The Netherlands is famous for its beauty and friendly people who are happy to help tourists in any way. That is why there is nothing strange in the fact that people from all over the world periodically come here, whether they are ordinary tourists or those individuals who dream of trying something new for themselves.

But, it is worth noting that not everything in Amsterdam is allowed, even despite the cinema, there really are certain prohibitions that for some reason are not considered as such by tourists, and we will talk about them.

Legal marijuana smoking

Most likely, you have heard more than once that it is in Amsterdam that you can legally smoke marijuana, but the problem is that this is not entirely true. To be more precise, it is still possible to smoke without the intervention of law enforcement agencies, but only to residents of the Netherlands.

The fact is that there are special closed clubs where such a pastime is allowed, but in order to get into it, you must be a resident of this country. It is worth noting that such a ban has been introduced since 2013, before such clubs could be visited by anyone, including tourists.

Photo with workers of the red light district

The red light district is already a familiar place for the inhabitants of the Netherlands and many tourists, it is here that you can enjoy the beauty of the local inhabitants, but at the same time, this does not mean at all that you have any rights, for example, photographing them. In which case, if you try to take a picture of such a girl, then most likely this will cause additional problems for you, since the police arrive here quite quickly, law enforcement officers, in turn, cannot explain to you what to do the way you want.

If a verbal warning is not enough, and you still continue to ignore the law and rules, then everything can end in a monetary fine. It should be noted that even if you somehow managed to secretly take a photo, there is always a chance that the dispatcher responsible for video control will pay attention to you and you still have to justify yourself to the police.

Rent a car

Often, car rental is a rather useful and convenient service, since it allows you to save a lot of your time due to the fact that thanks to vehicles you can move around the city faster. But, in practice, everything is noticeably different, largely due to the fact that Amsterdam itself was originally planned as a city designed for cyclists, so it’s better for you to rent a bike, not a car.

Today, more than 25 million people live in cities with a narrow economic specialization. This is a quarter of all citizens and more than one-sixth of the total population of Russia. What about the thousands of people who have worked all their lives at the city-forming enterprise, and which is now closed?

1. There are more than 70 mining towns in Russia. Some of them are in Siberia. Once these cities were the pride of our large country, but over the past decades, mines in 50 of them have been closed and flooded, while tens of thousands of miners have been left without work. Half of my relatives live in one of the largest mining towns in Kuzbass, so this topic is especially important to me. Last week I filmed industrial and social objects for several days in the famous mining town of Siberia - Anzhero-Sudzhensk.



2. The life of this city is directly related to the development of coal deposits discovered at the end of the 19th century. Settlements on the site of modern Anzhero-Sudzhensk arose in 1896-1897 in connection with the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the start of coal mining. In 1915, the Anzhersk and Sudzhensky mines produced 92% of the total production of coal enterprises in the region. The city arose and developed as a settlement, consisting of separate settlements near coal mines. Later, two overgrown settlements Anzherka and Sudzhenka merged into one - Anzhero-Sudzhensky, and in 1931 they were given the status of a city.

3. In the summer of 1941, evacuated enterprises from the western borders of the USSR began to arrive in the city. During the Great Patriotic War, machine-building, car repair and chemical-pharmaceutical plants were evacuated to Anzhero-Sudzhensk. During the war years, the city received trains of soldiers wounded in battles. All the most suitable school and administrative buildings were converted into hospitals, and the office of the head of the city was converted into an operating room.

4. The peak of the city's development took place in the second half of the 20th century. Every year, six mines produced over 6 million tons of fuel, mostly expensive coking grades. Coal and coal concentrate were sent to more than a hundred allied and foreign addresses. The city itself lived, built and developed in the same rhythm with the mining teams. The population in the late 80s exceeded 110 thousand people.

5. In the early 1990s, it became obvious that the situation at the industrial enterprises of the city was rapidly changing for the worse. The accelerating rate of production growth was interrupted. Quite quickly, coal mining by the mine method in many Siberian cities became unprofitable. For 15 years, all operating mines were closed in Anzhero-Sudzhensk, in which more than ten thousand miners worked in total. At the same time, the process of restructuring unprofitable mines, launched by the government, hit hard not only the miners. Carriers, concentrators, mine builders, representatives of other related industries that worked in conjunction with coal miners, in particular manufacturers of mining equipment, found themselves in a hopeless situation.

6. In 1998, Anzhero-Sudzhensk received the title of "Motherland of the Rail War". The city is crossed by the famous Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest railway in the world. 160 pairs of trains pass through the city daily. On average, this is one train every ten minutes. In connection with the growth of unemployment and the deteriorating economic situation in the city on May 23, 1998, an action of civil disobedience was organized. The miners decided to shut down the Transsib. Gradually, doctors and teachers joined the striking miners. As a result, the Trans-Siberian Railway was blocked for ten days.

7. By the beginning of the 2000s, a total of 15,000 citizens were left without work, that is, every seventh resident. This fact threw the city back in economic development. The most active part of the population was forced to change their place of residence or look for work outside the city. Over the past 35 years, more than 30 thousand people have left the city. And this is an indicator for only one mining town in Siberia.

In 2014, by order of the Government of the Russian Federation, Anzhero-Sudzhensk was included in the list of single-industry towns with the most difficult socio-economic situation. "Single town" is a fashionable word in Russia now. Although not to say that this is the case when "fashionable" is synonymous with the words "good" or "positive".

8. Our country has a very special economic geography. Nowhere else in the world are there so many cities built in uninhabitable places to serve factories, mines and deposits. These industrial centers - single-industry towns, created for a planned economy, turned out to be a serious problem for a market economy. What to do with a city whose only factory is not needed by the modern economy? What about people who have worked in such an enterprise all their lives?

9. Monotown is not an organism that has evolved over centuries and changed along with history, technology and human preferences. This is a locality created (or radically expanded) so that the workers of one enterprise provided for by an arbitrary plan have somewhere to sleep. In good times, the city-forming enterprise provided the majority of the inhabitants of such a city not only with work, but also with housing, kindergartens, schools, water, heat, electricity and transport. In our country there are more than 300 cities with a narrow economic specialization. In single-industry towns with a population of several thousand to 700,000 inhabitants (Tolyatti), more than 25 million people now live.

10. But not everything is as sad as it could be. To date, in order to overcome the negative consequences of the restructuring of the coal industry in single-industry towns, the economy is diversifying through the organization of new industries. In the case of Anzhero-Sudzhensk, this is the development of the production of petroleum products and deep processing of wood. I have long wanted to shoot a modern oil refinery, and now this day has come.

11. The anchor investment project of the city is the creation of an oil refining complex, which today is represented by three refineries at once. The main objectives of the project are aimed at increasing the depth of oil refining and the production of motor fuel corresponding to the Euro-5 class.

12. Within the framework of this project, it is planned to create 1600 jobs.

13. For the commissioning of such enterprises, work was carried out to create the necessary infrastructure capable of servicing production facilities with energy and water resources. At present, a project is being developed for laying a gas pipeline to Anzhero-Sudzhensk. Yes, there is still no gas in many cities of our country.

14. Anzhero-Sudzhensk officially received the status of a territory of advanced socio-economic development (TOR). This is a special economic zone with preferential tax conditions, simplified administrative procedures and other privileges created to attract investment, accelerate the development of the economy and improve the lives of the population.

I filmed for the local administration on the eve of the visit to the Kemerovo region of the First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, who deals with the development of single-industry towns. Despite the tight schedule and total lack of sleep, it turned out to be an interesting experience of working and shooting. In a few days, I visited a dozen different enterprises in the city, met interesting people, watched protocol shooting without FSO employees, and generally learned a lot of new things.

15. Last year, in Anzhero-Sudzhensk, under an agreement with the Fund for the Development of Monotowns, two water conduits with a diameter of 400 and 500 mm, an overhead power line, and the Mazutnaya substation (pictured) were built and put into operation. New engineering communications made it possible to remove infrastructure restrictions not only for the oil refining complex, but also for other planned and ongoing investment projects.

16. In total, until 2021, the project of the territory of advanced socio-economic development involves the creation of 3,500 new jobs. In February, the first resident of the TOP, Anzhero-Sudzhensky Mill, was officially registered. Thanks to a private investor, the once-abandoned plant in the city will resume the production of bakery products.

17. This trip was so eventful that I managed to film the city's leading production sites. I dreamed of visiting at least one coal mine, but they all turned out to be flooded and de-energized. But another dream came true - I visited the meat processing plant for the first time. At what, not at anyhow, but at the oldest meat processing enterprise in the Kemerovo region.

18. This is a unique plant of a full cycle of processing livestock and meat, located on the same area, which, at the same time, the plant has its own pig farm. Watch a separate report next week.

19. At the end of the last century, the products of the Anzhers machine-building plant were widely known not only in our country, but also abroad. During the war, the plant produced special-purpose products. Sea and land mines, incendiary bombs, parts for ammunition were made. In the post-war years, conveyors and drilling machines were produced from the workshops of the plant, which were sent to all coal regions of the country: to Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Urals, Sakhalin, Komi ASSR and Primorsky Territory.

20. Despite the closure of all mines in the city, Anzhersky Machine-Building Plant is still one of the largest manufacturers of mining equipment in Russia. In its workshops, I came across the same modern equipment that is used at the Moscow Salute, Russia's largest enterprise for the production of aircraft engines (photo from another workshop).

21. In the most remote area of ​​Anzhero-Sudzhensk, eight kilometers from the "city limits", there is the Rudnichny district. It got its name thanks to Kuznetsk Ferroalloys, a mining enterprise for the extraction of quartzites for the metallurgy of Kuzbass and nearby regions.

22. In my life I have seen different cuts. Large and very large, perhaps that's why Rudnichny didn't impress me at all.

23. “Anzhero-Sudzhensk has a great future. We hope that he will leave the list of mono-formations. This does not mean that we will stop working with him, but among 319 single-industry towns he will be the leader - he will show how to develop well when you are a single-industry town, and how to get away from this mono-dependence later,” the First Deputy Prime Minister said.

24. Despite statements by officials, the situation in the mining towns is still difficult. The average salary of an ordinary resident is 20-25 thousand rubles. There are lower salaries. You can understand young people who want to leave to study and work in Kemerovo, Tomsk, Novokuznetsk and Novosibirsk.

25. In addition to supporting and developing industrial enterprises, the city is actively building new housing. Over the past 7 years, more than 100 thousand m 2 of social housing have been built, 20 multi-storey buildings, 2500 apartments have been erected.

26. Based on the methodological recommendations of Strelka Design Bureau (yes, Strelka also reached Anzherka), the city has developed an action plan to improve the quality of the city's environment. In accordance with the results of a sociological survey of the population, it provides for the implementation of five steps to radically transform especially crowded and socially significant places.

Including the improvement of the Central City Park, the construction of the Children's School of Arts, the reconstruction of the main city attraction - Lenin Street, the construction of a kindergarten and the arrangement of vacant areas in the Eastern District under construction.

27. All this is a thousand times wonderful, but I am especially pleased with the initiatives of local entrepreneurs. Take for example an investor who bought an old, abandoned boiler house from the city, put the building in order (albeit the appearance is creepy), and created an entertainment center for children and adults inside.

28. In place of the skeleton of an abandoned building, there is now a complex in which there is a large children's play area, a furniture store, a fitness center ...

29. On the first floor there is a wonderful “craft” wood-fired bakery. This is a real bakery where bread is baked not in electric ovens, but in the old fashioned way, on wood.

31. The products are very tasty, personally tested. No wonder they come from all over the city.

32. Of course, I will not be able to show and tell in one report everything that I saw during this trip. In general, I had a pleasant impression of the city and what is happening to it. Today, Anzhero-Sudzhensk is on the path of transformation from a mining monotown into a city with a diversified economy, socially successful and favorable for life. And all these activities are aimed at improving the quality of the urban environment, at instilling in the population a sense of social optimism, a desire to live, work, create families in their native land, in their native city.

33. But in our country there are a lot of similar Anzhero-Sudzhensk, from which residents tend to leave for more favorable cities. It will take years to completely overcome the legacy of the old economy. The main thing is that single-industry towns have been actively dealt with at the federal level, they are being developed, work is underway to attract investors, industrial sites are being developed, new housing and social facilities are being built, and the territory of cities is being improved.

34. Prokopyevsk, where my relatives live, is of particular interest to me. The same mining town of Kuzbass, even bigger. The third largest in the Kemerovo region, despite the fact that over the past 30 years the city's population has decreased from 278 to 198 thousand people. Unlike Anzhero-Sudzhensk, things are not so fun there. In autumn, the mayor, who headed the city for 17 years, resigned, and then disappeared somewhere. It is extremely difficult to find a normal job in the city. Many residents express distrust of all administration services. I would like to believe that over time it will be possible to make the same positive report about this city.

We all go out daily and visit public places. For toddlers, such walks can be a serious danger. In order not to get into trouble and not cause inconvenience to people around you, you should follow the rules of behavior on the street. This applies to adults, teenagers, and elementary school students.

The concept of a public place

Public spaces are common areas. These are transport, shops, canteens, museums, libraries, as well as the street itself. When you leave your home, you enter a public place. In addition to you, there are many people who walk, rush to work and go about their business. The rules of behavior on the street allow each person to be polite and not disturb others.

Adults should explain to children what can and cannot be done in public places. Along with the rules of etiquette, there are also norms of safe behavior, the knowledge of which helps children avoid difficult and sometimes tragic situations. The road is a place of increased danger, so children should know when and where it is possible to cross it. The school curriculum includes the subject of life safety, in which students learn the rules of behavior on the street.

How to behave on the street

Before you leave the house, you should carefully examine yourself in the mirror. Shoes and clothes should be clean, hair neat.

When you meet a familiar person on the street, you need to say hello first. However, you should not shout a greeting and wave your arms if there is a large distance between you.

It is worth remembering that in our country there is right-hand traffic. This applies not only to transport, but also to pedestrians. The rules of conduct in public places imply that when walking along the sidewalk you need to keep to the right side so as not to interfere with other pedestrians.

Trying to overtake someone, you can not push your elbows. You should apologize and ask the person walking in front to give way to you. If asked to do so, move to the side and let the pedestrian pass.

Seniors need to give way, as well as hold the doors, letting them go forward when entering or leaving buildings.

If a person fell nearby, you need to help him get to his feet and pick up the bags.

Pointing your finger at someone or something is considered indecent.

Candy wrappers, bottles and other garbage must be thrown into special bins.

Rules of etiquette

Rules of behavior in public places teach courtesy. You should not shout, and even more so swear. You need to speak in such a way that only the interlocutor hears.

Men should be careful about women and girls. They must help their companions, carry heavy bags, support them on difficult sections of the road.

According to the rules of etiquette, a man walks on the left side of a woman, supporting her with his right hand. In case of any threat, he covers himself with a companion.

If the father and mother walk with the child, he goes between them.

The younger ones should give way to the older ones, the men to the women. If people of the same age and gender meet on the way, the more polite one will skip ahead.

When coughing or sneezing in a public place, cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or handkerchief.

Traffic Laws

The rules of safe behavior on the street teach how to behave on the roads. They need to be taught from an early age. For this, children's books with the rules of the road are published to help parents.

Before crossing the road, you need to look around and make sure that there is no moving traffic nearby.

You can only start driving at the green traffic light.

In busy places it is better to use underground passages. If not, then you should look for a pedestrian crossing.

Crossing the road in the wrong place, even in the absence of moving cars, is strictly prohibited.

If there is no sidewalk next to the road, you need to move along the side of the road towards the flow of traffic. Reflective elements should be on your clothes so that drivers can see you in the evening.

Behavior in public transport

Public transport includes buses, trams, trolleybuses, fixed-route taxis and metro. The rules of behavior for children on the street explain how to bypass vehicles standing at a bus stop. A car, a bus and a trolleybus should only go around from behind, and a tram - in front. In this case, it is necessary to look at the sides of the road.

When entering the transport, it is necessary to skip ahead the elders and women. The man should go out first to give his hand and help his companion to go down.

Women and the elderly should give up their seats.

Entering public transport, you must pay the fare and take a free seat.

While driving, be sure to hold on to the handrails so that you do not push a nearby passenger when braking.

You need to talk to your companion quietly. Yelling and running on the bus is not allowed. Pushing passengers with your elbows, squeezing to the exit, is considered bad form. It's better to ask to be let through.

Rules of conduct in the subway

The subway is an underground public transport that poses an increased danger.

The basic rules of behavior in the subway can be found on information boards in the subway lobby, as well as in train cars.

Standing on the escalator, you need to hold on to the handrails. Sitting and running on it is prohibited. When entering the escalator, you should hold the hand of the children.

In the train car, you must give way to the elderly and pregnant women. Do not push passengers with your elbows.

It is better to prepare in advance to exit the car, so as not to make your way through the crowd later. If you didn’t have time to get off in time, you need to drive to the next station, get off, and then go back.

Smoking ban

The rules of conduct on the street and in public places prohibit smoking and drinking alcohol. Recently, a law has been in force in our country, thanks to which smoking halls have been removed from all cafes and restaurants. It is worth remembering this when heading out with friends for a bite to eat or spend time in a bar.

Smoking and drinking alcohol in city squares and parks is also prohibited. Citizens who break the law face fines.

It is forbidden to smoke near the subway, on staircases, in public institutions, near schools and kindergartens, at airports, as well as at railway stations and on trains.

Rules of conduct for students on the street

Students, as well as adults, must comply with the rules of conduct and be polite. This should be monitored by parents and teachers. The best way to learn things like this is by example. From an early age, they observe the behavior of others and try to repeat it.

Of course, it is difficult to calm down the sonorous crowd of schoolchildren hurrying home after school. However, to explain to them that it is not necessary to make noise in the street is the task of adults.

Our moms and dads are great examples. Watching them, children learn etiquette, begin to respect older people, greet them, give way. From such noble deeds, the norms of behavior are formed.

Politeness and good manners are the main signs of a person who knows and observes the rules of behavior on the street and in public places. It is pleasant to communicate with such people, and they are respected in society.

In foreign tourist trips, there are quite often situations when one or more people lag behind the group. A competent group leader and escort will never leave a tourist intentionally, but there are all sorts of situations. For example, sometimes the loss in the group is not immediately discovered ...

If you realize that the group left and you stayed, then the most important thing is not to panic. The first thing to do is to contact by mobile phone or via wi-fi on social networks with someone from the group, but it is best with the accompanying representative of the travel agency. But this requires, firstly, the presence of a telephone or other means of mobile communication with open roaming, and secondly, knowledge of the necessary telephone numbers.

You should take care of emergency communications in advance, especially if this is your first trip to foreign countries: open roaming, at least SMS, take phone numbers from fellow travelers and the group leader.

What should not be done lost in an unfamiliar city?

The most reasonable thing to do during calls, if you are not sure where exactly the group has gone, is to stay where you are. It is possible that the people responsible for your safety have realized and are already running to help you. If you do not have a telephone or the opportunity to contact any of the fellow travelers, all the more stay in the place where you got lost. If you leave immediately, then deprive others of the opportunity to find you.

This rule - to stay put - especially applies to children's trips with accompanying teachers who are responsible for the life and health of children. When a children's group is given half an hour, for example, to walk around the flower market in Amsterdam, it is quite possible that not everyone will fit in this time, and it can be difficult for teachers to keep track of everyone.

When the group goes further along the excursion route and suddenly discovers a straggler who has gone to the store without asking and gapes there, one of the teachers will definitely return for him. The main thing is that the “lost”, realizing that he is behind, remains in place.

If you were left all alone in an unfamiliar city

If there is no way to contact the group, and within an hour no one has returned for you, you need to look for the way yourself. The most important thing is not to be left alone in a foreign country. And for this you need to return to the hotel or to the sightseeing bus. If there is no map and idea in which direction to move, then you need to ask for help. But in no case to suspicious people from whom you can expect deception or trouble. Better let it be a mother with a child or a pretty old woman.

In the historical centers of large cities, there are usually much more tourists than locals. And there is little sense from tourists - they know as much about this city as you do. Therefore, you need to contact the locals. You need to address in English, you can only say one word. For example, if you know the name of the pier in Amsterdam from which your group should depart for a canal boat trip, just say that name (and, of course, don't forget to say "Excuse me, please..." before doing so).

The first danger lies in wait for us in the evening of an ordinary working day, when we don’t feel like doing anything. In order not to spend the whole evening on social networks, cut off your escape routes in advance. Buy a ticket to a concert, promise your wife to go to a restaurant, bet a friend that you won't miss a workout. And in order not to think on a tired head, do a simple exercise “Evening Rest Scenarios” right now.

Divide the sheet into two columns. On the left, write options for a typical dull evening: “flipping through Instagram”, “sit in front of the TV”. And on the right - remember good options: "walk in your favorite park", "go to a new exhibition", "dive into the pool after training in the gym."

A great option for those who meet Friday in a state of squeezed lemon. All you need to do is once a week finish your business 1-2 hours early, leave the office and do one of the evening rest scenarios. Do something that you don’t have enough time and energy for in an ordinary evening: go to the cinema, to a water park or to a concert. Having had a good rest in the middle of the week, you will have much more time on the remaining working days. Wednesday evening is perfect for a half day.

Planning a vacation for the weekend is a pleasant experience, it is rarely a problem. But the mountain of household chores is a real danger of ruining everything. After all, it is on weekends that most of us are used to shopping for groceries, cleaning, washing and cooking.

Here are a few ways to clear the weekend of household chores or significantly reduce the time for these activities:

a) Make to-do lists, assign responsible persons and deadlines. Everything is like at work. This will save you several hours.

b) Do not save up for the weekend. For example, you can start the washing machine on Tuesday evening.

c) Delegate. Other family members, including children. Or professionals, but for money (windows can be washed by guys from a special office, for example).

d) Shop for groceries on weekdays. Remember the terrible queues and traffic jams on Sundays.

e) Use delivery services (food, household chemicals, pet products).

Rituals are needed not only for work, but also for relaxation. Ordinary action is distinguished from ritual by details. Compare: frying a “ready-made barbecue” from something that is not clear or choosing good meat yourself, marinating it with interesting spices, frying it on the right grill, serving it in beautiful dishes.

Here are some ideas:

a) Spectacles: cinema, theater, football

b) Pleasures for the body: bath, massage, spa

c) Communication with nature: forest, river, sea

d) Sports: cycling, badminton, skiing

e) Games: board games, cards, chess

f) Food: barbecue, cake

Dr. Elaine Eaker warns that you should not rest less than twice a year, otherwise the risk of heart attack and depression increases significantly. At the same time, it is better to rest a little, but more often.

Options:

a) 2 weeks in summer + New Year holidays + November and May holidays

b) 2 weeks + scatter one day on Fridays to make a long weekend

c) change the climate: leave winter for summer

Taking a month off at once is a bad idea.

On vacation, alternate rest and switching. Rest is a passive scenario, like lying on the beach and reading a book. Switching is an active option that gives vivid impressions: explore architectural monuments, play volleyball.

The most important switch should happen at the beginning of the holiday - you need to switch from work. Therefore, first we “pump up” ourselves with switching in order to knock work problems out of our heads, then we passively rest, and so we alternate until the end of the vacation.

Passive rest, one or two days, is obligatory before going to work. Otherwise, you will go to work broken, unrested.