices for equipment rental, accommodation and lifts – this attracts more and more tourists here every year.
In [y], the hotel was renovated. Colorfully decorated, recently renovated rooms are suitable for both single travelers and large companies. All rooms are soundproofed with en suite bathrooms. Nothing will interfere with your sound sleep.
To visit at least once beyond the Arctic Circle on the Kola Peninsula is the dream of many. Here you can immerse yourself briefly in a real polar night, admire the northern lights, breathe clean mountain air, appear on skis. The local mountain relief was chosen by both fans of extreme sports and those who prefer unhurried skiing. And the climatic conditions were ideal for creating a huge ski center.
Anastasia, Moscow “I liked the beautiful views from the windows. On one side of the hotel windows overlook the city, on the other – on the slope of the mountain. The location of the hotel is just great, the ski lifts are very close. And on skis you can go down the slope directly to the hotel. Just a fairy tale. The staff is polite and helpful, always goes to the meeting. There is a place to walk in the evening. The hotel itself is very quiet, which is quite rare. Breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the restaurant are very decent.”
Food
Breakfasts are held in the restaurant “Olympus” on the system “buffet” from 8 to 10 am. And with an early check-out, you will pack breakfast in a lunch box so that you do not go hungry.
On request, the restaurant provides children’s and special diet menus.
The restaurant “Olympus” offers dishes of European cuisine. There is a large selection of light snacks, drinks and hot dishes. Try the signature “Country Frying Pan” or beren steak with pear and lingonberry sauce.
In the evenings, the hotel has a bar “Third Slope” on the 3rd floor. This is a cozy place away from the hustle and bustle of people.
Hotel services
Sports equipment can be rented directly at the Khibiny Hotel, as well as a separate storage room. The hotel also has its own sports hall with an area of 240 sq. m. It is perfect for individual training, as well as for group classes or team games. The hall has modern flooring and equipment.
After a busy day, you can relax in the traditional classic-style sauna.
For business events, you can rent a comfortable conference room.
The reception is open 24 hours a day. There is a large free car park on site. The nearest bus stop “Khibiny” is just 200 metres away.
The hotel also has its own small souvenir shop, where you can buy works of art by local artists and artisans, as well as magnets, mugs and sweatshirts with the symbols of the hotel and the mountains.
Barbecue facilities and an outdoor dining are available.
Pets are allowed, but a prior request is required.
Anatoly, St. Petersburg “First of all, I want to note the excellent location. We came to ski, for us – the very thing. A real sports hotel. Parking is large. The beds are comfortable, slept perfectly. Clean, quiet. The guys in the restaurant are just great – fast and helpful. There is a dryer for sports equipment. We were in the Khibiny for the first time, but we will come again.”
Leisure and entertainment nearby
The historical center of the city of Kirovsk is an interesting place for walking. It looks unexpectedly solid for such a small town. Apparently, in the last century, the Soviet government had big plans for Kirovsk.
Not all of them were destined to be realized, but almost from the very foundation of the city, ski lovers began to come here. Gradually, Kirovsk turned into a whole center of such services. The conditions in these places are very suitable for this. Now the ski slopes of the Khibiny have ceased to be inferior in their technical equipment even to the resorts of alpine skiing in Europe. It is not surprising that most visitors to Kirovsk come here precisely for the sake of the mountains and trails located on their slopes. It is an ideal place for both professional athletes and beginners. And fans of extreme descents for freeride will find a suitable slope with snow virgin land.
Khibiny – quite high mountains (more than 1200 meters high), so for winter sports this place is used almost all year round. But in the summer there is something to do. Professional climbers and ordinary hikers tend to come here. It is not difficult to choose the right route or trail for you, there are a lot of them here, and you can choose the right category of complexity. And it is also a great place to observe a unique natural phenomenon – the northern lights. From 15 to 29 December, a real polar night lasts here. And this is the best time to observe.
Adventure lovers will love the mystical stories and legends associated with the local mountains. The name of one of the mountains Aikuayvenchorr is translated from the Sám language as “the head of the Mother of God”. For the Sáms, the indigenous inhabitants of these places, this mountain is sacred. The silhouette of the mountain looks like a woman’s face, turned to the sky.
A special charm to these places is given by mountain lakes. Between the mountains of Kirovsk spilled the largest lake Khibiny – Big Vudyavr. It is incredibly beautiful in any weather, and the place itself, surrounded by mountains, is very picturesque. Look at the lake from different sides, it will seem completely different to you. But the best view is the mountain, which is located on the opposite side of the city. There is a special observation deck at the top of the slope.
There is another lake – Small Woodyavr. On its shore opened a tourist camp.The lake attracts lovers of fishing. There are perch, pike, grayling, whitefish and redfish. And in the vicinity grow berries (lingonberry, cloudberry, blueberry, cranberry). This place is also known for its annual festivals “Lapland Legends”.
Every winter in Kirovsk begins the construction of the Snow Village. This is an amazing place in which all the buildings, houses, even entire streets are made of snow and ice. The imagination of the masters is simply amazing. Thanks to them, the village looks different every time. For greater play of light, a special multi-colored backlight is equipped. For adults, there is an ice bar, and children are offered excursions, sleigh rides, costume programs with fairy-tale characters (even Santa Claus and snow maiden). And there is an ice registry office.
On one of the slopes of the complex “Big Woodyavr” opened an art park “Mysterious Forest”. Unusual sculptures were brought here. Who would have thought that here you can meet the head from Easter Island and even aliens. For a greater effect of mystery, all these sculptures, trees and even stones are specially illuminated. Indeed, it looks mysterious.
There is a small entertainment complex “Fusion” in the town. It has a children’s café, an art café and a nightclub.
Sights and excursions
The northernst botanical garden in our country is more than 80 years old. This place is worth a visit in winter and summer. In the Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden named after N.A. Aurora KSC RAS tirelessly study plants and help them to take root in unusual for them difficult conditions of the northern harsh climate. The very fact of finding a botanical garden with tropical plants beyond the Arctic Circle is impressive. There is simply no other such garden. The area of the garden is huge – more than 1200 hectares. On its territory is the mountain Vudjavrchorr, it is loved by lovers of beautiful views and especially rock climbers.
We recommend you to visit one of the most remarkable buildings in the city. It is an easily recognizable house with a tower decorated with a clock dial. Here works the Museum and Exhibition Center of the KF JSC “Apatit”. Among tourists, this place is very popular, because there are several museum expositions at once. Impressive is the richest collection of mining ore and minerals that have been collected from all over the world. An interesting unusual multimedia exposition “Travels from the bowels of the Earth to the atmosphere”. And there is an exposition dedicated to the life and customs of the Russian Empire.
Kirovsk is a small town. But there are enough museums here. Near Kirov opened a museum-diorama, telling about one of the most important pages of the Great Patriotic War – the long-awaited breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad and the important historical operation “Iskra”. The entrance to the museum building looks unusual. It was stylized as a long-term fire fortification, which was actively built during the war. Next to the museum opened another exhibition, but in the open air. From the bottom of local swamps and rivers at one time raised various tanks, they were restored, and then brought here. Here you can see the BT-5, KV-1 and KV-1S, T-26 and T-38.
Did you know that the famous author of the poem “Moscow-Petushki” Venedikt Erofeev was born, grew up and lived in Kirovsk for a long time? There is a literary museum, which has preserved many of Erofeev’s personal belongings, his manuscripts and photographs, as well as autographed books.
The aborigines (indigenous inhabitants) of the Kola Peninsula are the Sah. Near Kirov in the village of Levozero there is an interesting museum telling about the history, life and culture of this small people of the Russian North. It collected a large number of authentic things, many of which are several centuries old.
Fans of crumbling buildings can explore the old abandoned train station building. The station was built in the 30s of the last century. Then in Kirovsk actively mined ore, built a railway connection with the city. The station building in the traditional at that time in the style of Stalinist classicism looked very monumental and immediately became the tallest and most noticeable building in the city. Outside the walls were lined with granite, inside the wall was covered with marble. In 1996, the railway communication with the city was stopped. The station was closed, and the building began to gradually collapse.
Go to the river Risyok, which is located 18 km from Kirovsk. It is known for its waterfall with the sonorous name Beautiful. The waterfall really fits its name. It is high (about 20 meters), and the water in it is an unusual bluish hue. Not far from this place in Soviet times, underground nuclear tests were conducted. There was a whole test site for nuclear weapons. No traces of these tests remained, the radiation in this place does not exceed the norm. And the entrance to the underground structure is walled up.
The city of Kirovsk was built in Soviet times, then for ideological reasons churches were not built. But after the Soviet Union collapsed, temples in Kirov began to appear. The very first to build on the Kola Peninsula was the Church of the Kazan Mother of God. Later, in 2005, the Khibynogorsk Convent was built here in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Interestingly, until now this monastery is the northernmost Orthodox monastery.
