Introducing Magadan
Tucked between hills facing the Sea of Okhotsk, and a world away from anything but the bear droppings and gold nuggets of the wide Kolyma Region, Magadan is a quiet city with an almost cute, rather European centre in pastels. Not exactly what you expect from the so-called 'gateway to hell, ' as it was called by its builders: the estimated two million Stalin-era Gulag prisoners who passed through here.
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These days, most of the friendly folk you'll meet here came in the 1960s after Stalin's death in a rebuild, positive-energy frenzy. That said, probably no other town in Russia wears the stigma of the Gulags more - and probably no other place (including Moscow) has done as good a job of paying tribute to the victims.
The rare visitor - other than business people selling construction equipment to gold mines up north in the mountainous Kolyma Region - can camp at a Gulag, fish or raft on the Arman River, cross-country ski, see birds, or hike. The trip to Yakutsk on the Kolyma Hwy is a classic rugged overland journey.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Off the beaten track in Russia
by WaterhazardJack 11 September 2011
+Well, there are plenty of off-the-beaten-track places in European Russia, some of them several hours from Moscow. One does not need necessa…
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RE: From the USA to Kamchatka
by Chicagobest 11 September 2011
Yblanter is of course correct. I was told by Bering Air 4 years ago that that had to fly to Provideniya and (rarer) Anadyr, with a load…
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Yakutia and Kolyma highway (Road of bones): Questions&Answers
by sibumi 06 September 2011
Hi! I'm Egor. I live in Yakutsk, center of Yakutia, biggest region at far east-north of Russia. If you have any question about my city,…
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