Nevermind Sovietkand

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Last inhabited building in Yur-ShorThe Vorkuta Ring comprised 13 settlements, each with its own mineFacebookTwitterPinterest
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Lenin Avenue, VorkutaLenin Avenue runs through the centre of the town. Most of the theatres, cinemas and other cultural centres have closed, but the heavy snow does not deter inhabitants from taking a walk along the 6km-long avenue
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Bus Line in Lenin Avenue, VorkutaVorkuta’s inhabitants live at the end of the world, isolated from the rest of Russia
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Dmitry B. Vorkuta apartment.
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Vorkuta Culture HouseThe edifice on Lenin Avenue.
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Abandoned Sports Centre, Halmer-UThe abandoned town of Halmer-U lies about 70km north of Vorkuta. In 1993, its mine was closed and inhabitants were given compensation to move away. Two years later, the gas and electricity supplies were turned off and the handful of remaining residents were forced to relocate. Hundreds of buildings sit empty, decaying. Once a year, a group of the town’s former inha
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Dance class in Vorkuta’s Culture HouseThe Culture House is the town’s focal point. Everything happens here, from political speeches to heavy metal concerts. There is even a botanical garden.
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Walking under the heavy snow (purga) in Lenin Avenue. Vorkuta.
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Negotiating the heavy snow with a homemade snowplough
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The town, once home to a thriving coal mining industry, is full of abandoned buildings that the government does not have funds to repair. The extremes in temperature (in winter it can get as cold as -40C) make the buildings unstable and liable to collapse
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Alexander SAlexander is a retired miner and amateur historian. He was born in Vorkuta and is a member of the Memorial Association for the victims of the Gulag. His research has helped establish that some – but only a very few – prisoners escaped the nearby forced labour camp and survived to tell their tale.
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Abandoned building near Yur-Shor. Vorkuta.
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Vorkuta Ring RoadVorkuta was one of the bigger and wealthier cities in northern Russia during the Soviet era, but all its roads are empty like this today. Due to the town’s isolation and extreme weather there is a high rate of depression among inhabitants. But they paint the buildings with bright colours to bring cheer during the long, white and cold winters.
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Irina, one of the last inhabitants of Yur-Shor settlement. Vorkuta.
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Dimas, 19 years old coal miner. Sleeping on the train on his way to the coal mine, located at 15 hours by train from his home. Komi Republik.
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