Winter temperature here regularly drops to minus fifty degree Celsius.
Its so cold that no one can stay outside for more than 15 minutes.
Verkhoyansk was founded by the Cossacks back in 1638.
During the Soviet era, Verkhoyansk served as a place where political prisoners were sent to exile.
A concrete monument resembling a wooly mammoth head commemorates Verkhoyansk as the site of the Arctic Cold Pole.
Photo credit:Becker0804/Wikimedia
Verkhoyansk is one of the most isolated towns in this region.
There are no roads leading to this place.
Residents spend the winter pretty much in hibernation, avoiding going outdoors as much as possible.
Those forced to go outside warm themselves with wood fires in roadside huts and by keeping car engines running.
Schools remain closed, but only when the temperatures drop below minus 55 degrees Celsius.
The lowest temperature recorded in Verkhoyansk was 67.8 C, recorded three days in a row in February 1892.
Located not far from the Kolyma highway, Oymyakon is always accessible to tourists by road, unlike Verkhoyansk.
The town also has facilities such as hotels, and a local Gulag Museum as attraction.
Photo credit:ysia.ru
Sources:The Basement Geographer/Wikipedia/Spiegel/NY Times
