Foreigners to pay high prices to live as prisoners in a Gulag

The Soviet era is one of the most interesting periods of Russian history. It particularly attracts foreigners, who unlike our compatriots, did not live in the Soviet Union. Arriving in Russia, they are interested to find out about the everyday lifestyle of Soviet people. Soon they will have yet another opportunity to become acquainted with the reality of that period. Authorities in Vorkuta are going to restore one of Stalin’s concentration camps for tourism.

Photo: Foreigners to pay high prices to live as prisoners in a Gulag

According to Novie Izvestiya, the mayor of the city Igor Shpektor regrets the fact that each year fewer people remember the tragic history of the region, where thousands of people perished in Soviet times. In order to preserve the memory of those victims and attract investors to the city, the authorities are planning on completely restoring one of the Gulag camps and turning it into a form of hotel for tourists.

“The city needs money and we have every possibility of converting Vorkut into a tourist region,” the mayor told newspaper journalists. “The possibility of living in a Gulag as a prisoner attracts many rich foreigners. They themselves inform us of this. Last autumn, a whole train-full of tourists from America, Australia and Poland arrived, wishing to pay money to see the concentration camp. For now I am looking for investors. If I manage to find them, a rich tourist infrastructure may be organized in the city, we could open first-class hotels, offer foreigners the chance to hunt or fish.”

According to preliminary calculations, a day in such a hotel would cost in the region of $150 to $200 per night and tourists would spend at least three days there. In addition, there are also plans to organize excursion routes around the concentration camps.

Utro.ru

Translated by Leila Wilmers

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