My father was in that prison

Perm 36 Art work

We arrived at Perm at about 10 at night after a train ride of almost three days (lots of adventure in that too, save it for another post!). There was no moment of tension on the platform wondering if we really would be met by a travel agent, he was standing directly at the bottom of the steps, holding a sign that said “Mrs. Cobra” (I can’t get away from it.). He was Michael Jr, of the Karazov Tour company. We are going to meet Michael Sr. soon.

Michael Jr. took us to Katia’s apartment. One more of the stories you have heard it true, every Russian city is full of Soviet era apartment blocks. They are about 10 stories high, grey brick, and have no redeeming architectural features. We are staying on the 6th floor of one of those apartment blocks! There is a locked door at the entry floor, an elevator that holds three people (but we squeezed in four people and our luggage), a locked door giving access to two locked apartment doors and finally the apartment itself. Enter into a narrow hallway that runs in a T shape. We are at the bottom of the T. To the right a tiny kitchen, next on the right a good sized living room where two couches have been folded down into beds for us, now we are at the top of the T. To the right, Katia’s bedroom, in front of us a bathroom with washing machine (marvelous) and a separate WC, to the left “Mother’s bedroom”. Floors are linoleum with area rugs on top. It looks like it could have been built 35 years ago but Katia told us the building is only 20 years old! Overall, our welcome was warm and the place is very comfortable, so we have no complaints at all. We get to watch more Russian TV and John is enjoying “America’s Funniest Home Videos” dubbed in Russian!

At nine in the morning we were picked up by Michael Sr., our driver and another Katia, our guide for the trip to Perm 36 Museum and other adventures. On the way out of town Katia told us about the buildings, parks, main streets, and historical highlights of the city, but the highlight of the drive was Michael Sr. getting a speeding ticket on the road where Michael Romanov was taken to his murder back in 1917! Out of the city the countryside looks like the area around Prince George: low rolling hills, lots of birch and poplar trees, big rivers. Katia told us about the settlement of the area from pre-historic times to the modern post-Soviet era, I’m not going to recount it here but if you want to know about the Stroganof family and their influence on settlement in the 17 century I can tell the story.

We arrived at Perm 36 and entered through the administration building: two story peeling cement and lots of bars, gates, and locks. Inside the wooden camouflage fence there are rings of barbed wire fence, etc. The camp is divided into two sections, the working area and the living area. There were up to two thousand prisoners in this one camp. When the Gulag system was at its peek in the 1950’s there were millions of prisoners working in camps across Siberia. Katia said that a person could be sent to a camp for crimes as minor as being late for work! They were used as a labour force to industrialize the country. Perm 36 started as a lumber camp, in the 1960’s it was a camp for members of the KGB and other elites who were out of favor and in the 1970s and 80s it was a prison for people who spoke out against the Soviet system. When a camp was closed the officials had it bulldozed and burned so there was no evidence, but when Perm 36 was closed in 1987 it was not completely destroyed. About 15 years ago Russians who feel it’s important to remember the history and honour those who suffered in the camps began to rebuild Perm 36 as a museum. Katia said that lots of tourists come, and many Russian student groups also come to learn about the history. My lasting impression is that it was bone-chillingly cold and damp and dreary. If it felt that way on the 1st of September, I can only imagine what it was like in winter.

The most touching displays were the prisoners’ belongings and the notes and drawings that were found hidden in the walls of the buildings during the reconstruction. One prisoner in the 1970’s made a carefully labeled map of the compound, and listed the names of all the prisoners he knew. Then he hid the notes in the wall of the building so that there would be some record of their being there. The papers are on display now, I hope he knows it was found.

Off into the sunshine and across the valley to the town of ….where we had lunch at the the gigantic …. Factory. We walked in through the cafeteria and I was all set to join the line-up and choose my food (it smelled great and the people watching was mutual) but we were lead through the crowd to a separate dining room (very VIP) where we ordered off a menu with Katia’s advice. A fine lunch. No perogies. Michael Sr. joined us for lunch, he’s a man of about 60 and we were getting to know him. I could tell he understood a lot of the English conversation that was going on, even though he did not join in, and I knew from talking to Katia (our host) that he’s the owner of the tour company.

We were talking about Perm 36 when he suddenly said “My father was in that prison for ten years.” Well, that’s a conversation stopper! “What did he do?” I asked. “He said three words.” Then Michael Sr. said something in Russian o Katia, and she translated it for us as “his father said something sarcastic.”

After lunch we drove to a ski hill where Russian freestyle and mogul skiers train. It’s not ski season, so the hill was not the focus of the visit. The man who owns the ski hill has created a kind of combination memorial site and historical village of houses rescued from demolition or flooding. There is a chapel dedicated to …. “the conqueror of Siberia”. There’s a modern memorial to local soldiers killed in Kazakstan. There’s a building full of wooden toys and musical instruments that we could play with. There’s a reconstruction of a turn of the 20th century general store and a reconstruction of a turn of the 20th century peasant farm family house. Think Fort Steele with a large dose of Russian Orthodox Church, add band music played over loud speakers and a few wall murals of famous Russian skiers.

Russian hunters?

Back onto the highway to Perm, it’s an hour long drive and Michael Sr. got another speeding ticket! Katia the guide went silent and things were a bit tense in the front seat. Michael Sr. decided it was time for a “green stop”, that means he pulled off onto a gravel road and wandered away into the bush. Gone for a bit longer than one might expect…hmm. Not a word from the front seat. Suddenly he reappeared with an armload of wild mushrooms, a peace offering for Katia. The sun came back out in the front seat and our tour continued. John, Michael Sr. and Nelson at the Weapons Display

Our last planned stop was at an outdoor display of military equipment produced by a factory in Perm. John got to climb on cannons and rocket launchers displayed in order from 1890 to 1999. Katia gave us the basics in brief and went back to the car, but Michael Sr. came and joined us and encouraged John and Nelson to climb on the tanks and sit on the guns. In fact, he lead the way. We had lots of fun. It turns out that he was in the Russian Navy for 25 years, now he’s retired he has the tour business just for fun and to get a wider view on the world. Last week he took a group of American millionaires around the region and one of them had visited every country in the world!
More weapons!



Our last stop was at Michael’s office so that we could use the bancomat next door. We were out of cash, the last 180 rubles spent on a small wooden bear who plays guitar and sings. Katia left us there, she was clearly done for the day and anxious to get along with her life. Michael Sr. said he wished we had more time because he could show us lots of interesting sights. Now there’s a man I’d like to share a shot of vodka with!