Russia’s Promyshlenny mining village was once a sizable community with its own cultural center, a school with a swimming pool, and an indoor ice skating rink. Yet since the 2000s, nobody has lived here, and all of the social infrastructure is disintegrating.
Russia’s Promyshlenny mining village was once a sizable community with its own cultural center, a school with a swimming pool, and an indoor ice skating rink. Yet since the 2000s, nobody has lived here, and all of the social infrastructure is disintegrating.
Just a few structures may now be seen among the unending tundra. And it appears really bizarre, especially when some buildings appear to be in perfect condition while others are ostentatious and regal.
After making a detour along a damaged road, we eventually reach a collapsed bridge. The town was formerly split in two by the Yzyuraozh River. There were multiple bridges for inhabitants’ convenience, but they were swept away over time. Thus, only on foot.
In 2007, the mining community was entirely abandoned. The disaster at the Tsentralnaya mine was one of the major incidents that came before this. A large-scale collapse took place in January 1998 as a result of a fire and a following methane explosion. There were 49 miners working in the mine at the time, 22 of them worked on the upper horizons and could escape on their own.
At a depth of 900 meters, the 27 surviving miners were imprisoned beneath the debris. The dead of 4 miners were discovered there when rescuers were able to get to the scene of the carnage. The subsequent rescue efforts were hampered by raging fires and at least 10 kilometres of impenetrable rubble. 23 miners’ remains have not been discovered or taken to the surface. The mine was sealed after being filled with water.
Yet the horrors related with the Tsentralnaya mine did not end there. The mine was closed down, trash piles were cleared away, and structures were demolished in 2000. Three persons perished when one of the buildings fell.
With the mine’s closure, the village’s liquidation process started, and residents moved in search of employment. The homes in the settlement of Promyshlenniy started to be torn down when no one lived there anymore in 2007. To yet, only municipal facilities have been saved. Our first stop will be the skating rink.
The abandoned skating rink is round; it formerly had a roof, of course. You can freeze ice without using any extra equipment because to the building’s design. Special holes can be found at a height of up to one meter around the circle’s edge. When they are opened in the winter, the street’s cold is more effective than any technology. In the entryway, a mosaic panel that was part of the Soviet interior design has been retained.
There is nowhere else to enter certain abandoned houses, some of which have been extremely badly kept, and some of which are unsafe to enter. kindergartens, management, dining establishments, and residential schools. Of course, these locations are now only known through online accounts or markers.
The Palace of Culture was another intriguing abandoned structure. It was a large structure with columns, an extensive auditorium, and classrooms for artistic activity. In another abandoned mining town, I had already encountered a similar effort.
Other images captured in an abandoned mining village may be seen below. After another twelve years, all that will be left of this location will be memories.
