#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The centerpiece of Molokov island will be a park-museum dedicated to the exploration of the North, featuring the restored C-47 Douglas aircraft as its main exhibit.
The architects’ proposals include a variety of facilities: a museum complex (which will have a separate museum on water), a pavilion for the aircraft, a hydroport, a visitor center, a pedestrian bridge, a water sports club, a restaurant, and a hotel complex, according to the Telegram channel Our Taimyr.
The existing building of the old hydroport, from which polar aviation planes took off for the North, will definitely be preserved. This is the only remaining structure from polar aviation of the 1930s in the entire country.
There will be several museum pavilions. The Douglas is planned to be displayed in a glass pavilion over the water, facing North – toward the direction that made it famous. The hydroport building will continue the museum exhibition, and a special pathway with exhibits and art installations will connect it to the Northern exploration museum. Another proposed museum, located on water, will showcase the diversity of hydroaviation and maritime fleets.
The island will become part of Krasnoyarsk public spaces and serve as a venue for city events.
It’s worth noting that the Douglas C-47 was delivered to the USSR from the USA via the Krasnoyarsk air route known as Alsib during World War II. In 1947, the plane made an emergency landing on the Taymyr peninsula, 180 kilometers from the village of Volochanka. The crew commander, Maxim Tyurikov, and radio operator Alexey Smirnov set out in search of help but tragically perished, while the remaining passengers on board waited for assistance for three weeks.
In 2007, geologists conducting aerial surveys spotted the aircraft, and in 2016, the Russian Geographical Society organized a large-scale international expedition to evacuate the Douglas C-47 to Krasnoyarsk. First, the fuselage was removed from the tundra, and the following year, its wings were taken out. The legendary aircraft was restored in the regional center, and for further restoration to the level of a museum exhibit, it was sent to Novosibirsk at the end of 2021.
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Text: Maria Sokolova, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
