The Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organisation, abbreviated as the Young Pioneers, was a compulsory youth club of the Soviet Union for children and adolescents aged 9–14. Essentially the Soviet equivalent of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides combined, but with a political agenda included. The organisation operated from 1922 to 1991, and disbanded after the Soviet Union collapsed. Young Pioneer camps were a place for kids to go on vacation during the summer and winter holidays. At its peak, in 1973, approximately forty thousand Young Pioneer camps existed in the USSR. In that year, approximately 9,300,000 children had vacations in these camps. Spitak Young Pioneer Camp was founded in 1975 but suffered serious damage during the infamous Spitak earthquake in 1988. The earthquake destroyed the whole town of Spitak and killed a third of the town's population of 15,000 people. After that the Pioneer Camp never really picked up again so it closed down in 1993, and has been abandoned ever since.
Visited with @elliot5200. This was high on our list of abandoned places to visit in Armenia. We first came across it on a blog called Kathmandu and Beyond (written by @Kathmandu wanderer), which is well worth a read if you ever visit this part of the world.
The sign reads 'Pioneer Camp - Fairy Tale', in Armenian and Russian.
A huge mural greets you as you arrive. This was the facade of what used to be a cinema. Perhaps destroyed by the earthquake, I'm not sure.
The former gate house is now being used by a local farmer to store hay.
A bit further up is this huge mosaic of a sundial with the signs of the zodiac on it.
More mosaics cover the back as well.
The buildings all looked pretty bland from outside. These may have been dormitories but I'm not sure.
All completely stripped and empty inside.
So, we went in search of the building we came here to see....
A swimming pool full of Soviet mosaics which remains in amazing condition.
Pretty amazing really.
The outside of the swimming pool.
The remains of a small amphitheatre.
Elsewhere on the site various statues have been left behind. This one depicts a mythical character called Great Mher killing the Lion of Sassoun with his bare hands, a story taken from an ancient Armenian poem called Daredevils of Sassoun, which is considered one of the most important works of Armenian folklore.
This archive photo courtesy of Armenpress shows children wearing the Young Pioneer uniform. Some of these statues have now disappeared, as seen below.
Statue of revolutionary Stepan Shahumyan.
Aaand last but not least, the Soviet star.
Cheers for looking!
Visited with @elliot5200. This was high on our list of abandoned places to visit in Armenia. We first came across it on a blog called Kathmandu and Beyond (written by @Kathmandu wanderer), which is well worth a read if you ever visit this part of the world.
The sign reads 'Pioneer Camp - Fairy Tale', in Armenian and Russian.
A huge mural greets you as you arrive. This was the facade of what used to be a cinema. Perhaps destroyed by the earthquake, I'm not sure.
The former gate house is now being used by a local farmer to store hay.
A bit further up is this huge mosaic of a sundial with the signs of the zodiac on it.
More mosaics cover the back as well.
The buildings all looked pretty bland from outside. These may have been dormitories but I'm not sure.
All completely stripped and empty inside.
So, we went in search of the building we came here to see....
A swimming pool full of Soviet mosaics which remains in amazing condition.
Pretty amazing really.
The outside of the swimming pool.
The remains of a small amphitheatre.
Elsewhere on the site various statues have been left behind. This one depicts a mythical character called Great Mher killing the Lion of Sassoun with his bare hands, a story taken from an ancient Armenian poem called Daredevils of Sassoun, which is considered one of the most important works of Armenian folklore.
This archive photo courtesy of Armenpress shows children wearing the Young Pioneer uniform. Some of these statues have now disappeared, as seen below.
Statue of revolutionary Stepan Shahumyan.
Aaand last but not least, the Soviet star.
Cheers for looking!
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