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PHOTOS: Frozen Kupol, the Isolated Siberian Gold Mine

Kupol gold mine in northeastern Russia is located in one of the world's most remote regions and one of the world's most extreme climates. But even though the mine is located more than 100 miles from the nearest town and accessible only by air travel or by a temporary 200-mile ice road only open between November and April, it employs more than 1,000 people, who live on the campus for two months at a time.

The climate is frigid and the landscape barren. Workers must use a 3,000-foot heated tunnel to get from the camp to the mine so as to escape the freezing temperatures, which can drop below minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit. But the campus includes amenities to make the experience as cozy as possible, such as a gym, a library, a cafe that often features live music from talented employees, and even the campus' own hydroponic garden that provides 55 pounds of salad every day.

Photographer Elena Chernyshova visted Kupol for two weeks for a project for National Geographic Russia.

"It is a very remote area. You have the feeling that it is a space station with the eternal white snow," Chernyshova explained. "The weather provides very beautiful light, because the sun is quite low."

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While the freezing cold is both dangerous and challenging, Chernyshova describes the residents of Kupol as extremely positive.

"Living conditions are good," she said. "The company provides food with a wide choice of dishes, and they provide cleaning for the rooms and clothing. During free time, workers can go to the gym, play mini-football, billiards, ping-pong or watch T.V. There is even a rock cafe where local workers play. There is good internet connection, so workers can be connected with their family and friends."

Employees from all over the world—some as far as South America and India—come to work at the Kupol mine.

Kupol is thought to have one of the biggest gold reserves in the world after South Africa. It also has a dark history, as it was populated by inmates of Stalin's camps in the 1930s. The mine was reconstructed in the mid-2000s and later bought by the Canadian company, Kinross, and according to Chernyshova, it is now considered one of the world's most modern mines.

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