#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. In the summer of 1930, four buildings were allocated for housing, designed for 25–30 people. But about 250 people arrived at the future Norilsk Combine unfolding construction.
The new settlers were housed in attics and in tents, where they lived until the snow. In winter, two more barracks were built from the damp local forest.
And some workers themselves made small huts, thus laying the foundation for the Norilsk spontaneous private dwelling sector.
Be that as it may, by January 1931, the entire “mine population” (that is how it was written in the report) was under a roof. True, the allocated living space footage per person did not exceed 1/4–1/5 of the normal…
Therefore, the Norilskstroy’s (that is how Norilsk Combine was called then) authorities especially welcomed “childless marriage or cohabitation only because in such cases two people can be placed on one bed…”
In order to overcome the housing shortage in 1936, a training and construction camp was organized in Norilsk, in which 350 future carpenters built wooden houses.
In the History Spot’s previous publication, we talked about the fact that the Taimyrsky mine is considered one of the deepest mines on the Eurasian continent.
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Text: Svetlana Ferapontova, Photo: Nornickel Polar Division archive
