Villages that no longer exist and the ghost towns of the USSR: Why people left these places forever

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It is impossible to say exactly how many abandoned cities there are on the territory of the former USSR. Recently, they have become a favorite destination for adventure seekers and those interested in a bygone era. If once people left these places, for one reason or another, now, in the wake of the popularity of the "end of the world", the Maya calendar, Vanga's predictions and other apocalyptic moods, they again rushed to these ghost towns. Despite the fact that they are now outside the modern world, they were once flourishing cities, so what happened that people left them en masse?

There are many reasons why abandonment is becoming so popular. The modern tourist is already lying on the beaches and running into excursions, he needs something more exciting and mysterious. Such places are especially in demand among creative individuals and those who have an audience on the Internet. After all, it is much more interesting to share with subscribers "informal" rather than boring excursions to traditional sights.

Walking along the quiet streets of abandoned cities tickles your nerves and is extremely exciting. Behind every detail is a story, someone's life and hopes. The city seems to have frozen on its last breath and is slowly collapsing.

Pripyat (Ukraine)

Perhaps the most famous dead city, which many would like to visit, despite all the prohibitions (and, perhaps, in connection with this). Although there are legal excursion tours too. Those who have been there claim that the sight is actually worthwhile - the city was abandoned in a hurry. Unmade beds, scattered toys and other household items give the impression that people have recently left their homes. And the city itself froze in the 80s, moreover, due to the fact that the zone was closed, the buildings practically did not suffer from the hands of marauders and vandals, remaining in their original form, except for the fact that nature has ruled here in recent decades.

The streets and buildings of Pripyat are gradually overgrown with grass and trees; some buildings cannot be disassembled at a distance of several meters. Many buildings begin to collapse, for example, a few years ago, one of the walls of the school fell. However, there are also operating facilities on the territory, and this is in addition to the checkpoint at the entrance. There is a special laundry, a station for fluoridation and deferrization of water, a garage.

On the southern side of the city, the so-called red forest has almost recovered. After the accident, it turned into an unnatural brownish color, and glowed at night. Then the trees were razed to the ground and buried, now the forest began to regenerate naturally.

According to the last census in 1985, almost 48 thousand people lived in Pripyat. Every year the population increased by one and a half thousand people only at the expense of visitors. There were more than 25 nationalities among those who worked at the nuclear power plant.

The city died at the peak of its capabilities, suddenly froze and deserted, and remained the eternal city of the 80s. For some, this is the main intriguing moment, because plunge into the 80s is like visiting your childhood or returning to your youth.

Khalmer-Yu (Komi Republic)

The name of the settlement speaks for itself and practically predicts a tragic fate. From the Nenets language, Khalmer-Yu is translated as "river of the dead", dead water. The place itself was a cult place for the Nenets - the burial place of the dead. This is not the end of the oddities associated with the future coal settlement.

A coal deposit, discovered in 1942, was discovered by a group of scientists who, due to weather conditions, were cut off from the outside world. And this is despite the fact that the distance from Vorkuta is only 70 km. Scientists could not find for several months, all their food supplies by that time had long since ended, they were at an extreme degree of exhaustion, they could not move. They repeatedly tried to send help on deer, but the animals did not reach their destination and died.

Their sacrifices were not in vain, despite the fact that the volume of coal mined was not large, it was a fossil necessary for coke-chemical production. Despite the fact that the settlement was relatively small and up to 8 thousand people lived here, the standard of living was high. There was a kindergarten, a school, a hospital, a dispensary, a hospital, a library, a bakery - everything that is needed for a small but developing village. The northernmost weather station in the republic was also located here.

The settlement appeared on a coal vein, and disappeared with its end. In 1993, the mine was declared unprofitable, and two years later a decision was made to relocate people. Moreover, people were practically kicked out of their own apartments and forced into trains. Many received apartments in Vorkuta, moreover, unfinished ones, others even huddled in dorm rooms.

Immediately after resettlement, the city was converted into a military base. During the exercise, bombers smashed the buildings of the cultural center. Currently, empty boxes are all that remains of Halmer-Yu, wooden buildings burned to the ground.

Neftegorsk (Sakhalin Region)

This village was empty through no fault of man, it is likely that if a natural cataclysm had not happened, the future of the oil village would have been comfortable and prosperous. Until 1970 the village was called Vostok, then it was renamed Neftegorsk, which was more suitable for it, because the oilmen lived here with their families. More than three thousand people in total. However, the infrastructure was sufficiently developed, for example, there were four kindergartens.

In May 1995, it was just graduation and the guys celebrated it in a cafe, a terrible earthquake happened. Neftegorsk was located only three dozen kilometers from its epicenter and was literally wiped off the face of the earth. More than two thousand people died under the rubble of their own houses, including school graduates in the same cafe.

The rescue operation was launched immediately after the earthquake, and was attended by one and a half thousand people. It was here that the technique of "5 minutes of silence" was first used - every hour there was a break for five minutes - they jammed the equipment, stopped talking. This helped to determine where the sounds were coming from - cries for help, crying or moans. Thanks to this, dozens of people were saved.

The village did not come to life, and there were no more people who wanted to live there. Now there is only a cemetery, a chapel and a memorial complex. The village died along with its inhabitants …

Mologa (Yaroslavl region)

Even from the name it is clear that the city has a rich history. The city, located 120 kilometers from Yaroslavl, really had a rich history. Its history goes back to the 12th century, and up to the 19th century, Mologa was a large shopping center, there were hundreds of shops and shops, more than seven thousand of the population.

In 1935, it was decided to build the Rybinsk reservoir and this was the beginning of the end for Mologa. So, the water level of the reservoir was 102 meters, and the city was at around 98.

The resettlement was difficult, many buildings, especially the tallest, were demolished and leveled. They did the same with the churches. More than three hundred townspeople flatly refused to leave their hometown, the number of suicides increased. The city was flooded after all. But in the 90s, due to the shallowing of the reservoir, part of the city was opened - metal gratings on the fences of graves, foundations and what remained of buildings became visible. The spectacle was very impressive, local historians organized the Mologa Museum and collected a lot of material thanks to this. Now the level at the reservoir changes periodically and the city comes to the surface, attracting those who love ghost towns.

Kadykchan (Magadan region)

The history of this settlement is also associated with the development of a coal deposit. A thermal power plant was also built here, from which most of the region was powered. Kadykchan is far from the only abandoned village in the Magadan region; many settlements were empty after the coal mining was completed. However, Kadykchan has a slightly different history from the majority.

The settlement was built by prisoners, and in 1986 more than 10 thousand people lived in it. But the less coal became in the mine, the less the population was. Probably, many would have stayed here and further, despite the absence of a working enterprise. But a series of misfortunes drove the population out of their homes. In 1996, an explosion occurred in the mine, as a result of which six miners died at once. This incident affected work from an already unprofitable enterprise, many began to leave, not seeing any prospects here.

After the boiler house broke down here in winter and people were left without heat, those who still remained left also left. It became obvious that no one would invest in construction and repairs for the sake of the dying village. In 2006, people still lived here, but very few. And now there is only one man and several of his dogs.

Charonda (Vologda region)

The village, located on the shores of Lake Vozhe, appeared in the 13th century. It was a trading point where caravans stopped, and the locals were fishing. Along with the growth of commercial interests, the settlement grew, which corresponded to the interests of visitors: houses for guests appeared, like hotels, the number of residents grew. In the 17th century, more than 11 thousand people lived here.

But the appearance of the city of Arkhangelsk negatively affected the fate of Charonda. The first settlement turned out to be more convenient for traders. Although at the beginning of the 18th century Charonda officially received the name of the city, after 70 years it again became a village, and the population left the dying village. However, there are a few people left here who do not want to leave their homes.

There is no electricity and no road, you can get to the village only through the lake. By the way, the church here is still intact, which was built at the beginning of the 19th century.

Agdam (Nagorno-Karabakh)

Only a large mosque reminds of the fact that there was once a large settlement here. Such a temple could only be built in a large settlement. The settlement was founded in the 18th century on the eastern slope of the Karabakh ridge. The decision that there will be a minaret was made by the local khan, who decided to build a mosque for himself from white stone. Agdam, translated from Azerbaijani as "white roof", became an identification mark of this area, travelers drove to the white roof, as a result of which Agdam became a large trade center.

Having received the status of a city, Agdam had its own food factories, a railway line, theaters and educational institutions. Archaeological excavations were carried out here, and a bread museum was founded. In the 90s, the population of the city numbered almost 30 thousand people.

But during the Karabakh war, it was in this place that the most fierce battles took place, the city was destroyed. But the mosque and the white roof remained untouched, the warriors did not dare to destroy the temple.

Ostroglyady (Belarus)

The village was founded in the 17th century, at the same time a large church was built. By the 19th century, the settlement had grown, it had its own school, college, bakery, mill, and trade shop. A collective farm was founded here.

The village was empty after the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, residents were urgently evacuated. But now the village is empty, but not abandoned. Those who once lived here prefer to come here to eternal rest, therefore the cemetery in this village is the most "lively" place. Relatives come here to look after the graves.

There is still a manor house, a garden in which there are three alleys of oak, linden and hornbeam.

Kursha-2 (Ryazan region)

The history of the workers' settlement is tragic, this is the case when the settlement died with its inhabitants. The settlement was founded by loggers, the wood, after processing, was transported along a narrow-gauge railway to Ryazan and Vladimir. About a thousand local residents of Kursha-2 were engaged in procurement. Residents of neighboring villages also came here to work - life was in full swing, work was going on.

In 1938, a fire broke out near one of the neighboring villages, a strong wind carried the fire to the Curonian. A train was sent to evacuate people - it was known that a strong fire was approaching. But the order was given to take out not people, but already harvested timber. The train was loaded to the last - the fire was already approaching, people were loaded from above. But it was already too late - the bridge, through which the train was supposed to pass, caught fire. As a result, the train, loaded with wood and people, caught fire.

The death toll was more than 1,000 people, including those who remained to put out the fire and those who were on the train. Curonian was restored, but people here still did not take root, now it is the territory of a protected complex, a memorial has been erected on the site of a common grave in memory of the victims.

Industrial (Komi)

Most of the settlements that arose on the deposits live as long as there are minerals, and then the once active life in them comes to naught. But in the case of the urban-type settlement Promyshlenniy, everything happened a little differently.

The settlement arose around two mines, prisoners built houses, but later those who came to the North for a “long ruble” settled here. In the best times, more than 10 thousand residents lived here, there was a sports complex, a restaurant, a school and a kindergarten. Probably, life in the town would have gone on as usual, if not for the terrible tragedy that ended the lives of 27 miners. One of the mines had already been closed by this time, and the second was rushed to close. Moreover, the state of emergency became a pretext for proceedings and a lot of violations surfaced.

A few years later, the workers who were dismantling the building of the idle mine were killed again. Once again, the PGT has attracted hard-hitting attention. Families began to be transported, and the second mine was also officially closed. Now it is a completely empty settlement.

Ghost towns are often targeted by young people or criminal gangs who can use them as safe havens. Teenage gangs that appeared in the USSR and made adults fearful, often chose abandoned buildings that can be found in any, even the most vibrant city, as their habitat.