44. Dead railway

Salekhard–Igarka Railway or Transpolar Mainline. Russians is also called her Road to nowhere, Road of death and the Dead road.

The road was planned and built as part of a large Transpolar Mainline. The idea to build a railroad along the Arctic Circle belongs to Joseph Stalin.

Road building Gulag - for construction in the polar regions brought 80,000 prisoners - they were mostly political prisoners.

The view from the helicopter on a large camp near the village Ermakovo. In the lower right corner of the visible remnants of the locomotive depot. - ph. Ivanov, Vologodsky

Every 5-10 kilometers is a small camp with the prisoners for construction. Remnants buildings can be found in the road now.

Guard tower

Due to bad climate conditions during construction were killed at different times of about 100 000 people.

Memorial cross in memory of those killed in road construction, located in one of the villages in that area.

The grave near the railroad

Construction was carried out since 1947 and was halted by the government's decision 20 days after the death of Stalin. Due to bad quality of construction and the climate railway Salekhard-Igarka was never completed and never fully used.

900 kilometers of dilapidated railroad tracks are monument of the crimes of communism.

Most of the 100,000 people who died during the construction of this railway are buried in unmarked graves near the Arctic Circle.

(sources of images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)