#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The geographical location of the site where this photo was taken is no secret; it’s clearly marked in bold letters on the image. What’s more intriguing is to understand what exactly is captured in it.
Valyok is the oldest settlement in the Norilsk area. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a trading post, serving as a hub for trade and exchange with the indigenous people of the Pyasina valley. With the construction of Norilsk, Valyok became a vital transportation hub. Its advantageous position on the Norilka river led to the establishment of an air and water port and a river port. The first cargo shipments arrived here, transported via the river and lake Pyasino, leading to the extension of the first railway line from Norilsk. This line was built by prisoners, resulting in the nearby forced labor camp known as Valyok.
When it became clear that a reliable waterway could not be established along the Pyasina river and that the main port for Norilsk needed to be built on the Yenisey river, the narrow-gauge railway between Norilsk and Valyok was no longer needed. It was dismantled in 1947, and an automobile road was constructed along the embankment to the settlement, as the modern Talnah road did not yet exist at that time.
This new road was used by passengers flying and sailing from Valyok, as well as by the residents of the settlement. It also served workers from the Norilsk industrial procurement department (along with fishing teams and points around the lakes), the fish factory, and the Norilsk state farm, all of which were located in Valyok.
In the 1950s, Valyok became a major recreational area. A night health resort of the same name was built nearby, and a park was established right on the banks of the Norilka, featuring a water station, a boat pier, a stage, and a summer restaurant called Taimyr.
All this infrastructure in Valyok was initially accessed via an old road that had been laid over the narrow-gauge embankment. Later, a new road developed from an inspection route along the pipeline from the water intake on the Norilka. The wooden structure captured in the photograph is most likely a mini bus station. Architecturally, it resembles two other wooden buildings in Valyok: the water station (behind which the summer restaurant operated) and the water port.
In the mid-1950s, bus route No. 13 operated on the Norilsk – Valyok route, departing from the communication house on Octyabrskaya street. Taxis could also be ordered, but during warm summer days, Norilsk residents complained in the newspaper about the opportunistic behavior of transport providers. “Taxi drivers deserve serious criticism. They charge 45-50 rubles for a ride to Valyok instead of the tariff rate of 22 rubles. The head of the transport office needs to put an end to this driver’s fraud”.
By the 1960s, the old Valyok road was no longer in use. In 1963, the narrow-gauge embankment became the foundation for the railway to Talnah. Specifically, it served as the first section from Norilsk to the Valyok railway station. The new line almost completely followed the old narrow-gauge track, with only a few sections straightened out. Before reaching Valyok, the new line veered west of the settlement towards a bridge under construction, while the old embankment turned east towards Valyok. This junction still shows the original embankment from 1936 today.
In the History Spot’s previous publication, we presented a photograph and the story of Kirov street.
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Text: Svetlana Ferapontova, Photo: Norilsk Museum’s archive
