Visiting the abandoned Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak – the forgotten Soviet-era children’s camp
Very little historical information is available online about the long-abandoned Young Pioneer Camp located on the edge of Spitak in northwest Armenia.
I find this a little surprising as the recent history of Spitak is well documented. The town was at the epicentre of the catastrophic 1988 Armenian Earthquake that hit this region of Armenia on 7th December 1988. The devastation from the tremor was so bad that the original settlement of Spitak was entirely destroyed and a new one had to be rebuilt in a slightly different location.
So, why surprising?
Although the pioneer camp sits at an elevated position in the hills around 5kms southeast of the centre of Spitak, one of the first things you notice as you begin to explore the camp is that some parts of the complex survived the devastation of the earthquake and I would have thought this would have been documented at some point or another as pretty much nothing else was left standing in the city.
CONTENTS
The Young Pioneer movement in the USSR
Location and how to get to the Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak
Our visit to the Young Pioneer Camp
Where is Spitak and how to get there from Yerevan, Vanadzor or Gyumri
Where to stay when visiting the Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak
The Young Pioneer movement in the USSR
I’ll get back to the camp itself in a moment, but first a short account of the Young Pioneer movement for those not in the know. As I explained in the posts about the Pioneer Palace in Dnipro, Ukraine and Chiatura, Georgia, the Young Pioneer movement was the Soviet equivalent of the Boy Scouts (although for both girls and boys). The main difference between the two organisations, however, is that, unlike the Scouts, the Pioneer movement also emphasised political learning as well as focusing on physical and mental well-being.
In cities and other urban areas across the Soviet Union, Young Pioneer Palaces, the equivalent of Youth Centres/Scout huts in the West, were established as locations for the youngsters to meet. This went hand in hand with Young Pioneer Camps, aka summer camps, which were situated in rural locations and created as places to send the children on activity-based vacations during summer and winter holidays. At its height, in the early to mid-1970s, thousands of palaces and camps existed throughout all regions of the USSR but the popularity of the Young Pioneers declined significantly after the breakup of the Soviet Union in late 1991 and many of the buildings belonging to the organisation were either closed down or repurposed. Out of those that stopped functioning, many fell into a state of abandonment and disrepair, of which the Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak is a prime example.
It is difficult to ascertain exactly when the pioneer camp near Spitak was established and when it ceased functioning as a place of vacation for children. These archive photos on the news website, ARMENPRESS are dated 1985. Furthermore, there is a commemorative plaque inside the camp acknowledging some of its patrons which is also dated 1985. This suggests, therefore, that the pioneer camp opened at some point in that year. As to when it closed down, although parts of the complex appeared to be unaffected by the earthquake, the place likely stopped operating as a pioneer camp as a direct result of the disaster.
As a speculative afterthought, given how so many Spitak inhabitants lost their homes as a result of the earthquake and some of the buildings within the camp’s perimeter survived it, perhaps parts of the camp were used as short-term accommodation in the wake of the disaster.
Whatever the history following the catastrophe, it would be reasonable to assume that the life of the Fairy Tale Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak was short-lived.
How to get to the Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak
I’m going to start by saying how we got to the camp from the centre of Spitak. As mentioned previously, the place is located on a remote hillside 5kms southeast of the centre of town. There is more information about getting to Spitak at the end of the post.
The exact location is GPS: 40.8052, 44.30267
If you have your own transport, you don’t need to read any of the following. The paved road, which leads into a dirt track is navigable without a 4WD vehicle. Park up near the main entrance and away you go.
Furthermore, if you can find a taxi driver who knows the location of the pioneer camp and/or is willing to take you (we couldn’t) then, again, you can skip the rest of this section.
Getting to the Fairy Tale Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak on foot
There are two walking routes from Spitak to the Young Pioneer camp – one from the main square and another from the north end of town. Both are a similar distance, and both ultimately connect with the same track that leads to the camp.
If you are walking, take the route via the main square (marked in blue on the above map). Here’s why:
We booked into the YMCA, which is the only decent place to stay in Spitak. The YMCA is 1km north of the town square and so it made sense for us to use the route marked on the map in blue and save on the uphill walk into town. So, this is what we did.
For the first kilometre or so all was fine but the road takes you through small settlements and as we progressed we began to encounter a few dogs along the way. In general, stray dogs in this part of the world are far less aggressive than those that belong to someone. Dogs that are owned have an instinct to guard the property to which they belong and can get very shouty with strangers.
Unfortunately for us, all the dogs we came across on this route belonged to someone. Some were on chains, some not. We each carried a stone or two, which we used to threaten the odd canine but we kept walking, nonetheless. However, after about 2kms we turned a corner and were confronted by two of the most vicious and rabid dogs we had come across in a long time (*). One was on an extended chain but the other was not and there was no way we could get them to back down, or get around them. After a few minutes of a very nervy, bicycle-clip-time standoff, we backed down and slowly reversed back around the corner, turned around and went back the way we had come.
(*) The last time in an abandoned swimming pool in Yerevan was just as nerve-racking!
Practically back where we started, we then walked up the hill to the town square and followed the alternative route to and from the pioneer camp. We were cautious of dogs along this road also but the trail was much wider and, although a couple of chained-up dogs spotted us from a distance and started barking manically, they couldn’t get anywhere near us and the route was uneventful in that respect.
It was a tough uphill slog to get there, however, and overall a knackering jaunt that was made worse by the fact that we walked around an additional 4kms more than was necessary.
What’s more, we visited the abandoned camp in winter and the higher we went, the deeper the snow became. By the time we reached the entrance to the camp, the powder was ankle-deep which, in turn, made some parts of the complex tricky to reach.
Once we started exploring the camp, we soon forgot about the gnarly dogs, unnecessary walking, the deep snow, and let’s not forget the bitter cold!
Our visit to Spitak’s abandoned Young Pioneer Camp
On arrival, we were greeted with a rusty sign stating ‘Welcome to Fairy Tale’. Just beyond the welcome sign was the former cinema, which was decorated with a large piece of tiled artwork depicting children frolicking with a horse. Next to the cinema was the main entrance/guard house that looked like it had recently been used as a shelter for livestock as there was fresh hay on the floor but, weirdly, no droppings.
The entrance gate was still intact and shut tight but the building to which it was attached had no doors, windows or side wall so entry into the grounds of the camp was nice and easy.
Once inside the complex, one of the first things we noticed were the remains of the centrally located canteen building. This building was all but flattened by the earthquake and sits in ruins. Looking at the archive photos in the link above, the interior of the refectory was originally adorned with some lovely murals.
The canteen wasn’t the only building in the camp to be decorated with artwork when it was originally constructed. A stone staircase, which was buried in snow and tricky to traverse when we visited, led to the undisputed highlight of the pioneer camp – the indoor swimming pool. Inside, a marvellously intact Soviet-era mosaic decorated each end of the pool, plus there were a series of smaller mosaics running along the interior of the building’s outer wall. All were themed around swimming and the sea.
After taking stock of the superb artwork, the other thing that struck us was that the swimming pool was remarkably clean. We found out later that this is because the pioneer camp is now in private hands and the owner keeps it in good condition as he wants to attract investors and eventually do something with the place. What exactly, I’m not sure but it is unusual to explore an abandoned location that is kept in such pristine condition!
Next to the swimming pool was the bowling alley, which had been gutted but the lanes can still be clearly seen. Behind the pool and bowling alley were the remains of the dormitory blocks.
There were several decaying statues scattered around the grounds of the camp. As you would expect in a place for youngsters, most were child-themed (animals, fairytale characters, etc.). But, there was also a statue of Stepan Shahumyan (1878-1918), the Armenian politician and Bolshevik revolutionary who was nicknamed the Caucasian Lenin – a reminder that the Pioneer movement also put ‘emphasis on political learning as well as focusing on physical and mental well-being.’
We couldn’t figure out the purpose of the four blocks behind the Monument to Stepan Shahumyan. They looked like accommodation units, but nicer than the dormitory blocks on the other side of the complex. Probably they housed the adults who staffed the place and were also used for administrative purposes.
Aside from the fantastic view back down the valley, the other things that attracted our attention inside the grounds of the Fairy Tale Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak were the remains of a handful of ramshackle amusement rides (which reminded us of the abandoned theme park we once saw in nearby Dilijan) and a large sundial decorated, mosaic-style, with the signs of the zodiac. The angel on the backside of the sundial was rather intriguing, even if a bit creepy!
Where is Spitak and how to get there
The small town of Spitak is 100 kms north of Yerevan; 45 kms east of Gyumri and 20 kms west of Vanadzor. Due to the limited accommodation options in Spitak you may prefer to visit as a day trip. Vanadzor is the logical city to use as a base.
Yerevan to Spitak
Up to two marshrutkas an hour leave Yerevan’s Central Bus Station (Kilikia) for Spitak. The Vanadzor-bound #403 travels along the main road in Spitak. The travel time between Yerevan and Spitak is between two and two and a half hours.
Vanadzor to Spitak
Marshrutkas from Vanadzor to Spitak are scheduled at 30-minute intervals throughout the day, and the journey time is around 40 minutes. In reality, they leave when full and become less frequent as the day goes on. Go inside the bus station to enquire and buy a ticket.
Gyumri to Spitak
A daily marshrutka from Central Bus Station in Gyumri to Spitak is scheduled at 2.30 pm. But, we have found schedules a bit hit-and-miss lately so we recommend you check at the station. The journey should take around an hour and a half.
Where to stay when visiting the Young Pioneer Camp in Spitak
As mentioned, the only place we could find to stay in Spitak was the YMCA, located on the outskirts of town. It was a friendly place to stay, our room was large but warm and the included breakfast was filling. The next best place to base yourself for visiting Spitak is Vanadzor if for no better reason than to stay at Maghay B&B. We’ve stayed several times and it is always a treat (especially the breakfast!). In Gyumri, our latest favourite place to stay is Central Guesthouse Gyumri.
More posts about abandoned places that you might like to read
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