Karlag Museum

The Museum of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repression, located in the village of Dolinka, opened in 2002. It preserves the stories of thousands whose lives were destroyed by Soviet policies. Situated in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan, approximately 45 km from Karaganda, this museum serves as a poignant reminder of the tragic histories of political prisoners.

Founded in 1931, the Karaganda Corrective Labor Camp, or “Karlag,” was one of the largest labor camps in the Soviet Union, sprawling over hundreds of kilometers. Local residents were forcibly evicted to create room for Karlag, and the administrative headquarters for the NKVD (the Soviet secret police) was built in Dolinka using prison labor. The two-story building, marked by columns giving it an imposing facade, became the command center for Karlag’s operations.

Following the camp’s closure, the building was repurposed several times, housing an agricultural college, a children’s sanatorium, and a production association. Since 2010, it has been home to a museum filled with documents, photographs, and personal belongings of former prisoners.

The museum’s exhibits illuminate not only the history of Karlag but also the events leading up to its creation. Displays show everyday Kazakh life, household artifacts, and recount the hardships of forced collectivization, confiscation, and mass starvation, which claimed over a million lives across the country. One hall is devoted to the origins of the camp itself, with documents revealing details of Soviet repressive policies and the brutal operations of the GULAG network.

Numerous rooms recreate scenes from the camp, showcasing the harsh living conditions and daily routines of prisoners. The realistic exhibits illustrate prisoners’ schedules, their exhausting tasks, and the labor they were forced to perform. A separate room commemorates families of prisoners, including women and children who also suffered under the regime. Due to the severe conditions, high mortality rates affected all, especially the youngest. Near the museum lies Mamochkino Cemetery, a memorial site where many victims, particularly women and children, were laid to rest.

Intellectuals were a significant part of the camp’s population, including scientists, artists, historians, and journalists. The museum has recreated a lab where imprisoned scholars conducted research, along with a gallery featuring art created by imprisoned artists. Another exhibit focuses on the individual lives of these prisoners, with photographs and documents that preserve their memory.

On the museum’s lower level, an exhibit covers the pre-trial and investigative periods of prisoners’ detainment. Life-size figures of prisoners—gaunt and weary—appear in the stark common cells, conveying the suffering endured by innocent people in such bleak surroundings.

Other exhibits vividly portray isolation cells, dungeons, divisional pits, and interrogation rooms, all meticulously reconstructed. For high-risk political prisoners, the sentence was often execution, a fact solemnly honored in the execution chamber exhibit. Visitors can also view recreations of the administrative offices, interrogation rooms, and spaces where prisoners were photographed and fingerprinted.

Despite the harsh conditions, prisoners found ways to keep their spirits alive. Many engaged in creative pursuits, reading, hosting exhibitions, and holding small concerts, aspects that are illustrated throughout the museum’s displays.

The museum also documents the forced relocations of entire ethnic groups, the labor of prisoners during World War II, and the waves of repression from the 1950s to the 1980s. It further chronicles Kazakhstan’s journey toward sovereignty. Among the most symbolic exhibits is a broken shanyrak (a traditional Kazakh symbol of familial well-being), representing the devastation that government policies inflicted on countless families.

A visit to the museum is a powerful experience, confronting the visitor with the painful reality of political repression. The striking realism of the displays evokes a unique atmosphere, inspiring both sorrow and reflection. Many who visit believe it’s an essential experience, serving as a reminder of the past and a call to prevent such injustices from recurring.