Top of page

Map Kombinirovannai︠a︡ s"emka Zheldorproekta i SPIĖ Arktikproekta. Комбинированная съемка Желдорпроекта и СПИЭ Арктикпроекта.

View Enlarged Image

About this Item

Title

  • Kombinirovannai︠a︡ s"emka Zheldorproekta i SPIĖ Arktikproekta.

Other Title

  • Комбинированная съемка Желдорпроекта и СПИЭ Арктикпроекта.

Translated Title

  • Integrated Survey of Zheldorproekt and Northern Port Survey Expedition of Arktikproekt.

Summary

  • This item is from a collection of materials related to the Salekhard-Igarka Railway, an unfinished Soviet railroad sometimes called the "Dead Road." This railroad was intended to unite European Russia with the northern regions of Siberia and to facilitate the export of minerals from the industrial city of Noril'sk. Construction began in 1949 but was abandoned in 1953 after Stalin's death. Stalin had ordered the construction of the railroad without heeding the advice of specialists, who knew that a railroad built on permafrost would be difficult to maintain. Stalin considered the railroad strategically necessary to facilitate the defense of Russia's northern coast; however, actual demand for the railway was low. Construction was divided into two projects, number 501 and number 503, and was carried out by prisoners of the infamous gulag system. According to eyewitness accounts, conditions in the camps of these projects and in Yermakovo, the central settlement of construction project 503, were better than in most parts of the gulag system. This collection consists of photographs, documents, maps, letters, and memoirs housed in the Igarka Museum of Permafrost. Photographs depict daily life in Yermakovo, a settlement near Igarka, abandoned buildings and railroad equipment, and musicians and actors of the projects' cultural and educational divisions. Many of the photographs were taken by Walter Ruge (1915-2011) and depict his wife Irina Andreevna Alferova. Ruge completed a ten-year sentence as a political prisoner in 1951 before he was released to live as an exile in Yermakovo, where he met Alferova, a fellow exile. The collection's documents and maps provide information about the planning and construction of the railroad and the administration of the camps, while the memoirs and letters describe the experiences of prisoners, exiles, and civilian residents of Yermakovo and the camps. The collection was digitized in the early 2000s for the Meeting of Frontiers digital library project. World Digital Library.

Names

  • Zheldorproekt, SPIĖ Arktikproekt.

Created / Published

  • Krasnoi︠a︡rskiĭ kraĭ, Igarka : [publisher not identified], 1949-1950 gg.

Headings

  • -  lageri︠a︡
  • -  karty
  • -  geodezii︠a︡
  • -  Igarka
  • -  Designs and plans
  • -  Geodesy
  • -  Labor camps
  • -  Maps
  • -  Railroad construction and maintenance
  • -  Siberia
  • -  Surveying
  • -  Technical drawings
  • -  Russian Federation
  • -  Krasnoyarsk Krai
  • -  лагеря
  • -  карты
  • -  геодезия
  • -  Игарка

Notes

  • -  Original map at: Igarka Museum of Permafrost

Medium

  • 1 map : tracing paper ; 45.5 x 74.5 cm.

Source Collection

  • Dead Road: Construction Project 503

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2018685888

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Zheldorproekt, Spiė Arktikproekt. Kombinirovannai︠a︡ s"emka Zheldorproekta i SPIĖ Arktikproekta. [Krasnoi︠a︡rskiĭ kraĭ, Igarka: publisher not identified, to 1950 gg, 1949] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2018685888/.

APA citation style:

Zheldorproekt, S. A. (1949) Kombinirovannai︠a︡ s"emka Zheldorproekta i SPIĖ Arktikproekta. [Krasnoi︠a︡rskiĭ kraĭ, Igarka: publisher not identified, to 1950 gg] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2018685888/.

MLA citation style:

Zheldorproekt, Spiė Arktikproekt. Kombinirovannai︠a︡ s"emka Zheldorproekta i SPIĖ Arktikproekta. [Krasnoi︠a︡rskiĭ kraĭ, Igarka: publisher not identified, to 1950 gg, 1949] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2018685888/>.