Asia teen nudisten 1

✊✊👅Klicken Sie für den Zugriff auf die Website ab 18 Jahren.✊✊👅
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the famous Artek summer camp disappeared from public view, and up until now many people, even in Russia itself, weren't aware whether it still existed. In August, we traveled to see the camp ourselves, and here's what we found out.
Ksenia Zubacheva
A group of kids approach as we arrive on the main square of the legendary Soviet summer camp, Artek. Dressed in the same colorful uniform, they greet us with a chant, "Artekovtsi! Our beloved Artek! Never will we forget!" and leave us to enjoy the hot and sunny afternoon in the picturesque southern coast of the Crimean peninsula.
Over the next day and a half our group of journalists will see what became of the former Soviet pioneer camp that once had ten smaller camps (each with its own name: Khrustalny, Rechnoy, Lesnoy, Morskoy, etc.) and which attracted thousands of children from all over the world.
Today, it looks like a five-star hotel, but let me start from the beginning.
In 2014-2017, the Russian government invested 10 billion rubles ($171 million) to revive the legendary camp. Today, its size is larger than Monaco (218 hectares in total, with 102 hectares of parks) and has two swimming pools, six dining halls, 15 sports grounds, three tennis courts, plus a climbing wall and a rope park, among other things. Out of ten camping complexes that comprised the original Artek complex, nine have been renovated and are operational.
A state-funded institution, Artek recently received the special status of an innovation educational platform to test and implement new forms of teaching. There's even a year-round school on the premises that allows children to visit Artek during the academic year without missing classes. Around 2,000-3,500 children attend the school every three weeks, and 300 kids from the neighboring towns of Gurzuf and Yalta attend it on a regular basis.
Just three years ago, however, the camp looked very different. In 2014, when Crimea was reunited with Russia, Artek was in a very poor state. "Everything was worn out and in desperate need of not just repair work, but overall reconstruction (…) Such a large camp is really expensive to maintain and Ukraine couldn't finance it, let alone develop it further," recalls Alexei Kasprzhak, the current director of Artek. Restoring this camp to its former glory became the main goal for the new Russian administration in Crimea.
The Soviet past
Founded in 1925 as a health camp for children who suffered during the years of civil war, Artek gradually transformed into a year-round educational complex that never stopped working, even during World War II. In 1941-1945, the camp was evacuated to the Altai Region in Siberia where 200 children and staff helped local hospitals, and gathered metal for tanks and aircraft production.
After the war, the damaged premises of Artek were rebuilt and the camp continued its work, welcoming not only Soviet children but also those from other countries, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Bulgaria, China, Korea, and Vietnam. The camp saw a number of high-level visitors: Clementine Churchill, the wife of Sir Winston Churchill, India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi (not yet prime minister at that time), as well as Vietnamese Prime Minister Ho Chi Minh and first man in space Yuri Gagarin. In 1983, American schoolgirl and peace activist, Samantha Reed Smith, visited the camp at the invitation of Soviet leader Yuri Andropov.
Artek became a truly international place hosting festivals and welcoming representatives of fellow communist regimes. It grew to have its own traditions and values, and became a cult destination for many generations to come. Only the most talented children, who stood out in public life, sports, arts or at school, received the rare and highly-coveted vouchers that the authorities gave out free of charge.
"It was almost impossible to get into, and everyone dreamed about it," Irina, one of the lucky few to holiday in Artek in 1980, told RBTH. "My school got three vouchers and I received one of them for being such an excellent student. I was 12 and this was the first time I ever saw the sea and Crimea."
Together with 33 others in her group, she hiked in nearby Ayu-Dag Mountain (also called Bear Mountain), went swimming and did many other activities, including classes in radio electronics.
"I was too young back then and didn't keep in touch with those in my group," she recalls. "But Artek gave me a sense that I was part of something bigger and increased my self-esteem."
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the camp came under Ukrainian control and slowly started to lose its grandeur. Campus buildings began to decay, local businessmen started to sell alcohol on Artek's premises, and carwashes appeared on the camp's territory. In 2009, for the first time in history Artek ceased work due to financial problems. Fortunately for the camp, in 2014 it got a new life.
Applying to Artek
Today, a 21-day stay in Artek is a reward for gifted children, just like in Soviet times. Children eight to 17 years old from any part of Russia can apply through an online system that started operating in 2017. The most outstanding candidates are chosen based on merit and achievements – whether in class, arts, sports or public life - and 95 percent of places are awarded free of charge, while the remaining five percent of places can be purchased (80,000 rubles, or $1,369). Everyone, however, must cover their travel expenses from home to Crimea's capital, Simferopol, where a bus takes the kids to Artek free of charge.
Children from abroad can also come – they can apply online and pay for the trip themselves (the same 80,000 rubles, plus travel expenses to and from Simferopol)

Edit
Pub: 19 Sep 2023 04:20 UTC
Views: 26