Temirtau

Temirtau - darkometer rating : 4 - This central Kazakhstan town, just north of Karaganda , is a heavy-industry centre of infernal proportions, which includes one of the largest integrated steel plants in the world. The countless chimney stacks and outlets of pollution constantly emit trails of smoke, mushroom clouds of steam (from the coking plant) and even dark yellow plumes of hazy gaseous substances whose chemical composition you don't even want to ask about. To add to the infernal looks, the social problems of the place are a match too, such as the highest HIV rate in the country and widespread alcoholism. Accordingly, some parts of town are (quoting the Bradt guidebook to Kazakhstan) considered "rough". For most people Temirtau is a veritable hellhole – i.e. for those (like myself) who get a kick out of industrial wastelands' pseudo-apocalyptic aesthetics it's heavenly! Even though you can easily get to Temirtau by local bus from Karaganda , you'll need a car and driver to get around here and see the gigantic industrial backdrop from as close up as possible, but obviously you can't actually get inside any of the sites as a regular tourist. Other than a drive past the enormously expansive industrial plants, a side trip to the town centre is also a worthwhile addition to an excursion to Temirtau (which, by the way, means 'mountain of iron' in Kazakh!). The steelworkers monument opposite the intersection of Prospekt Respubliki and Prospekt Metallurgov is a fantastic celebration of the profession. High on a red marble plinth, backed by a tall steel obelisk, two statues of stern-looking metallurgy workers stand in collaborative unity. At least one of the two workers depicted bears an uncanny resemblance to President Nazarbayev.