Karlag Gulag Museum, Karaganda, Kazakhstan

KarLag, or the Karaganda Corrective Labour Camp to give it its nefarious full title, was one of the largest gulags in the USSR in what is now Kazakhstan.

The Karaganda gulag was established in 1931 and operated until 1959, 6 years after Stalin’s death. Over 1,000,000 inmates passed through the gates, many of them political prisoners transported from elsewhere in the Soviet Union.

In this post we will discover all there is to know about the Karlag Museum near Karaganda in Kazakhstan.

Boring stuff: I have visited each of the places I recommend and give you my honest opinion, warts and all. All photos are my own unless otherwise stated and may not be reproduced without permission. Affiliate links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.



Gulag, Kazakhstan
Gulag, Kazakhstan

The Karlag complex covered a staggering 17,600 square kilometres (6,800 square miles). The site stretched across the vast Kazakhstan steppe and those unfortunate Kazakhs living in the area were forcibly relocated.

The Karaganda region is home to the largest coal deposits in Kazakhstan and the Soviets exploited the free labour of prisoners to mine the fossil fuel.

The gulag was operated by the feared NKVD (Soviet secret police and forerunners to the KGB). All administrative decisions regarding the camp came directly from Moscow.


Karlag During WWII

During the Second World War (or Great Patriotic War as it’s known in the Russian-speaking world) the camp was used to house prisoners of war. This led to Karaganda having a large German population during the latter part of the 20th Century.

The main administrative building of the Karlag complex is now a museum (the best museum in the whole of Kazakhstan according to Caravanistan) and features extensive exhibits as well as reconstructions of camp life.

The HQ building is located in the tiny village of Dolinka, 40km southwest of Karaganda in northern Kazakhstan.


About the Karlag Museum

Karlag Headquarters, Dolinka
Karlag Headquarters, Dolinka

The museum is located within the former administration building of the Karlag Gulag Complex; a grand looking piece of architecture that belies the dark nature of the place.

Inside there are 3 floors of exhibits, convict art, propaganda posters and dioramas showing what life was like within the gulag system. The basement houses a gruesome series of prison cells, torture rooms and execution sites complete with blood-spattered walls and mock torture scenes/executions.

The upper two floors contain recreated cells, barracks and other areas within the Kazakhstan gulag system as well as many interesting propaganda posters from the time along with the obligatory busts of Lenin.

There are signs in Kazakh, Russian and English, but to get the most out of a visit an English-speaking guide is recommended (unless of course, you speak Kazakh or Russian)!


Entrance fee for KarLag

Adult Ticket: 500₸ ($1.00)

Camera Pass: 700₸ ($1.40)

English Speaking Guide: 1,000₸ ($2.00)

Address:

Shkolnaya Street, 15
Dolinka
Karaganda Oblast

Tel: +7 721 565 8222

Opening Times: Daily from 9am to 6pm.

Some websites say the museum is closed on Sundays, but I visited on a Sunday in August 2019 and it was open.


How to get to Karlag

Karlag is situated in the small village of Dolinka 40km southwest of Karaganda.

Bus 121 goes from Karaganda to Shakhtinsk every 20 minutes and stops 2km from Dolinka.

Go to the main bus station (in front of the railway station) and head out the back to the small ticket window. Ask for a ticket to stop Vtoroy Shakht (or just say Dolinka/Museum and they will know). Ticket costs 150 Tenge.

Tell the bus driver you want to go to Dolinka and they will tell you when to get off. From the bus stop at Vtoroy Shakht it’s a 2km walk to the museum (though you may be lucky like I was and get picked up by a passing car and whose driver wouldn’t accept any money – that wonderful Kazakh hospitality again).

Soviet Propaganda, Karlag
Soviet Propaganda, Karlag

Be aware that on the return journey the bus coming from Shakhtinsk can get very full and you may have to wait for the next one like I did, and just push into the crowd to get on.

You can arrange a guided tour of the museum with Indy Guide, the leading tour operator in Central Asia. 1-day tours start from $100 per person.


How to get to Karganda

Karaganda has excellent train connections to the rest of Kazakhstan.

From Nur Sultan (formerly Astana) the train takes 4 to 5 hours and prices start at 700 Tenge.

From Almaty, you will need to take an overnight train and the journey time ranges from 10 to 15 hours depending on the train. Prices start at 4,000 Tenge.

See Kazakhstan Railways website for times, prices and to book tickets online.

Further Reading

Thinking of backpacking through Kazakhstan? Check out my new guide here!

Guard tower, Karaganda gulag
Guard tower, Karaganda gulag

Conclusion

The Karlag Museum is one of the best-preserved gulags in the former USSR and is well worth a visit to those exploring Kazakhstan.

The nearby town of Karaganda makes a pleasant stop when travelling from the capital Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) to Almaty in the south of the country.


Bunk Art 2
Bunk Art, Albania
Chernobyl
Chernobyl, Ukraine
Dunhuang, Gobi Desert, China

About the author:

Steve Rohan is a writer from Essex, England. He has traveled to over 60 countries, lived in Armenia, China and Hong Kong, and is now living the digital nomad life on the road.

Steve prefers “slow travel” and has covered much of the world by train, bus and boat. He has been interviewed multiple times by the BBC and recently featured in the documentary Scariest Places in the World. See the About page for more info.

Where I am now: Yerevan, Armenia 🇦🇲


7 thoughts on “Karlag Gulag Museum, Karaganda, Kazakhstan

  1. Worthseeing says:

    Thank you for this post about this less known place in Kazakhstan. Should be standing for all time as a reminder of the bad side of human being. Unfortunately I hadn’t the time to visit this place during my Kazakhstan trip.

    • steve says:

      Thanks for your comment! I hope you can get back to Kazakhstan one day and explore more. I agree with you that that such places should stay as a reminder and so history doesn’t repeat! Best wishes, Steve

  2. Anne says:

    Finally found out where my grandfather spent his 12 years, a slim academic doing heavy work. He survived, but he never talked about it. It hurts to think about it, especially with winter temperatures down to -50 in the wintertime. Now he is long gone and my search continues. Thanks for the photos in your travel log.

  3. Naftali Freud says:

    Hello Steve
    My mother’s family were prisioners un the Camp of Kokuzek or kok-Uzek, in Karaganda, between 1941 – 1947/
    I’m not able to fin any documentation about this camp.
    I will be greatfull for any assisstence or orientation about data from this camp.
    Thank you in advance !!

    • steve says:

      Hi Naftali, I was contacted last year by someone who is writing a paper about the camp. I will find her details and put you in touch as she may have more information. I’ll send you an email shortly. Best wishes, Steve.

  4. Curtis Brandt says:

    I too have a Grandmother I’m looking for of Almaty Camp or camps. I have yet to find her NKVD file from the Ukraine side but I’m double-checking. I actually have more members that I’m unaware about as well, I would love to find more on the Gulag records. thank you for helping people discover the camps, someday hope to visit!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *