My Beloved Arctic

"My Beloved Arctic" (Russian: «Я люблю моё Заполярье») is the unofficial anthem of the Murmansk region of Russia.[1]

The song was written by Vladimir A. Popov (music) and Vladimir Smirnov (lyrics). The song plays every hour at Five Corners, the main square of Murmansk, from chimes installed in the Hotel Arctic. These chimes were installed in 1996 (the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Murmansk) at the initiative of mayor Oleg Naydenov.[2][3] From 2007 to 2009 the chimes were silenced for repairs.[4] and in 2009 the hotel was closed for renovation.

The song is used in Murmansk schools for the cultural and patriotic education of children,[5] and the title was used as the name of a festival of patriotic song held on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Murmansk.[6]

The Murmansk rail station, where "My Beloved Arctic" is played

The song is played in the main Murmansk railroad station to signal the departure of trains.[7] The Society of Russian Authors, the body charged with protecting intellectual property rights, filed a request for clarification of whether October Railway Corporation had paid for the right to use the song. The matter was settled amicably, with the composer (Vladimir Popov) stating that he was just glad that his song had found a second life at the station.[7]

  1. ^ Komsomolskaya Pravda - Murmansk, № 53, March 25, 2005 (in Russian)
  2. ^ Olga White (October 15, 2009). "Ход времени" [The Passage of Time]. AIF Northwest (Conversations and Facts Northwest). Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  3. ^ 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)
  4. ^ "Городской телетайп: итоги недели" [The City TDD: Weekly]. The Evening Murmansk. October 20, 2009. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2011. (in Russian)
  5. ^ Olga Fedorovna Arkhipova. "Урок музыки в 4-м классе по теме: 'Песни Поморья'" [4th Grade Music Lesson on the Theme: 'Songs of Pomerania']. Open Lesson Festival. September First. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help) (in Russian)
  6. ^ Tatyana Chernova (March 14, 2008). "А про дедушек забыли" [And Remember the Grandparents]. Murmansk Bulletin. Retrieved October 23, 2011. (in Russian)
  7. ^ a b Oksana Petrova (April 23, 2008). "Как в Заполярье нарушают авторские права" [Copyright Violations in the Arctic]. Komsomolskaya Pravda - Murmansk. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2011. (in Russian)