Recently we returned from a trip up north to Astana (the capital of Kazakhstan). There, we went to the ballet, saw the main attractions of the city, and visited the university that our professor (Victoria Thorstensson) taught at before coming to Carleton. The most intense part of this trip was our excursion to ALZHIR, a Gulag camp that jailed the wives of those convicted of crimes against the USSR (As translated from Russian: ‘The Akmolinsk Camp of Wives of Traitors to the Motherland’).
There’s not much left of this camp. Most of the structures have been destroyed and replaced. In its place stands a museum, a monument, and a model train car that depicts the conditions of transportation to the camp. The day we visited was gloomy, rainy, and cold, which added to the tone of the trip.
In the museum, there are 2 main exhibits. The first exhibit is located on the ground floor. It provides a general overview of the atrocities committed in Kazakhstan prior to and during Soviet times. The number of deaths along with the corresponding event is shown below.
The exhibit also highlights a few famous individuals who were arrested for being enemies of the state and killed in Gulag camps. One of the most moving displays shows Kazakh victims before their arrests and then again before they were murdered.
The torture each of them endured is shown on their faces.
The second exhibit, located on the second floor, focuses on the ALZHIR camp. Included in this exhibit are dioramas of the camp, displays of torture methods, replicas of the prison cells, personal stories, and personal items taken from the victims when they first arrived at the camp.
The camp itself was relatively small.
Over the years of operation, nearly 18,000 women were held there. If the women arrived with children, these children were allowed to stay with their mothers until the age of 3. At this point, they would be sent off to Soviet orphanages which often resulted in death. Disturbingly, over 1,500 births were recorded in ALZHIR. These pregnancies were a result of rapes by the guards of the camp.
The displays are particularly powerful. They are in your face, full scale, forcing you to acknowledge the reality of the crimes committed there.
The cells of the inmates included bunked “beds.” I refer to them as “beds” because, in reality, it was merely straw laid on wooden boards. The display shows a baby’s cradle. They are small, and not meant for anyone above the age of 3.
There is also a display depicting the working conditions of the women which I did not get a picture of. The women in the camp were forced to sow uniforms and other clothing for soldiers. They worked most of the day with little rest time.
One of the torture methods is shown below:
Women were forced to sit on the stool all night long as they were questioned about the supposed crimes of their family members. This task is especially difficult given that there is nowhere for them to rest their feet. The stool is high enough that their feet dangle and they are not allowed to rest their feet on the stool itself. After being in the position for only a few hours, they would pass out.
Another torture method described in the exhibit is the death marches into the forest to gather wood. These marches would occur during the winter with the expectation that some of the prisoners would die from the harsh cold of the steppe.
On arrival at the camp, the personal items of the prisoners were confiscated and stored. Some of these items are on display with a description and the name of the owner. Belongings include tea sets, dishware, purses, suitcases, dresses, hats, gloves, and whatever else the prisoners brought along with them.
Outside the museum stands a replica train car that shows the travel conditions the prisoners faced.
Here the beds are merely pieces of wood. No straw. The women are dressed in their daily clothes as they were likely forced on this journey with little to no notice. Each of them has a handbag that will be confiscated immediately upon arrival. Their journey to ALZHIR is true to what they will experience for the next 4-8 years (the average length of imprisonment).
I have never visited a place in which so many people have died unnatural deaths. Our program was supposed to visit the Karlag Gulag labor camp in Karaganda, but we had to leave Astana early due to a snowstorm. This camp is different from ALZHIR in one important way; Many of the buildings from when Karlag was an active camp are still intact. I believe that this would create a different impact on me than a museum would. Hopefully, we will have the opportunity to return before the end of the program!
