We were lucky that Thomas, a German gentleman living in Perm since 7 years and married to a beautiful Russian lady, guided us around the Perm 36, one of the 10 000 Gulag camps that existed throughout Russia. We´d never found the camp without him and also not been able to share his knowledge of these camps.
During the Communist era the Russian population lived under oppression, but also in fear of reprisals by the regime if you had other views than the Marxist. It could even be enough to accidentally pack a sandwiche in a newspaper with a picture of Stalin, to be punished for 10 years and sent to a gulag camp. Millions of people died in these camps.
Those who often ended up in these camps were poets, writers, musicians and government critics. Their names and photos were displayed in public as they were considered traitors while murderers and other criminals were protected. Their photos was never shown up.
The whole camp is under reconstruction which is a very good idea for future generationes, to learn and understand what happened during the communist era.
Our guide Thomas..
Cell for 4 prisoners…
Dormitory for up to 60 prisoners…
Vehicle for transporting prisoners…
Exhibition…
Birka Adventure Riders 