Vorkuta
Encyclopedia
Vorkuta is a coal
-mining town in the Komi Republic
, Russia
, situated just north of the Arctic Circle
in the Pechora coal basin at the Usa River
. Population:
s of the Gulag
which was established in 1932. In 1941, Vorkuta and the labor camp system based around it were connected to the rest of the world by a prisoner-built railroad linking Konosha
, Kotlas
, and the camps of Inta
. Town status was granted to Vorkuta November 26, 1943. It was the largest center of the Gulag
camps in European Russia
and served as the administrative center for a large number of smaller camps and subcamps, among them Kotlas
, Pechora
, and Izhma
(modern Sosnogorsk
). In 1953, the town witnessed a major uprising
by the camp inmates.
. During the Cold War
, an Arctic Control Group forward staging base for strategic bomber
s was located at Vorkuta Sovetskiy.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
-mining town in the Komi Republic
Komi Republic
The Komi Republic is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is situated to the west of the Ural mountains, in the north-east of the East European Plain...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, situated just north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
in the Pechora coal basin at the Usa River
Usa River (Komi Republic)
Usa is a river in the northeast corner of European Russia which drains the Polar Urals southwest into the Pechora River. The Polar Urals tend to the northeast and the Usa runs parallel to them. It is in the Komi Republic of Russia and the largest tributary of the Pechora River, which it joins from...
. Population:
Labor camp origins
It had its origin in one of the more notorious forced labor campLabor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
s of the Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
which was established in 1932. In 1941, Vorkuta and the labor camp system based around it were connected to the rest of the world by a prisoner-built railroad linking Konosha
Konosha
Konosha is an urban locality Konosha is an urban locality Konosha is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement and the administrative center of Konoshsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Konosha River, south of Arkhangelsk. It also serves as the administrative center of...
, Kotlas
Kotlas
Kotlas is a town in the southeast of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Northern Dvina and Vychegda Rivers. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . It also serves as the administrative center of Kotlassky District, by which it is...
, and the camps of Inta
Inta
Inta is a town in the Komi Republic, Russia. During the Soviet era a "corrective labor camp" was located here. Population: It is served by Inta Airport....
. Town status was granted to Vorkuta November 26, 1943. It was the largest center of the Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
camps in European Russia
European Russia
European Russia refers to the western areas of Russia that lie within Europe, comprising roughly 3,960,000 square kilometres , larger in area than India, and spanning across 40% of Europe. Its eastern border is defined by the Ural Mountains and in the south it is defined by the border with...
and served as the administrative center for a large number of smaller camps and subcamps, among them Kotlas
Kotlas
Kotlas is a town in the southeast of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Northern Dvina and Vychegda Rivers. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . It also serves as the administrative center of Kotlassky District, by which it is...
, Pechora
Pechora
Pechora is a town in the Komi Republic, Russia, situated on the Pechora River, near the northern Ural Mountains. Population: It is served by Pechora Airport and is affiliated with the nearby Pechora Kamenka military air base....
, and Izhma
Izhma
Izhma may refer to:*Izhma, Komi Republic, a rural locality in the Komi Republic, Russia*Izhma, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, a rural locality in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia*Izhma Airport, an airport in the Komi Republic, Russia...
(modern Sosnogorsk
Sosnogorsk
Sosnogorsk is a town in the Komi Republic, Russia, located on the Izhma River. Population: Municipally, it is incorporated as Sosnogorsk Municipal District ....
). In 1953, the town witnessed a major uprising
Vorkuta Uprising
The Vorkuta Uprising was a major uprising of the concentration camp inmates at the Vorkuta Gulag in Vorkuta, Russia in July–August 1953, shortly after the arrest of Lavrentiy Beria. The uprising was violently stopped by the camp administration after two weeks of bloodless standoff.Vorkuta Rechlag ...
by the camp inmates.
Mines
By the early part of the 21st century many of the mines had been closed as problems with high costs of operations have plagued the mine operators. At one time during the late 1980s and 1990s there were labor actions in the area by miners who had not been paid for a year.Geography
The town is served by Vorkuta AirportVorkuta Airport
Vorkuta Airport is a small airport in the Komi Republic, Russia located 3 km west of Vorkuta. It services small airliners. The pavement length is 2200 meters, however it is shortened 300 m due to a displaced threshold.-References:*-External links:*...
. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, an Arctic Control Group forward staging base for strategic bomber
Strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a heavy bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are...
s was located at Vorkuta Sovetskiy.
Climate
Vorkuta has an arctic climate (E) with short, cool summers accompanied by very cold and dry winters. Average January temperature is about −20 °C (−4 °F), and July is about +13 °C (55 °F).External links
- The official website of Vorkuta
- The site of the Mayor of Vorkuta
- Vorcutincy.ru - The site of Vorkuta
- Satellite images of the Vorkuta region
- Vorkutlag-Vorkuta. Double remembrance to the soviet history of the city.
- Vorkuta. History
- First webcam Vorkuta overlooking the main street of the city
- Contemporary photographs - Vorkuta city
- Historical photographs
- Other photographs
