VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
The Norilsk Calvary (Golgotha) Memorial Complex was built at the foot of mount Schmidt on the site of the former first Norilsk cemetery. The cemetery was built with the start of the construction of the Norilsk Plant by inmates at NorilLag labour camp which was part of the GULAG system. The cemetery had two sections, one for hired workers and one for prisoners. The prisoners were buried in a common grave without any identification. In the late 1980s there were plans to raze the cemetery to the ground in preparation for a construction project, but work was stopped because of a public outcry in the city.
In 1988 it was decided to establish a monument to NorilLag political prisoners in Norilsk. A group of enthusiasts at the Norilsk branch of the Memorial Society set up a cross on a symbolic grave and consecrated a chapel.
On August 10, 1991 the dedication of the memorial complex "to Norilsk from the Baltic peoples" took place near Schmidtikha. It consists of three memorial crosses symbolizing Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and a three-faceted stone cairn at the centre. The names of the Baltic prisoners are etched on metal memorial plaques on the sides of the cairn. In 1994 the Norilsk City Administration joined the creation of the memorial to the victims of political repressions. The site was named the Schmidtikha Cemetery.
The chapel was refurbished in 1995, the memorial cemetery was cleaned up, and a wooden cross on the common grave was replaced with a memorial marker "In memory of Victims of Political Repressions." The grave is plated with granite and has a symbolic cross with a wreath and a memorial plaque that reads: "Rest in peace, eternal memory and grief for GULAG victims. To the victims of political repressions, the inmates of NorilLag. With repentance."
A monument "To the Poles Who Died During Stalin Repressions in Norilsk and Other Labour Camps" was opened on July 28, 1996. The monument is made from concrete, wood and metal. Symbolic rails with cross ties in the shape of wooden crosses are set in a concrete slab. On the reverse side of the monument are six memorial plaques with the names of Polish citizens who died in GULAG camps.
