Russia's abandoned Gulag sites are among the most historically charged destinations in the world — places where the full machinery of Soviet state terror is still physically present. Watchtowers, barracks, isolation cells, mine shafts, and execution grounds still stand across Russia's most remote landscapes, from the White Sea archipelago where the Gulag was born to the Siberian permafrost where it reached its most brutal scale. Here are the 5 best abandoned Gulag sites in Russia, selected from our Urbex Russia Map — 500+ GPS locations across Russia.

Why Gulag Sites Are Russia's Most Historically Significant Urbex Category

The Soviet Gulag imprisoned an estimated 18 million people between 1930 and 1953, of whom at least 1.5 million died in custody. The camps stretched across 11 time zones — from the Arctic Circle to Central Asia, from the White Sea to the Pacific. Most were demolished or simply absorbed by the landscape after 1953. Those that survive intact are irreplaceable historical evidence of one of the 20th century's defining crimes — and they are disappearing fast.

📍 All locations below are referenced on our Urbex Russia Map — GPS coordinates, access notes, condition ratings, and explorer reports included.

1. Solovetsky Islands – The Birthplace of the Gulag, White Sea (Known Location)

The most historically significant Gulag site in Russia — and the place where the entire system was born. Solovki is a 15th-century Russian Orthodox monastery on a White Sea archipelago 100 miles from the Arctic Circle that the Bolsheviks converted into the Soviet Union's first concentration camp in 1923. Called "the mother of the Gulag" by Solzhenitsyn, it held over one million prisoners across its various departments. The abandoned camp administration building still stands beside the partially restored monastery 

👉 Story: Monastery founded 1436. Converted to Soviet concentration camp 1923 — the first in the Gulag system. Closed 1939 as war approached. Served as a naval base until the 1970s. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site — but the abandoned camp administration buildings remain untouched beside the restored monastery.

🔗 More on Solovki: Wikipedia – Solovki prison camp

2. Dneprovsky Camp – The Most Complete Gulag Ruin, Kolyma (Known Location)

The best-preserved Gulag labour camp in Russia. Dneprovsky operated from 1941 to 1955 in the Kolyma region of Far East Siberia, with 1,500 prisoners mining tin at peak. Unlike most Kolyma camps — demolished or swallowed by the permafrost — Dneprovsky's extreme remoteness preserved it intact: barracks, guard towers, mine entrances, ore processing equipment, barbed wire perimeters, and a prisoner cemetery still distinguishable from the tundra. Walking the site takes three hours. 

👉 Story: Operated 1941–1955, mining tin with forced labour. One of over 80 camps in the Kolyma region at its peak. Preserved by the remoteness that made it impossible to dismantle — located 320 km from Magadan on the Road of Bones, accessible only by 4WD.

🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Places in Russia →

3. The Uranium Gulag Camp – Chukotka (Exclusive on our Map)

A former uranium mining camp in Chukotka where prisoners worked without protective clothing, extracting radioactive ore with bare hands. Barracks still stand, partially collapsed into the permafrost. Radiation levels remain elevated at some structures — a dosimeter is required.

👉 Story: Soviet uranium extraction in Chukotka relied entirely on Gulag labour from the 1940s onward. Prisoners had no protective equipment — radioactive exposure was simply not considered. Documented by the Gulag History Museum expedition in 2015. Exact location available on our Urbex Russia Map.

4. The Vorkuta Gulag Settlement – Yur-Shor, Komi Republic (Exclusive on our Map)

One of the satellite Gulag settlements around Vorkuta — scene of the 1953 Vorkuta Uprising, one of the largest prisoner revolts in Soviet history. Neoclassical housing blocks built by prisoner labour, a cultural centre, a Lenin statue, and empty streets that once housed Gulag administrators and their families — all abandoned and decaying in the Arctic permafrost.

👉 Story: Built by Gulag prisoners to house the administrators of the Vorkutlag empire. In 1953, prisoners at nearby camps staged one of the largest uprisings in Gulag history — suppressed by Soviet troops. When coal mining collapsed after 1991, the settlement was abandoned. Exact location available on our Urbex Russia Map.

5. The Abandoned Gulag Railway – Salekhard–Igarka Line, Western Siberia (Exclusive on our Map)

Over 600 miles of railway line built by Gulag prisoners between 1947 and 1953 — and abandoned the day Stalin died, never having carried a single commercial train. Wooden sleepers rotting in the permafrost, rusting locomotive hulks at abandoned stations, and guard towers still standing at intervals along a line that was built for a reason no one has ever fully explained.

👉 Story: Known as "Stalin's Road of Death" — 100,000 prisoners built 600 miles of track in the Siberian permafrost between 1947 and 1953. Stalin died in March 1953. Within weeks the project was cancelled. The entire line was abandoned in place — locomotives, stations, track, and all — and never touched again. Exact location available on our Urbex Russia Map.

Urbex Russia – Safety & Legal Reminder

Gulag sites carry specific hazards beyond standard urbex. Always:

• Carry a dosimeter for any former uranium or radioactive mining site — some Chukotka and Kolyma sites have documented elevated radiation
• Research contamination history before visiting any Gulag mining camp
• Explore with at least one other person — these sites are extremely remote
• Never visit Kolyma or Chukotka sites alone — distances and conditions are extreme
• Respect the spaces and leave no trace — these are sites of historical atrocity

The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."

❓ FAQ – Gulag Sites Russia

What is the most accessible Gulag site in Russia?
Perm-36 near Perm is the most accessible — the only intact Gulag camp in Russia reachable by road, approximately 100 km from Perm city centre. The Solovetsky Islands are accessible by ferry from Arkhangelsk (approximately 2 hours), and offer the most historically layered Gulag experience.

How do I get to the Solovetsky Islands?
Take a ferry from the port of Kem (Karelia) — approximately 2 hours crossing. Seasonal ferry service runs May to October. Flights are available from Arkhangelsk in summer. The island has basic accommodation — plan for a minimum two-day stay to visit the monastery, camp ruins, and surrounding archipelago.

Is it safe to explore Gulag sites in Russia?
Most Gulag sites are safe to explore. Former uranium and radioactive mining camps in Chukotka and some Kolyma sites carry genuine radiation risk — a dosimeter is non-negotiable for these locations. Remote Siberian sites carry extreme logistical risks — never visit alone, always inform someone of your planned route and return time.

🎯 Conclusion

Russia's abandoned Gulag sites are the most historically significant urbex Russia destinations — not just abandoned buildings, but physical evidence of one of the 20th century's greatest crimes, still standing in the permafrost and the Arctic forests of a country that has not yet decided what to do with its own past. Every watchtower, every barracks, every mine entrance is still there. For now.

Thanks to our Urbex Russia Map, you get access to over 500 unique locations across Russia — GPS coordinates, access ratings, photos, and explorer reports for every spot.

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