A commemorative plaque symbolizing the beginning of the territory of the Russian Federation appeared on a high cliff near Cape Nemetskiy on Rybachiy Peninsula. The metal sign with the inscription "Russia Begins Here" on top of a man-made mound of stones was installed by the participants of a complex expedition of the Murmansk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, and the Northern Fleet. According to the authors of the project, the new attraction in the northernmost continental point of the European part of the country will arouse great interest among tourists.
The black cliffs of Cape Nemetskiy are washed by the cold waves of the Barents Sea. Further north, there are only archipelagos of the Russian Arctic and the boundless waters of the Arctic Ocean. Here, on the last piece of land, stand Vaidagubskiy Lighthouse and a meteorological station.
“We had the idea of installing such a sign a long time ago. If you look at the map of Russia in a conic projection generally accepted for our territory, then people reading from left to right (and most of them) begin looking from the upper left corner, where Rybachiy Peninsula is located. That is, from here the viewing of the entire territory of Russia on the map begins. We can say that Russia begins here," Denis Moiseev, chairman of the Murmansk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, explained the idea.
The commemorative plaque with the inscription "Russia Begins Here" was made on the initiative of the Murmansk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. It was installed according to the custom of Russian sailors and polar explorers on top of a conical embankment of stones – cairn. All members of the expedition participated in the laying of the cairn, passing stones to each other along the chain.
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“We are grateful to the leadership of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and the Northern Fleet, as well as to all the participants of the expedition for supporting our initiative and participating in the installation of the geographical sign. We hope that it will become a popular tourist location where everyone will be able to take a memorable photo," Denis Moiseev said.
The annual complex expedition of the Murmansk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, and the Northern Fleet to Sredniy and Rybachiy Peninsulas took place from June 9 to 13. This year it was dedicated to Day of Russia and the 85th anniversary of the Murmansk Region. In four days, the project participants covered about 350 km in difficult conditions, performing a number of important scientific observations, as well as working on the restoration and improvement of monuments and burial sites of defenders of the Arctic during the Great Patriotic War.
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