Photo © rferl.org
The construction of a trans-polar highway, which was supposed to connect the cities located beyond the Arctic Circle, Chum and Igarka, began in 1947.
The ideological inspirer of large-scale construction was Stalin. They built a railroad of 80,000 GULAG prisoners.
They planned to build a railway bed with a length of 1297 km, and to spend 42 billion rubles for the project. The road was a strategic object.
It was supposed to facilitate the export of nickel of Norilsk and connect the deep-water seaports of Igarka and Salekhard with the mainland railway network.
The prisoners built the road in inhuman conditions: in winter, the construction was hampered by extremely low temperatures, permafrost and lack of food. In the summer - on the way were wetlands, infectious diseases, insects.
During the construction of the trans-polar highway, thousands of prisoners died. There are still no official data.