The rush of tourists at Teriberka, a rural ghost town on the Barents Sea coast, hasn’t stopped ever since the release of Leviathan – an Oscar-nominated feature film that came out in 2014 and took home a Golden Globe. The film, which tells the story of a hard-drinking northerner, was shot at what has now become Russia’s most Instagrammed village. Among its biggest attractions? A creepy graveyard of abandoned ships and fishing boats. Drone video provides a bird’s-eye view…
Teriberka used to be a prosperous fishing hub. Like many villages in Russia, it also fell into decay with the fall of communism. Locals say their troubles started when the fishing industry declined at the start of the 1980s.
People abandoned their wooden homes and apartments. The last fish processing plant in the region shut down in 2015 when it was no longer profitable. A school was closed because it was no longer worth maintaining. And from 5,000 residents, the population came down to a paltry 600.
Today, those abandoned houses could serve as art objects and horror movie sets alike. The cemetery of skeletal ships evokes similar emotions. While some view it as a tourist attraction of sorts, others want to clean up the “scummy eyesore” with blowtorches.
You can decide which side you’re on once you’ve seen the video below:
In any case, tourism is now the only thing that’s keeping Teriberka’s economy running. In spring and summer, Russian tourists show up at the semi-abandoned village to go fishing and attend local festivals. In winters, visitors from China throng the place in hopes of chasing the Northern Lights.
Teriberka isn’t for everyone though. With a hostel and a hotel serving as the only accommodation options, and locals protesting the construction of new roads to “preserve the local color,” those who visit Teriberka know what they’re signing up for: starkness and adventure.
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