"They'd Ban It All Today": Life at a Lost Pioneer Camp

Red neckerchiefs, carefree laughter and togetherness. The first pioneer organization in the USSR was founded in 1922. Its main goal was to teach children discipline and work. Pioneers were children aged 9 to 15.

In the 1930s, pioneer camps became a special place. There children found friends, learned to work as a team and to stand up for one another.

With the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, the camps began to be abandoned. Some were dismantled, freeing up the land for new development, while others still stand today, falling into ruin, drawing the attention of urban explorers.

Summer camps are most often remembered with warmth. Residents of the Yaroslavl Region are no exception.

The «Druzhba» camp in the village of Voronino was located on the site of the old Leontyev estate, 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) from Rostov the Great. Today the estate has been restored and is a tourist attraction on the Golden Ring route. Of the camp, not a trace remains. We found former pioneers of «Druzhba» who spent those very best years of their lives at the camp.

The Leontyev estate dates back to the 17th century; its first owner was the prominent statesman Gavrila Leontyev. In the USSR, abandoned estates were given new purposes — pioneer camps, sanatoriums and the like were set up there. The «Druzhba» camp was housed in the Leontyev estate.

In recent times, the estate was restored by a direct descendant of the Leontyev family — Sergei. He restored the old family crypt with 16th-century burials, the manor house, the bell tower and more. On the foundations of the former stables, guest houses for tourists were built on the estate grounds.

«That Shift Decided My Life»

Irina Bubnova remembers the camp shifts well; she worked as a counselor at «Druzhba.» She was sent from Yaroslavl Pedagogical University for her first practical training with children in the summer of 1975.

— After our third year, we had teaching practice. They sent us there for a whole shift. Four girls were seated and told: «There are two options: either three will work as counselors and one as a dishwasher, or three as troop counselors and one as senior pioneer counselor.» All the girls immediately looked at me. At first I resisted, but then I agreed, — Irina recalls.

The senior pioneer counselor differed from an ordinary one in that he or she commanded the entire camp. Irina organized all the events: morning line-ups, holidays and so on. Every day a council of the troop counselors« brigade had to be held. All shift matters were decided there.

There were usually five troops, divided by age. On the grounds stood a two-story brick building and cottages — barracks — where the children and camp staff lived.

— There was also a pond. I remember distinctly feeling the tiles under my feet — that is, the pond was lined with ceramic. People swam there, illegally, of course. We went swimming... Today they«d ban all that. There was a pond near the farm. On one side cows were drinking, and on the other we were bathing children. What»s most interesting is that no one ever got sick, — Irina told a 76.RU correspondent.

A typical day at the camp went like this: reveille at 7:00, then exercises, at 8:00 — the line-up, where all troops reported in. Then the daily schedule was announced and preparations began for the events organized in the evening.

— Before lunch we drew a lot, came up with costumes and jokes for the holidays, held sports relay races. After lunch — quiet hour, which could not possibly be called quiet, — Irina laughs.

After dinner there was always a disco — reel-to-reel tape recorders were fired up and people danced. First crushes were born here.

As Irina recalls, when help was needed, no one refused.

— If you could draw — draw, show it. If you did sports — jump! Nowadays many boys and girls can do that. But they either feel shy or are afraid of being laughed at or filmed from a bad angle. Nowadays people focus not on your success but on your failure. That«s bad. Before, if such a thing happened, it was nipped in the bud. There was a team that could say: »That«s it, dear comrade. We don»t need you, you don«t fit in with us,» — recalls the former «Druzhba» counselor.

Irina also recalled a funny incident. During one shift, two boys helped her at the camp. If something needed to be moved or carried — they never refused. The counselor was glad, and then a funny detail came to light.

— In my room under the table stood a box of chocolate. I put it there but never took any from it. Then I look — half of it is gone. And Sashka says to me: «Interesting. And how do you think our earnings are expressed? We work and we eat,» — Irina shared with a 76.RU correspondent.

In 1979, Irina had to go to the camp with her whole family. The Yaroslavl woman received a call saying they couldn«t manage in Voronino without her. With her husband (he also worked as a counselor) and a two-year-old daughter in her arms, Irina decided to go for a shift. The young parents were given a small room.

— I was going out of my mind there; my daughter was only two. I«m holding a brigade council, and she»s riding her little bike. We«re drawing with the children, and she»s crying, she needs looking after. I was so exhausted that I came home with a temperature of 41 degrees [105.8°F]. They called an ambulance for me; they said: «Nervous exhaustion.» That«s how it was. But afterwards we pooled two salaries and bought me a gold chain, — Irina said.

Despite the heavy workload at the camp, the Yaroslavl woman misses those times very much.

«We Said Goodbye — We Cried, We Didn»t Want to Leave«

Svetlana and Irina were sent to the camp for the summer by their parents. The friends recall that «Druzhba» had five troops in all — the fifth was the youngest. Each had its own name and motto, and this was approached very seriously. In the 1980s the girls were in Voronino several times.

Irina remembers the lively concerts, for example, in honor of Parents« Day, which all the children awaited eagerly. There were also frequent attempts to show films in the assembly hall using a projector. There was plenty of entertainment.

Svetlana, for her part, remembers a scary story the counselors constantly talked about.

— A legend went around the camp that some count had died by the pond. And we were all frightened that he walked around there. Now it«s clear they told us that so we wouldn»t go swimming without permission. But back then it was scary, and boys from the neighboring sports camp would come at night with sheets over their heads and peer into our windows, scaring us. It was very frightening, — Svetlana said.

— The girls then got together to take revenge and smeared them with toothpaste at night. We weren«t involved, just watched. But everyone got scolded, and we were very ashamed, afraid they»d call our parents and tell them, — Irina added.

Generally, the pioneer age is that very time when your character is formed and you want to look older. As Svetlana recalls, during a shift there were always intrigues being woven in the girls« room.

— I also remember we were given vaccinations and check-ups. And we were so shy that we put swimsuits on under our clothes so we wouldn«t have to stand there naked. We shared these swimsuits with one another. We were such silly girls, — Svetlana laughed.

One shift lasted about three weeks. The friends recall that life at the camp was not easy. Rooms usually accommodated 4–6 people; the beds were the most ordinary — with metal mesh. Children went outside to wash, and the toilet was shared.

— The conditions were spartan. How we survived there, I don«t know. We»d leave for almost a month. We were taken to the bathhouse, but not that often. And we went hungry there too, but in the kitchen they always tried to give us something extra to eat. I remember when bread was left over after lunch, they«d put sunflower oil and salt out for us. We dipped the bread in it and ate — it was so tasty! For us it was a real delicacy, — Svetlana said.

The most memorable and tender thing at the camp for the young girls and boys were the discos. Boys from the neighboring sports camp would come. The girls prepared for this very carefully.

— Before discos we girls always gathered in a room, each would drag in her little suitcase, and the dressing-up began: who would give what to whom. We did each other«s hair. We were trendy, — Svetlana recalls.

At the end of each shift, a big farewell bonfire was lit at the camp. And this event was always very emotional for the pioneers.

— We talked and sang songs to the guitar, for example, «Dym u kostra sozdayet uyut» («Smoke by the Campfire Creates Coziness,» 1956) or «Kak zdorovo, chto vse my zdes segodnya sobralis» («How Great That We Are All Gathered Here Today,» 1978). And then we said goodbye — we cried, we didn«t want to leave, — Svetlana recalls warmly.

Earlier we strolled through the abandoned children«s camp »Chaika« 30 kilometers from Yaroslavl. A photo report from there can be viewed here.