Magadan
Encyclopedia
Magadan is a port
town on the Sea of Okhotsk
and gateway to the Kolyma
region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast
(since 1953), in the Russian Far East
. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939. From 1932 to 1953 it was the administrative center of the Dalstroy
concern and its corrective labor camp system. It lies in Nagayevo Bay in the Gulf of Tauisk
. Population: 114,873 (2008 est.); Ship building and fishing are the major industries. The town has a seaport (fully navigable from May to December) and a small international airport, Sokol Airport
. There is also a small airport nearby, Magadan 13. The unpaved Kolyma Highway leads from Magadan to the rich gold-mining region of the upper Kolyma River
and then on to Yakutsk
.
's capital, and served as a port for exporting gold and other metals mined in the Kolyma region. Its size and population grew quickly as facilities were rapidly developed for the expanding mining activities in the area. Town status was granted on July 14, 1939.
During the Stalin
era, Magadan was a major transit center for prisoners sent to labor camps. The operations of Dalstroy
, a vast and brutal forced-labor gold-mining concern, were the main economic driver of the city for many decades during Soviet
times.
On an official visit in May 1944, U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace
failed to understand the true nature of Magadan. The watchtowers had been temporarily taken down and the prisoners were locked up, while a model farm had been set up for his inspection. He took an instant liking to his secret policeman host, admired handiwork done by prisoners, and later glowingly pronounced the city "a combination of TVA
and Hudson's Bay Company
", which 8 years later he apologized for not understanding the true situation.
Further details of this period are given in the article on Kolyma
.
, 2000 kilometres (1,242.7 mi) away via an unpaved road which is best used in the winter, especially since there is no bridge over the Lena River
at Yakutsk (the choices are: ferry from Nizhny Bestyakh
in the summer, when the rest of the road may not be passable due to standing water, or over the ice in the dead of winter).
The principal sources of income for the local economy are gold mining and fisheries. Recently, gold production has declined although future prospects look good. Fishing production, although improving from year to year, is still well below the allocated quotas, apparently as a result of an ageing fleet. Other local industries include pasta and sausage plants and a distillery. Although farming is difficult owing to the harsh climate, there are many public and private farming enterprises.
motorcycle journey made by Ewan McGregor
, Charley Boorman
and their team in 2004. Although their ultimate destination was New York
, they frequently noted how reaching Magadan was the ultimate measure of success or failure for their adventure. Despite encountering swollen rivers, broken bridges and virtually impassable roads as they traveled through Siberia
, they were ultimately able to ride the "Road of Bones
" into Magadan, and flew from there to Anchorage, Alaska
from where they continued to New York. Recalling his final day in Magadan before leaving for America, McGregor wrote:
The city has a number of cultural institutions including the Regional Museum of Anthropology, a geological museum, a regional library and a university. The city has the enormous new Orthodox
Cathedral Church of the Trinity, a recently completed Roman Catholic
Church of the Nativity
and the Mask of Sorrow
memorial, a huge sculpture in memory of Stalin's victims, designed by Ernst Neizvestny
.
of Magadan is subarctic
(Köppen climate classification
Dfc). Winters are prolonged and very cold, with up to six months of sub-zero temperatures, so that the soil
remains permanently frozen. Permafrost
and tundra
cover most of the region. The growing season is only one hundred days long. Average temperatures on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
range from −22 °C (−8 °F) in January to 12 °C (54 °F) in July. Average temperatures in the interior range from −38 °C (−36 °F) in January to 16 °C (60 °F) in July.
Magadan is a port
town on the Sea of Okhotsk
and gateway to the Kolyma
region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast
(since 1953), in the Russian Far East
. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939. From 1932 to 1953 it was the administrative center of the Dalstroy
concern and its corrective labor camp system. It lies in Nagayevo Bay in the Gulf of Tauisk
. Population: 114,873 (2008 est.); Ship building and fishing are the major industries. The town has a seaport (fully navigable from May to December) and a small international airport, Sokol Airport
. There is also a small airport nearby, Magadan 13. The unpaved Kolyma Highway leads from Magadan to the rich gold-mining region of the upper Kolyma River
and then on to Yakutsk
.
's capital, and served as a port for exporting gold and other metals mined in the Kolyma region. Its size and population grew quickly as facilities were rapidly developed for the expanding mining activities in the area. Town status was granted on July 14, 1939.
During the Stalin
era, Magadan was a major transit center for prisoners sent to labor camps. The operations of Dalstroy
, a vast and brutal forced-labor gold-mining concern, were the main economic driver of the city for many decades during Soviet
times.
On an official visit in May 1944, U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace
failed to understand the true nature of Magadan. The watchtowers had been temporarily taken down and the prisoners were locked up, while a model farm had been set up for his inspection. He took an instant liking to his secret policeman host, admired handiwork done by prisoners, and later glowingly pronounced the city "a combination of TVA
and Hudson's Bay Company
", which 8 years later he apologized for not understanding the true situation.
Further details of this period are given in the article on Kolyma
.
, 2000 kilometres (1,242.7 mi) away via an unpaved road which is best used in the winter, especially since there is no bridge over the Lena River
at Yakutsk (the choices are: ferry from Nizhny Bestyakh
in the summer, when the rest of the road may not be passable due to standing water, or over the ice in the dead of winter).
The principal sources of income for the local economy are gold mining and fisheries. Recently, gold production has declined although future prospects look good. Fishing production, although improving from year to year, is still well below the allocated quotas, apparently as a result of an ageing fleet. Other local industries include pasta and sausage plants and a distillery. Although farming is difficult owing to the harsh climate, there are many public and private farming enterprises.
motorcycle journey made by Ewan McGregor
, Charley Boorman
and their team in 2004. Although their ultimate destination was New York
, they frequently noted how reaching Magadan was the ultimate measure of success or failure for their adventure. Despite encountering swollen rivers, broken bridges and virtually impassable roads as they traveled through Siberia
, they were ultimately able to ride the "Road of Bones
" into Magadan, and flew from there to Anchorage, Alaska
from where they continued to New York. Recalling his final day in Magadan before leaving for America, McGregor wrote:
The city has a number of cultural institutions including the Regional Museum of Anthropology, a geological museum, a regional library and a university. The city has the enormous new Orthodox
Cathedral Church of the Trinity, a recently completed Roman Catholic
Church of the Nativity
and the Mask of Sorrow
memorial, a huge sculpture in memory of Stalin's victims, designed by Ernst Neizvestny
.
of Magadan is subarctic
(Köppen climate classification
Dfc). Winters are prolonged and very cold, with up to six months of sub-zero temperatures, so that the soil
remains permanently frozen. Permafrost
and tundra
cover most of the region. The growing season is only one hundred days long. Average temperatures on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
range from −22 °C (−8 °F) in January to 12 °C (54 °F) in July. Average temperatures in the interior range from −38 °C (−36 °F) in January to 16 °C (60 °F) in July.
Magadan is a port
town on the Sea of Okhotsk
and gateway to the Kolyma
region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast
(since 1953), in the Russian Far East
. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939. From 1932 to 1953 it was the administrative center of the Dalstroy
concern and its corrective labor camp system. It lies in Nagayevo Bay in the Gulf of Tauisk
. Population: 114,873 (2008 est.); Ship building and fishing are the major industries. The town has a seaport (fully navigable from May to December) and a small international airport, Sokol Airport
. There is also a small airport nearby, Magadan 13. The unpaved Kolyma Highway leads from Magadan to the rich gold-mining region of the upper Kolyma River
and then on to Yakutsk
.
's capital, and served as a port for exporting gold and other metals mined in the Kolyma region. Its size and population grew quickly as facilities were rapidly developed for the expanding mining activities in the area. Town status was granted on July 14, 1939.
During the Stalin
era, Magadan was a major transit center for prisoners sent to labor camps. The operations of Dalstroy
, a vast and brutal forced-labor gold-mining concern, were the main economic driver of the city for many decades during Soviet
times.
On an official visit in May 1944, U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace
failed to understand the true nature of Magadan. The watchtowers had been temporarily taken down and the prisoners were locked up, while a model farm had been set up for his inspection. He took an instant liking to his secret policeman host, admired handiwork done by prisoners, and later glowingly pronounced the city "a combination of TVA
and Hudson's Bay Company
", which 8 years later he apologized for not understanding the true situation.
Further details of this period are given in the article on Kolyma
.
, 2000 kilometres (1,242.7 mi) away via an unpaved road which is best used in the winter, especially since there is no bridge over the Lena River
at Yakutsk (the choices are: ferry from Nizhny Bestyakh
in the summer, when the rest of the road may not be passable due to standing water, or over the ice in the dead of winter).
The principal sources of income for the local economy are gold mining and fisheries. Recently, gold production has declined although future prospects look good. Fishing production, although improving from year to year, is still well below the allocated quotas, apparently as a result of an ageing fleet. Other local industries include pasta and sausage plants and a distillery. Although farming is difficult owing to the harsh climate, there are many public and private farming enterprises.
motorcycle journey made by Ewan McGregor
, Charley Boorman
and their team in 2004. Although their ultimate destination was New York
, they frequently noted how reaching Magadan was the ultimate measure of success or failure for their adventure. Despite encountering swollen rivers, broken bridges and virtually impassable roads as they traveled through Siberia
, they were ultimately able to ride the "Road of Bones
" into Magadan, and flew from there to Anchorage, Alaska
from where they continued to New York. Recalling his final day in Magadan before leaving for America, McGregor wrote:
The city has a number of cultural institutions including the Regional Museum of Anthropology, a geological museum, a regional library and a university. The city has the enormous new Orthodox
Cathedral Church of the Trinity, a recently completed Roman Catholic
Church of the Nativity
and the Mask of Sorrow
memorial, a huge sculpture in memory of Stalin's victims, designed by Ernst Neizvestny
.
of Magadan is subarctic
(Köppen climate classification
Dfc). Winters are prolonged and very cold, with up to six months of sub-zero temperatures, so that the soil
remains permanently frozen. Permafrost
and tundra
cover most of the region. The growing season is only one hundred days long. Average temperatures on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
range from −22 °C (−8 °F) in January to 12 °C (54 °F) in July. Average temperatures in the interior range from −38 °C (−36 °F) in January to 16 °C (60 °F) in July.
, United States Jelgava
, Latvia Tonghua
, Jilin
, People's Republic of China
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
town on the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
and gateway to the Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan....
(since 1953), in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939. From 1932 to 1953 it was the administrative center of the Dalstroy
Dalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
concern and its corrective labor camp system. It lies in Nagayevo Bay in the Gulf of Tauisk
Gulf of Tauisk
Taui Bay is a body of water in the Sea of Okhotsk off the coast of the Magadan Oblast in Russia. The bay opens to the south. It is some 130 km wide and 75 km long, and is enclosed by the Koni Peninsula and Zavyalov Island on its southeastern side and by Spafaryev Island on its southwestern end....
. Population: 114,873 (2008 est.); Ship building and fishing are the major industries. The town has a seaport (fully navigable from May to December) and a small international airport, Sokol Airport
Sokol Airport
Sokol Airport is an airport in Sokol in Magadan Oblast, Russia. The airport is located 70 km north of the Magadan city center. The airport is sometimes confused with Dolinsk-Sokol air base, which was home to the fighters that shot down Korean Air Flight 007.In 1991, the town gained...
. There is also a small airport nearby, Magadan 13. The unpaved Kolyma Highway leads from Magadan to the rich gold-mining region of the upper Kolyma River
Kolyma River
The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
and then on to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
.
History
In 1932, Magadan was made DalstroyDalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
's capital, and served as a port for exporting gold and other metals mined in the Kolyma region. Its size and population grew quickly as facilities were rapidly developed for the expanding mining activities in the area. Town status was granted on July 14, 1939.
During the Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
era, Magadan was a major transit center for prisoners sent to labor camps. The operations of Dalstroy
Dalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
, a vast and brutal forced-labor gold-mining concern, were the main economic driver of the city for many decades during Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
times.
On an official visit in May 1944, U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
failed to understand the true nature of Magadan. The watchtowers had been temporarily taken down and the prisoners were locked up, while a model farm had been set up for his inspection. He took an instant liking to his secret policeman host, admired handiwork done by prisoners, and later glowingly pronounced the city "a combination of TVA
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
and Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
", which 8 years later he apologized for not understanding the true situation.
Further details of this period are given in the article on Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
.
Economy
Magadan is very isolated. The nearest major city is YakutskYakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
, 2000 kilometres (1,242.7 mi) away via an unpaved road which is best used in the winter, especially since there is no bridge over the Lena River
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
at Yakutsk (the choices are: ferry from Nizhny Bestyakh
Nizhny Bestyakh
Nizhny Bestyakh is an urban locality in Megino-Kangalassky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the east bank of the Lena River, opposite the republic's capital city of Yakutsk...
in the summer, when the rest of the road may not be passable due to standing water, or over the ice in the dead of winter).
The principal sources of income for the local economy are gold mining and fisheries. Recently, gold production has declined although future prospects look good. Fishing production, although improving from year to year, is still well below the allocated quotas, apparently as a result of an ageing fleet. Other local industries include pasta and sausage plants and a distillery. Although farming is difficult owing to the harsh climate, there are many public and private farming enterprises.
Long Way Round
Magadan was the focal point of the Long Way RoundLong Way Round
Long Way Round is a documentary television series, DVD set and book documenting the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles...
motorcycle journey made by Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
, Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...
and their team in 2004. Although their ultimate destination was New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, they frequently noted how reaching Magadan was the ultimate measure of success or failure for their adventure. Despite encountering swollen rivers, broken bridges and virtually impassable roads as they traveled through Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, they were ultimately able to ride the "Road of Bones
Road of Bones
The M56 Kolyma Highway is a road through the Russian Far East. It connects Magadan and Yakutsk, Nizhny Bestyakh on the eastern bank of Lena River at Yakutsk, which itself lies on the western bank, as there is no bridge. A ferry operates during the short summer. The length of the original road via...
" into Magadan, and flew from there to Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
from where they continued to New York. Recalling his final day in Magadan before leaving for America, McGregor wrote:
- "Magadan, Siberia. The place that had been in my thoughts and dreams for two years, like a mythical city forever beyond my reach. I wanted to capture it, somehow hold on to it and take a part of it with me when we began the long journey home."
Culture
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
Cathedral Church of the Trinity, a recently completed Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Church of the Nativity
Church of the Nativity (Magadan)
The Church of the Nativity at Magadan in the Russian Far East serves local Roman Catholics, many of whom survived Stalin's forced labor camps set up in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s to exploit gold in Kolyma's harsh subarctic climate...
and the Mask of Sorrow
Mask of Sorrow
The Mask of Sorrow is a monument perched on a hill above Magadan, Russia, commemorating the many prisoners who suffered and died in the Gulag prison camps in the Kolyma region of the Soviet Union during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. It consists of a large stone statue of a face, with tears coming from...
memorial, a huge sculpture in memory of Stalin's victims, designed by Ernst Neizvestny
Ernst Neizvestny
Ernst Iosifovich Neizvestny is a Russian sculptor. He currently lives and works in New York City. His last name in Russian literally means "unknown"....
.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of Magadan is subarctic
Subarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfc). Winters are prolonged and very cold, with up to six months of sub-zero temperatures, so that the soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
remains permanently frozen. Permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
and tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
cover most of the region. The growing season is only one hundred days long. Average temperatures on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
range from −22 °C (−8 °F) in January to 12 °C (54 °F) in July. Average temperatures in the interior range from −38 °C (−36 °F) in January to 16 °C (60 °F) in July.
Magadan is a port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
town on the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
and gateway to the Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan....
(since 1953), in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939. From 1932 to 1953 it was the administrative center of the Dalstroy
Dalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
concern and its corrective labor camp system. It lies in Nagayevo Bay in the Gulf of Tauisk
Gulf of Tauisk
Taui Bay is a body of water in the Sea of Okhotsk off the coast of the Magadan Oblast in Russia. The bay opens to the south. It is some 130 km wide and 75 km long, and is enclosed by the Koni Peninsula and Zavyalov Island on its southeastern side and by Spafaryev Island on its southwestern end....
. Population: 114,873 (2008 est.); Ship building and fishing are the major industries. The town has a seaport (fully navigable from May to December) and a small international airport, Sokol Airport
Sokol Airport
Sokol Airport is an airport in Sokol in Magadan Oblast, Russia. The airport is located 70 km north of the Magadan city center. The airport is sometimes confused with Dolinsk-Sokol air base, which was home to the fighters that shot down Korean Air Flight 007.In 1991, the town gained...
. There is also a small airport nearby, Magadan 13. The unpaved Kolyma Highway leads from Magadan to the rich gold-mining region of the upper Kolyma River
Kolyma River
The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
and then on to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
.
History
In 1932, Magadan was made DalstroyDalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
's capital, and served as a port for exporting gold and other metals mined in the Kolyma region. Its size and population grew quickly as facilities were rapidly developed for the expanding mining activities in the area. Town status was granted on July 14, 1939.
During the Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
era, Magadan was a major transit center for prisoners sent to labor camps. The operations of Dalstroy
Dalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
, a vast and brutal forced-labor gold-mining concern, were the main economic driver of the city for many decades during Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
times.
On an official visit in May 1944, U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
failed to understand the true nature of Magadan. The watchtowers had been temporarily taken down and the prisoners were locked up, while a model farm had been set up for his inspection. He took an instant liking to his secret policeman host, admired handiwork done by prisoners, and later glowingly pronounced the city "a combination of TVA
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
and Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
", which 8 years later he apologized for not understanding the true situation.
Further details of this period are given in the article on Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
.
Economy
Magadan is very isolated. The nearest major city is YakutskYakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
, 2000 kilometres (1,242.7 mi) away via an unpaved road which is best used in the winter, especially since there is no bridge over the Lena River
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
at Yakutsk (the choices are: ferry from Nizhny Bestyakh
Nizhny Bestyakh
Nizhny Bestyakh is an urban locality in Megino-Kangalassky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the east bank of the Lena River, opposite the republic's capital city of Yakutsk...
in the summer, when the rest of the road may not be passable due to standing water, or over the ice in the dead of winter).
The principal sources of income for the local economy are gold mining and fisheries. Recently, gold production has declined although future prospects look good. Fishing production, although improving from year to year, is still well below the allocated quotas, apparently as a result of an ageing fleet. Other local industries include pasta and sausage plants and a distillery. Although farming is difficult owing to the harsh climate, there are many public and private farming enterprises.
Long Way Round
Magadan was the focal point of the Long Way RoundLong Way Round
Long Way Round is a documentary television series, DVD set and book documenting the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles...
motorcycle journey made by Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
, Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...
and their team in 2004. Although their ultimate destination was New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, they frequently noted how reaching Magadan was the ultimate measure of success or failure for their adventure. Despite encountering swollen rivers, broken bridges and virtually impassable roads as they traveled through Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, they were ultimately able to ride the "Road of Bones
Road of Bones
The M56 Kolyma Highway is a road through the Russian Far East. It connects Magadan and Yakutsk, Nizhny Bestyakh on the eastern bank of Lena River at Yakutsk, which itself lies on the western bank, as there is no bridge. A ferry operates during the short summer. The length of the original road via...
" into Magadan, and flew from there to Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
from where they continued to New York. Recalling his final day in Magadan before leaving for America, McGregor wrote:
- "Magadan, Siberia. The place that had been in my thoughts and dreams for two years, like a mythical city forever beyond my reach. I wanted to capture it, somehow hold on to it and take a part of it with me when we began the long journey home."
Culture
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
Cathedral Church of the Trinity, a recently completed Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Church of the Nativity
Church of the Nativity (Magadan)
The Church of the Nativity at Magadan in the Russian Far East serves local Roman Catholics, many of whom survived Stalin's forced labor camps set up in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s to exploit gold in Kolyma's harsh subarctic climate...
and the Mask of Sorrow
Mask of Sorrow
The Mask of Sorrow is a monument perched on a hill above Magadan, Russia, commemorating the many prisoners who suffered and died in the Gulag prison camps in the Kolyma region of the Soviet Union during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. It consists of a large stone statue of a face, with tears coming from...
memorial, a huge sculpture in memory of Stalin's victims, designed by Ernst Neizvestny
Ernst Neizvestny
Ernst Iosifovich Neizvestny is a Russian sculptor. He currently lives and works in New York City. His last name in Russian literally means "unknown"....
.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of Magadan is subarctic
Subarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfc). Winters are prolonged and very cold, with up to six months of sub-zero temperatures, so that the soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
remains permanently frozen. Permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
and tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
cover most of the region. The growing season is only one hundred days long. Average temperatures on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
range from −22 °C (−8 °F) in January to 12 °C (54 °F) in July. Average temperatures in the interior range from −38 °C (−36 °F) in January to 16 °C (60 °F) in July.
Magadan is a port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
town on the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
and gateway to the Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan....
(since 1953), in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939. From 1932 to 1953 it was the administrative center of the Dalstroy
Dalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
concern and its corrective labor camp system. It lies in Nagayevo Bay in the Gulf of Tauisk
Gulf of Tauisk
Taui Bay is a body of water in the Sea of Okhotsk off the coast of the Magadan Oblast in Russia. The bay opens to the south. It is some 130 km wide and 75 km long, and is enclosed by the Koni Peninsula and Zavyalov Island on its southeastern side and by Spafaryev Island on its southwestern end....
. Population: 114,873 (2008 est.); Ship building and fishing are the major industries. The town has a seaport (fully navigable from May to December) and a small international airport, Sokol Airport
Sokol Airport
Sokol Airport is an airport in Sokol in Magadan Oblast, Russia. The airport is located 70 km north of the Magadan city center. The airport is sometimes confused with Dolinsk-Sokol air base, which was home to the fighters that shot down Korean Air Flight 007.In 1991, the town gained...
. There is also a small airport nearby, Magadan 13. The unpaved Kolyma Highway leads from Magadan to the rich gold-mining region of the upper Kolyma River
Kolyma River
The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
and then on to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
.
History
In 1932, Magadan was made DalstroyDalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
's capital, and served as a port for exporting gold and other metals mined in the Kolyma region. Its size and population grew quickly as facilities were rapidly developed for the expanding mining activities in the area. Town status was granted on July 14, 1939.
During the Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
era, Magadan was a major transit center for prisoners sent to labor camps. The operations of Dalstroy
Dalstroy
Dalstroy , also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, now known as Kolyma. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and...
, a vast and brutal forced-labor gold-mining concern, were the main economic driver of the city for many decades during Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
times.
On an official visit in May 1944, U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
failed to understand the true nature of Magadan. The watchtowers had been temporarily taken down and the prisoners were locked up, while a model farm had been set up for his inspection. He took an instant liking to his secret policeman host, admired handiwork done by prisoners, and later glowingly pronounced the city "a combination of TVA
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
and Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
", which 8 years later he apologized for not understanding the true situation.
Further details of this period are given in the article on Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
.
Economy
Magadan is very isolated. The nearest major city is YakutskYakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
, 2000 kilometres (1,242.7 mi) away via an unpaved road which is best used in the winter, especially since there is no bridge over the Lena River
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
at Yakutsk (the choices are: ferry from Nizhny Bestyakh
Nizhny Bestyakh
Nizhny Bestyakh is an urban locality in Megino-Kangalassky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the east bank of the Lena River, opposite the republic's capital city of Yakutsk...
in the summer, when the rest of the road may not be passable due to standing water, or over the ice in the dead of winter).
The principal sources of income for the local economy are gold mining and fisheries. Recently, gold production has declined although future prospects look good. Fishing production, although improving from year to year, is still well below the allocated quotas, apparently as a result of an ageing fleet. Other local industries include pasta and sausage plants and a distillery. Although farming is difficult owing to the harsh climate, there are many public and private farming enterprises.
Long Way Round
Magadan was the focal point of the Long Way RoundLong Way Round
Long Way Round is a documentary television series, DVD set and book documenting the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles...
motorcycle journey made by Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
, Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...
and their team in 2004. Although their ultimate destination was New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, they frequently noted how reaching Magadan was the ultimate measure of success or failure for their adventure. Despite encountering swollen rivers, broken bridges and virtually impassable roads as they traveled through Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, they were ultimately able to ride the "Road of Bones
Road of Bones
The M56 Kolyma Highway is a road through the Russian Far East. It connects Magadan and Yakutsk, Nizhny Bestyakh on the eastern bank of Lena River at Yakutsk, which itself lies on the western bank, as there is no bridge. A ferry operates during the short summer. The length of the original road via...
" into Magadan, and flew from there to Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
from where they continued to New York. Recalling his final day in Magadan before leaving for America, McGregor wrote:
- "Magadan, Siberia. The place that had been in my thoughts and dreams for two years, like a mythical city forever beyond my reach. I wanted to capture it, somehow hold on to it and take a part of it with me when we began the long journey home."
Culture
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
Cathedral Church of the Trinity, a recently completed Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Church of the Nativity
Church of the Nativity (Magadan)
The Church of the Nativity at Magadan in the Russian Far East serves local Roman Catholics, many of whom survived Stalin's forced labor camps set up in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s to exploit gold in Kolyma's harsh subarctic climate...
and the Mask of Sorrow
Mask of Sorrow
The Mask of Sorrow is a monument perched on a hill above Magadan, Russia, commemorating the many prisoners who suffered and died in the Gulag prison camps in the Kolyma region of the Soviet Union during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. It consists of a large stone statue of a face, with tears coming from...
memorial, a huge sculpture in memory of Stalin's victims, designed by Ernst Neizvestny
Ernst Neizvestny
Ernst Iosifovich Neizvestny is a Russian sculptor. He currently lives and works in New York City. His last name in Russian literally means "unknown"....
.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of Magadan is subarctic
Subarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfc). Winters are prolonged and very cold, with up to six months of sub-zero temperatures, so that the soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
remains permanently frozen. Permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
and tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
cover most of the region. The growing season is only one hundred days long. Average temperatures on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
range from −22 °C (−8 °F) in January to 12 °C (54 °F) in July. Average temperatures in the interior range from −38 °C (−36 °F) in January to 16 °C (60 °F) in July.
Famous people
- Nikolai GetmanNikolai GetmanNikolai Getman , an artist, was born in 1917 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and died at his home inOrel, Russia, in August 2004. He was a prisoner from 1946 to 1953 in forced labor camps in Siberia and Kolyma, where he survived as a result of his ability to sketch for the propaganda requirements of the...
(1917–2004), Ukrainian artist, remembered for his paintings depicting the horrors of the Kolyma GULAG camps. He organized the Magadan Artists' Union and was director of the Magadan section of the Arts Foundation of the RSFSR from 1963 to 1966. - Vadim KozinVadim KozinVadim Kozin was a Russian tenor.Vadim Alexeych Kozin was born the son of a merchant in Saint Petersburg to Alexei Gavrilovich Kozin and Vera Ilinskaya in 1903. His mother was a gypsy and often sang in the local gypsy choir...
(1903–1994), a popular Russian tenor in the 1930s. Sentenced to the Kolyma camps in 1944, he became a resident of Magadan, where he died. - Nina LugovskayaNina LugovskayaNina Sergeyevna Lugovskaya, in RussianНина Сергеевна Луговская , was a Russian painter and theatre designer in addition to being a survivor of the GULAG...
(1918–1993), Russian artist whose teenaged diary of the Stalin years has been compared to that of Anne FrankAnne FrankAnnelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
. - Valentin Tsvetkov (1948–2002), former governor (from 1996) of Magadan Oblast, gunned down in Moscow in October 2002, apparently for issues involving fish quotasIndividual fishing quotaIndividual fishing quotas also known as "individual transferable quotas" are one kind of catch share, a means by which many governments regulate fishing. The regulator sets a species-specific total allowable catch , typically by weight and for a given time period. A dedicated portion of the TAC,...
. - Yelena VälbeYelena VälbeYelena Välbe, née Trubitsyna is a Russian former cross-country skier.At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Välbe won a record-high fourteen gold , and three silver medals Yelena Välbe, née Trubitsyna is a Russian former cross-country skier.At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Välbe...
(1968–), an Olympic cross-country skiier. She competed in 3 Olympic games from 1992–1998, winning 7 medals, including 3 Gold. - Pavel Vinogradov is a Russian cosmonaut.
Sister cities
AnchorageAnchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, United States Jelgava
Jelgava
-Sports:The city's main football team, FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and won the 2009/2010 Latvian Football Cup.- Notable people :*August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein - linguist, folklorist, ethnographer...
, Latvia Tonghua
Tonghua
-Economy:Traditionally, Tonghua occupied a railhub position in a region of China noted for trade in only three agricultural commodities. These were ginseng, marten furs and deer antler products. In the 1980s Tonghua had some success with a wine distillery producing sweet, sticky red wines that...
, Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
, People's Republic of China
External links
- Map of Magadan in Russian
- The road up to the Kolyma river. Documentary: repressed in Magadan recall. To watch video.
