Azimut Hotel Murmansk

The Azimut Hotel Murmansk is a high-rise hotel in the center of Murmansk, Russia. It opened in 1984, as the Hotel Arktika (Russian: Арктика) and was renamed the Azimut Hotel Murmansk in 2014, following major renovations. It is the tallest building in Murmansk[2] and the tallest building located north of the Arctic Circle.[3][4][1]

Azimut Hotel Murmansk
Azimut Hotel Murmansk
Hotel chainAzimut Hotels
General information
TypeHotel
LocationFive Corners, Murmansk
Address82 Lenin Avenue
Town or cityMurmansk
CountryRussia
Coordinates68°58′16.31″N 33°04′34.26″E
Completed1984
Opened29 January 1985
Renovated13 September 2014
OwnerAzimut Hotels (50%), City of Murmansk (50%)
Height54.86 m (180.0 ft)
Technical details
Floor count19
Renovating team
Architect(s)Nikolai Lyzlov
Main contractorRD Group
Other information
Number of rooms186
Number of restaurants2
Number of bars2
Parking150
Website
Official website
References
[1]

Description

The hotel is located at 82 Lenin Avenue at Five Corners, Murmansk's main square. Prior to its 2009 closing, the hotel had a restaurant (also called "Arctic"), a cafe (the "Day and Night"), a billiards room, a hairdressing salon, a tanning salon, and several shops, bars, and coffee shops.[5]

History

The first Murmansk hotel named "Arktika" opened in 1933. It was a four–story brick building with 100 rooms.[6] In 1972 – 1984 the old hotel was demolished and replaced by the current building.[2]

Before 1988 the hotel was a state enterprise. In 1990 it became the property of a joint Soviet–Swedish company. In 1996 it acquired the status of a municipal hotel and restaurant complex, in 2003 it became a municipal unitary enterprise,[2] and in 2006 it was privatized. Half the shares are held by the City of Murmansk and half by the Azimut Hotels Corporation.[4]

In 1996 (the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Murmansk), following an initiative by mayor Oleg Naydenov, chimes were installed in the hotel which play "My Beloved Arctic",[7][8] the unofficial anthem of the Murmansk region. The chimes were silenced from 2007 to 2009 for repairs.[9]

Renovation
Azimut Hotel Murmansk (former The Hotel Arktika) was opened in 2014 after renovation[10]

In 2009 the Hotel Arctic was closed for renovation, to upgrade the comfort and safety of the hotel.[11][12]

The renovation was undertaken by the Azimut Hotels Company, the architectural firm of Nikolai Lyzlov,[13] and a British architectural firm.

The renovation was designed so as to update the facade, increase the number of elevators, and provide space for boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. The utilities were to be updated, the outdated fire safety systems was to be replaced, and the average room size was to be increased to 80 square metres (860 sq ft). The first six or seven floors were converted to office space, with hotel rooms occupying only the upper ten floors.[14]

The hotel reopened as the Azimut Hotel Murmansk on 13 September 2014.[15]

Notable guests

Various persons of note stayed at the old or new Arctic, including the Soviet physicist Sergei Vavilov, the arctic explorers Vladimir Wiese, Otto Schmidt, and Ivan Papanin, the Soviet writers Veniamin Kaverin, Konstantin Simonov, and Valentin Kataev, and the Russian/Soviet zoologist Nikolai Knipovich. The hotel provides accommodation for participants in the Northern Festival (the "Polar Olympics") which is held in Murmansk.[2]

In literature

The Arctic is mentioned in the poem "A Toast to Zhenya" by Yuri Vizbor:[16]

Well now, citizen, look at yourself.
You've stayed 'til one.
Now it's closing time!
Paid your tab?
Better tote it up.
Or are you planning to stay 'til dawn?
Damn.
With a face that has forgotten how to smile
I walked away from the past...
From the Hotel Arctic
Into a darkness untouched by any god:
The blind polar night.

References
  1. "Arktika Hotel, Murmansk - SkyscraperPage.com". skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  2. "Арктика" [Hotel Arctic]. Kola Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  3. "Гостиница "Арктика". Визитная карточка Мурманска. Самое высокое здание за полярным кругом" [Hotel "Arctic." An icon of Murmansk. The tallest building in the Arctic Circle.]. TV–21 TV Murmansk. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  4. "Самое высокое здание за Полярным кругом" [The tallest building in the Arctic Circle]. Istikon. September 1, 2009. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2011. (in Russian)
  5. "Гостиница "Арктика", Мурманск" [Hotel Arctic, Murmansk]. Allbiz. Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  6. Eva Hartog (29 September 2014). "Soviet-Era Arktika Hotel Reflects Murmansk's Turbulent History" [Hotel Arktika: Tallest Building North of the Arctic Circle]. The Moscow Times. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  7. Olga White (October 15, 2009). "Ход времени" [The Passage of Time]. AIF Northwest (Conversations and Facts Northwest). Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  8. Anna Solovyova (September 20, 2008). "В Заполярье есть свой Биг–Бен и музыкальные куранты" [The Polar Region Has its Own Big Ben Chimes and Music]. Komsomolskaya Pravda. Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  9. "Городской телетайп: итоги недели" [The City TDD: Weekly]. The Evening Murmansk. October 20, 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  10. "Hotel Arctic is on reconstruction". Real estate bulletin (BN newspaper) (in Russian). 21 May 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  11. "Гостиница "Арктика" сохранит свое название" [Hotel "Arctic" will retain its name]. Murman.ru. October 7, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  12. TV-21 (September 1, 2009). "Reconstruction of the largest hotel of Murmansk will come to the end in 2011". Hibiny.ru. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2011. (in English)
  13. "Самое высокое здание за Полярным кругом в РФ реконструируют к середине 2011 года - Это интересно" [Interesting note: the tallest building in the Arctic Circle in Russia to be remodeled by mid-2011]. arundelda.ru. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2011. (in Russian)
  14. "Гостиница Арктика в Мурманске" [Hotel Arctic in Murmansk]. proMurmansk. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  15. "2 billion rubles were invested into the reconstruction of Arctic". Interfax Realty (in Russian). 15 September 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  16. Kryuchkov, Vladimir; Thorns, R. (1999). Визбор Ю.И. Сочинения [Works of Y. I. Vizbora]. Vol. 1: Poems and Songs. Moscow: Lokid. (in Russian)
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