Murmansk is the Russian city that is the largest to experience the midnight sun around the summer solstice. Located north of the Arctic Circle, it has a period when the Sun remains above the horizon instead of setting each night.
Murmansk’s midnight-sun season lasts approximately from 22 May to 22 July, or about 62 days. The city lies on the Kola Peninsula beside the Barents Sea, where the North Atlantic Current helps keep its port relatively ice-free despite its far-northern latitude.
The city was founded in 1915 as Romanov-on-Murman and was renamed Murmansk after the Russian Revolution. Its population and industrial importance make it far larger than many other Arctic settlements. St Petersburg does not lie near the Arctic Circle, while Arkhangelsk is south of it and does not experience true polar day. Norilsk is farther north, but it is smaller, so it is not the largest city in this comparison.
“Midnight sun” does not mean the Sun is especially bright at midnight; it means sunset does not occur for a period because Earth’s axial tilt keeps the region facing the Sun.