Titovka road cafe will close
The popular road café halfway between Norway and Murmansk will be closed from November 1st. The round-the-clock-open cafe has served the travelers since the mid 90ties.
Both the frequent travelers on the Arctic highway and the employees say the close-down is totally incomprehensible. Located in the middle of nowhere, the café is both good business and a popular stop for the travelers to and from Murmansk.
Elena Romanchak has been working at the road café for the last 12 years.
–We got the message that the café will be closed a short while ago and it was not given any reasons, says Elena. She has no new job offer.
The four employees at the café work shift, one week on – one week off. The monthly salary is 17000 rubles, considered to be good wages in the region.
The café is owned by the Murmansk Oblast committee for properties. It is located 100 kilometer from Murmansk to the east and 150 kilometers from the border check-point to Norway to the west.
Originally, the barracks that house the café were workmen’s hut for the drivers of the snow ploughs that kept the road over the mountains opened during winter time. Those days, the snow clearing was partly financed by Norway, and the barracks were brought in from Norway. When the Norwegian financing ended, the café was opened.
The motel that is located in the barracks next door to the café will continue to work, but the toilet - important to many winter travelers - will also be closed from November 1st.
