Vorkuta (July 2006). In the mining town of Vorkuta, built on the bones of many thousands of gulag inmates, the sky hangs low. The end of the world is within reach. The most extreme and inhospitable always end of Europe: On the horizon are the dark to see the northern foothills of the Ural mountains. The city is far above the Arctic Circle and to reach the same longitude as western Afghanistan, only a two-day train journey from Moscow or with a three-decades-old AN-24 propeller plane.
If regional airline "Komiinteravia" too few tickets sold, was the only airline from the Republic's capital Syktwkar regularly canceled. "Because of bad weather," it said then. Those who already did this check, Vorkuta was thousands of kilometers from province center and was indeed for days, in fact, in the winter snow storms whipped or was in the summer in dense fog.
was busy that night, the tool may eventually sat about 20 journalists on board - Participants in a press trip to the Russian railway. The railroad wanted to perform a rolling clinic that supplied the remote settlements along the northern Russian rail routes. There, many people had previously seen a doctor for years more. The Antonov was not started in Syktyvkar, since the trip had been a tangible Scandal caused. The visit from the capital had not been discussed with Igor Spektor, the all-powerful mayor of the city. Sacrilege, how soon should all feel.
I like it so ...
The mayor must have been raging. At the inauguration of the hospital train, he said the next morning in his speech, the medical care of the region is so good that the whole project was completely useless. The railroad stopped the mouth open. Spektor said then turned to the press people, he would like to invite to a meeting in the afternoon. Finally, there is no one better versed in Vorkuta.
The former engineer, was undoubtedly one of the most colorful local politician in Russia who keeps himself contributed in Moscow with absurd ideas for headlines, which would allow prostitution in Russia and take account of the Vorkuta gulag past into an international tourist center. Ironically Vorkuta.
"My staff tell me for a long time, I should even be renovated," welcomed Spektor, the Moscow journalist, "but I like it that way." The huge office was cluttered with kitschy figurines, pennants of past contests, crafts and children's drawings - like the drawing room a school. The furniture came from the distant past. No other politician or manager will ever in the history of the idea to establish such an office.
Vorkuta Coal had once made relatively rich. The people flew to Moscow to shop could afford extended vacation in the Palm beaches on the Black Sea. When the Soviet command economy collapsed, the miners were phased out as the vanguard of the proletariat. The great escape from Vorkuta began in the former than 200,000 residents remained less than half.
Because it was almost impossible to find in the city or by buyers or tenants, excluded many Families simply from their front door and left the apartment to fate. Hardly anyone still believed in a future for the city behind the Arctic Circle. To be precise, no one but Igor Spektor. He let the gray prefabricated buildings emphasize colorful, people encouraged to stay.
Vice Mayor caught in blue make
an hour he tried to convince us that his shrinking city still had a great future, after all, he invited us to a city tour. Igor Spektor was still angry that someone had brought it without his permission journalists in his city. Well, the press people know who the true king of the tundra was. The bus rolled slowly
long prospectuses of Vorkuta along Spektor sat with a microphone in the front row, told so entertaining, that it would have been a professional guide can not keep. Suddenly, he ruled the driver to: "Come on, man, to stop! There goes forward so my deputy. "The bus lay down on the brakes, opened the bus door Spektor, and called the officials himself.
"What are you doing here?"
I go home a little earlier today, Igor Leonidovich, "she said, shy of the Vice-caught.
"At this time? That can not be true! "Clamored the mayor. The press people craned their necks and looked to Spektor's humiliated subordinates.
The bus rolled again. "The what tomorrow may allow," Spektor growled into the microphone.
Since the sights of Vorkuta were limited, asked some journalists Spektor to drive us to a shop where you could buy smoked Muksun, a salmon fish that is caught in Ob and in the Arctic Ocean. The mayor conducted the blue bus to a warehouse near the city administration.
A thick Caucasians smeared apron opened the metal door that led to his kingdom. Never in my life I had entered this place, let alone there Food purchased, but Spektor had to know. Greedy journalists reaching for the foil-wrapped in plastic fish. For all it was not enough. "Will you embarrass me," hissed Spektor. "What are you a wholesaler who has less than twenty fish stock?"
reindeer ham, immediately
The Caucasians felt the gravity of the situation, jumped like lightning in his Lada parked in the yard and sped off. The Mayor entertained the press with stories about life on the Arctic Circle. When the dealer shortly after returning, he had not only fully loaded the trunk with Muksun but some smoked reindeer ham there.
had come to Moscow press endültig on the taste. Since the reindeer was not enough for all, Spektor picked up the phone, barked to his secretary, she should immediately connect him with the director of reindeer collective farm. We were already back in the blue van, which had actually rented the railroad, as Spektor got a call.
"I urgently need reindeer ham, how much do you have there?" Then he asked the director about the price. The answer at the other end of the line did not seem to like it. "That can not be serious, you cut-throat. Here is a delegation from Moscow, what should they think about you. Make us a reasonable price and bring the stuff to the hotel. "Spektor reindeer breeders warned yet, hurry up, yes, we did not have all day to wait for him.
The blue bus drove slowly back to our hotel. There already parked a dark green Niva, was sitting inside a visibly nervous man both arms loaded with reindeer ham, the director came to our bus and distributed the smoked meat. "This is obviously a gift," he said quickly, smiled briefly at his mayor and said goodbye. Spektor had shown it to everyone. Though the Russians elsewhere in the country are Putin's feet, in the north, he was the one calling the shots had.
Everything looked as if would change so quickly in Vorkuta nothing in it. But a year after our visit Spektor came as a complete surprise as Mayor, packed his bags and moved to St. Petersburg. Who will now arrange for the smoked fish Moscow journalists?
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