Norilsk

   One of the most important islands of the gulag archipelago, Norilsk was planned by Joseph Stalin to be the country’s primary source of aluminum, copper, and platinum-family metals, as well as coal and iron. Despite Norilsk’s Arctic location, the Soviet regime planned a complex of 18 forced labor camps to tap the riches of the north. The first prisoners arrived in 1935, and by Stalin’s death more than 100,000 prisoners labored in its mines and smelters. The Soviet security service also created secret cities with forced labor near Norilsk to build nuclear weapons and their delivery systems.

   Stalin also ordered the building of a secret railroad across the Soviet north to link camp complexes, resulting in a tremendous loss of life. The railroad was not finished, however, and was finally abandoned after Stalin’s death. Following Stalin’s death in March 1953, the prisoners in Norilsk rioted, as did the prisoners in Vorkuta and Kengir. The riots were put down by the regime.

   By 1955 Moscow began to replace prison laborers with volunteer workers, who were attracted to the Arctic by high salaries and bonuses. Norilsk today has a population of more than 200,000 and is the most polluted city in the world.