The spooky ice city that surprises Russia: houses look like caves

In the Russian city of Vorkuta, located north of the Arctic Circle, temperatures reach 50 degrees below zero in winter. Once the city was home to a thriving community of mining workers, but now it is gradually being abandoned, and the ice takes hold. So much so that the images of the place show shocking scenarios, such as a house transformed into an ice cave, with stalactites hanging from their ceilings.

Vorkuta is located in the Republic of Komi and is one of the northernmost cities in the Russian Federation. The colony went through a process of urbanization in the 1940s, when it was operating as a coal mining center.

But in the 90s after the end of the Soviet Union, production collapsed and left several companies shutting down. Many workers lost their jobs and the exodus began.

With every harsh winter, snow and ice arrive, drowning in what were once homes inhabited by entire families. This is how the city took on a ghostly appearance. Most cultural spaces, such as cinemas and theaters, remain closed. According to The Guardian newspaper, the Russian government does not have the funds to repair the large number of buildings damaged by extreme temperatures.

Photographer Maria Passer, from the agency Anatolia, arrived on the scene to document with his camera the ice covered buildings from Vorkuta. The result was the images of an inhospitable place, which has traveled the world.

THE NATION