The labor camps at Vorkuta were established in 1931 to mine coal deposits at the foot of the Arctic Ural Mountains, 150 kilometers above the Arctic Circle. For 25 years, prisoners and exiles labored to turn this area of tundra into one of the largest coal sources of the Soviet Union. The complex grew to include more than 20 mines, mining villages, power stations, roads, railroads, and the new city of Vorkuta. Today, Vorkuta is an industrial city in decline, plagued by corruption and poverty. These photos show Vorkuta at the height of the Gulag era -- and as it appears now. (17 PHOTOS)
Vorkuta: From Labor Camps To Industrial Decline
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An undated photo of Polish Home Army soldier Stefan Jozefowicz, who was arrested by the Soviet secret police in 1945 and sentenced to death. That sentence was later commuted to 20 years of hard labor. In 1953, Jozefowicz participated in a prisoner strike at mine No. 29. He returned to Poland in 1956.
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An undated photo showing a cemetery for prisoners and exiles with mines visible in the background. Prisoners were buried in the tundra and their grave was marked with a post bearing the dead person's camp number. After 1956, released prisoners identified the graves and placed crosses marked with their names.
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A cemetery of Gulag prisoners as it appears today.
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Abandoned buildings in Vorkuta city, near the Vorkuta River