Soviet After World War II , together with the United States, became the strongest country in the world at that time, and was called a superpower. It is such a superpower that has lost money with its neighboring country, Norway . The Soviet Union once mined coal mines near the Arctic for 60 years, but in the end it suffered a loss but not even a small town left ! The smart and courageous Soviets had a mind and ability that should not be underestimated both politically and economically. Then why did he make an unprecedented loss-making deal in the world? Let me take you to learn about the whole story of the incident.
Miner Town Origin
In Polar Bear Hometown Arctic Circle There is a town of more than 20 square kilometers. The name of the town is Piramida (Piramida), which in Russian means pyramids. There are extremely rich resources around the archipelago. People nearby used to eat from the sea, catching whales and sharks and other marine organisms , and only developed marine resources. In addition, the island also contains rich mineral resources. It was first developed by Swedish people and Norwegian people here, because the island did not belong to a specific country at that time. Later, the Svalbard Islands were promulgated, and the nearby archipelago was stipulated as the Norwegian territory . In 1927, Norway sold the coal mine town to the Soviet Union, so the Soviet Union began a sixty-year mining construction work.
In order to invest in the construction of this coal mine town, the Soviet Union spent billions of dollars. But The real purpose of the Soviet Union to buy this coal mine was actually to build the Navy and Army military base , so the buildings in the town are based on military facilities as the standard, which can provide the army with training, drills, combat, life, etc. Compared with ordinary buildings, they are more sturdy and can withstand enemy invasions, and they will suffer less damage when subjected to natural disasters or human attacks. As long as you pay attention to the maintenance of the town, the buildings in the town can be used for hundreds of years.
The town reversed from desolate to lively
The initial Piramiden was extremely desolate because it was difficult for other creatures except humans to survive and reproduce; due to the hardship of the environment, no one settled here for a long time. In 1936, the Soviet Union obtained the mining rights of the town, and a team of 10 or 20 mining workers began to enter this area to carry out mining business. With the end of World War II , the Soviet Union's economy also returned to pre-war levels. So The Soviet government began to spend huge sums of money on building houses, hospitals, cinemas, restaurants, sports fields and other entertainment facilities in small towns.
The cinema here plays a movie every night. Later, more and more residents moved here were moved here, and a primary school was built for the children of miners to ensure their studies and learn knowledge. After the primary school is built, the frequency of movie playback in cinemas increases. There is a 24-hour tavern, and free vodka is provided for workers. Everyone can watch movies and sing songs in their spare time. It even built a swimming pool in the northernmost part of the world for workers to introduce constant temperature hot spring water from a few kilometers away.
In order to allow workers to drink fresh milk and eat fresh vegetables, the Soviets built cowsheds in the local area. The soil was even transported by warship because the soil in the town became frozen soil due to the extremely cold temperature, making microorganisms and plants unable to survive. People carefully cultivated them on the fertile soil they transported and finally could eat fresh vegetables they planted themselves.
Miners have found their own happiness in this desolate land. The government's preferential treatment has allowed miners to not only deserve their wages, but also their living allowances. The immigrants of the family and the whole family can also receive large cash rewards and housing guarantees. By the 1980s, the town had more than one thousand people, becoming the largest town near the Arctic Circle. This also became the most prosperous and lively period of Piramiden.
When the beautiful reality is broken
Everything that the Soviet Union created in Piramiden came to an end in 1987. Because this year Norway unilaterally announced that "Svalbard Islands prohibit any military base and nuclear weapons from the existence of."The promulgation of this decision determined that Piramiden no longer had the possibility of becoming a Soviet naval and air military base. The grand blueprints planned before and all achievements became bubbles in an instant. Although dazzling under the light, it is also fragile. Therefore, under this situation, the Soviet government no longer invested construction funds in the town, and all military projects were stagnated. Even various welfare subsidies for staff are no longer paid.
People's lives begin to change gradually, and this change is undoubtedly negative and vicious. From bitter to sweet people can often accept it calmly and feel happy and accomplished. But on the contrary, it will bring people a blow and pain, which is difficult to accept. By the late 1990s, the deficit in the entire Soviet country led to a shortage of coal mine materials in small towns, and even wages could not be paid on time.
The northernmost ghost town of the world
was once brightly lit, and the lively Piramiden was about to become a "ghost town". However, in 1996, a plane flying from the capital Moscow to Svalbard Airport crashed on the island due to a mistake, resulting in a tragedy in which all 141 people on the plane were killed. Most of the passengers are the families of miners. The bad news came, and people were heartbroken.
Due to the huge death toll, the air crash caused a great psychological shadow to people, and the previous losses of the coal mine, the compensation for the families of the air crash has become the biggest problem that is difficult to solve. The pain of miners losing their families and the Soviet Union's attitude toward reparations against the incident made people desperate. The workers who were still struggling to hold on to have been preparing to leave to find new jobs and settlements one after another.
Under the influence of the above factors, Soviet Union decided to permanently close Piramiden. This idealistic utopia created by the Soviet Union has only been around for 71 years since it was empty.
The current situation of the town
Pilamiden is located near the Arctic Circle. Due to the extremely special geographical environment and extremely low temperature, the building facilities here are very well preserved. Here are the northernmost Khrushchev building and Lenin statues, as well as various Soviet socialist buildings and landmarks. Every inch of land and every trace of air here is filled with Soviet culture. Later, Norway took back its territory and began to develop tourism on its original basis. From May to October every year, people can take cruises through Norwegian tourism companies to enjoy the Arctic scenery, allowing people to see the microcosm of the heyday of the Soviet Union up close.
At that time, Piramiden had only a few more than 20 permanent personnel, and the others were tourists who came to visit. Therefore, it has become a habitat for all kinds of animals to appear at will. 2013, the renovated Piramiden Hotel reopened to provide accommodation for tourists who visit. The Russian government recommends keeping the most original layout in the town as much as possible, even if the placement of a piano or the decoration of a classroom, so that tourists can feel the beauty of this utopia hundreds of years later.
Behind the rise and fall of Piramiden is international relations and politics. Entering Piramiden seems to be the gear of time turning back, going back to that mysterious and unique river of history. Although is deserted, it has not been completely abandoned by people . At least there is still memory of that period of history.
Author: La Bi Xiaoxin Proofreader: Chuanchuan
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