The Gulag penal system goes down in history as the most inhumane and barbaric means ever used by the Russian authorities to punish Soviet criminals and dissidents. Millions of desperate souls were transported across the desolate interior of Siberia and deposited in crudely constructed labor camps scattered across the frozen permafrost, never to be heard from again. None was more infamous or inspired more terror in the proletariat than the Gulag Perm-36 prison camp.
Reminiscent of Nazi concentration camps, Perm-36 was the toughest labor camp Soviet officials could have as their motto, designed specifically to house formidable political dissidents, outspoken writers, abstract artists, and anyone else who was considered a immediate threat to the communist ideals espoused by the Russians. government. Once a death sentence was considered to be sent there, it is now a carefully preserved memorial and a reminder to the world of what governments are capable of when faced with open opposition to their regime.
HISTORY
World War II was over and Stalin now faced the daunting task of reconstruction. Serious damage was inflicted on Russian cities along the western border (the Nazis referred to this as the Eastern Front during the war) and they were in dire need of repair. Thinking that he could kill two birds with one stone, Stalin ordered the construction of logging camps around the Perm region, approximately 1,400 km east of Moscow, on the border with inner Siberia. Here, 150,000 undesirables were dispersed into one hundred and fifty labor camps and tasked with providing much-needed timber to Western cities.
Officially known as Camp ITK-6, the notorious Perm-36 quickly filled with a thousand of the “worst of the worst” criminals. The inmates were divided into four bleak sleeping barracks, where they were allowed seven hours of sleep each night, the time they spent freezing under thin blankets as arctic winds whipped through wide cracks in the wooden walls. Along with the barracks, the camp also had a headquarters building, a rudimentary hospital, and a hideous punishment block, where dissenters were sent if the authorities felt they were perhaps enjoying their winter break too much.
The reformatory camp had the strictest work schedule of all the Perm labor camps. The prisoners were awakened each morning at six o’clock, given a meager breakfast, and then marched briskly for an hour and a half to the forest to begin felling. There they were forced to cut down huge poplars and oaks with hand saws and then haul the wood to the Chusovaya and Kama rivers, which carried the wood southwest to the Volga. After nine hours of uninterrupted work, the dissidents were herded back to camp, given dinner, and then sent to barracks. Rinse and repeat. Whether this rigorous program actually helped reform anyone is unclear, as the vast majority ended up dead and the rest suffered permanent physical and mental damage.
The Soviet government, on the other hand, was quite pleased with the results. Feeling that they were indeed on to something here, they formally named Perm-36 the official residence of the worst Soviet political prisoners and, in 1972, converted the Gulag into a fully functioning, modernized prison camp. Enemies of the state continued to be sent here to work and rot until 1987, when it was finally closed.
The most famous dissident who was sentenced to the Gulag prison system was the writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn. After his arrest for writing critical comments about Joseph Stalin, he was sentenced to eight years of hard labor. This ordeal formed the basis of his critically acclaimed works. A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich Y Gulag Archipelagohis scathing account of Soviet labor camps.
THE AREA TODAY
Shortly after Perestroika in the 1980s, the labor camps were systematically dismantled and the door quietly closed on this dark period in Russian history. The only remaining field is Perm-36, chosen for preservation by human rights activists in the former Soviet Union due to its particularly diabolical nature. The site is now the Museum of the Memorial Center for the History of Political Repression, with all the original fences and buildings intact. Frozen in time, it is a vivid reminder of how far governments will go to suppress the human spirit.
Ironically, due to the Russian government’s practice of sending its best and brightest writers and artists to reside in labor camps, the nearby city of Perm has become a mecca for Soviet artists. Along with the prisoners, several theater companies also moved to the area during World War II to escape Soviet repression. This influx of creative people has made Perm a major center for the arts, home to museums and galleries that rival those found in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
You will need to book an international flight to Moscow, Russia (DME) or Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia (GOJ). From there, you’ll take a 90-minute flight to Bolshoye Savino Airport, located in Perm, Russia (PEE).
Traveling by car is the most convenient way to get to Perm-36. You can rent a car directly at Perm airport upon arrival of your flight. Perm is home to modern hotel chains (such as the Hilton) for a comfortable stay between your daily excursions. The Memorial Center Museum of the History of Political Repression is open every day from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and is closed on Mondays.
After your travels, I would like to hear about your experiences, so please feel free to contact me via the website below and send me an email.