#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Moscow civil time was introduced in the Norilskstroy management office and its divisions. Exactly at midnight, the clock hands moved four hours back.
Order No. 86 for the Norilsk forced labor camp stated the following:
“From January 1, 1936, in the camp office and all divisions MOSCOW – CIVIL time is established…”.
The innovation served for operational communication with the capital: it was more convenient to work with the authorities in the same time period.
In addition, the Norilsk residents tried to compensate for the daylight hours lack this way. At six in the morning in Moscow, that is, at ten in Norilsk, when everyone got up and got ready for work, the sky over the village was turning gray. But this scheme did not quite work, because in the evening the opposite picture was observed. In the summer, when the polar day was established, the light period did not depend on the clock hands.
The temporary experiment lasted only nine months: on September 12, 1936, Norilsk turned to Krasnoyarsk time again.
In the History Spot photo project previous publication, we told that this year the Copper plant’s metallurgical shop celebrates its 70th anniversary.
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Text: Svetlana Ferapontova, Photo: Nornickel Polar Branch archive
