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Karaganda is approximately 230 km (140 mi) south-east of Kazakhstan's capital Astana. The city has been a major center for coal mining throughout much of its modern history, and experienced major growth during the Soviet Union as its coal industry developed.
- The Dark History of Karaganda
- Things to Do in Karaganda
- Things to Do Near Karaganda
- Karaganda Travel Tips
- Sustainable Travel in Karaganda
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What keeps amazing me in Kazakhstan is how little in the West we know about its history. Sure I did learn about the Soviet Union and Stalin’s terror. I even heard about the gulags and labour camps. But little did I know that most of them were in Kazakhstan. I also didn’t know it was not just political prisoners that were sent there, but whole ethni...
1. Soviet murals
Karaganda is a great city, especially if you love Soviet heritage. There is no shortage of grim looking Soviet flats, but look closely and you will see there is more colour to the city than what first meets the eye. Many buildings have beautiful murals depicting the mining industry and the space program among others. Tip: the best Soviet murals are around Independence square including a mural with the Soviet cosmonauts into space.
2. Gagarin monument
Although distances have a different meaning in a country like Kazakhstan, Karaganda lies relatively nearby Baikonur. The space station is still a 1000 kilometers from Karaganda, but is close enough that it regularly sees space junk falling from the sky. Big enough that you don’t want it to end up on your roof. It was also in Karaganda that during Soviet times the cosmonauts were given a celebrity treatment upon return from their missions into space. The Gagarin monument in Karaganda stands as...
3. Ecological museum of Karaganda
The small ecological museum is among the top things to do in Karaganda. However, don’t expect too much. Although it is a great initiative run by an NGO to raise awareness about the nature in Kazakhstan, it is rather small and focuses on school children. Furthermore, most explanations are in Kazakh or Russian. The museum covers a range of ecological issues from the space debris around Karaganda to the effects of the nuclear tests around Semipalatinsk and the near extinction of the saiga antelo...
1. Karlag Gulag museum in Dolinka
There is not much left of the network of labour camps that Stalin set up in the steppes around Karaganda. The Karaganda Corrective Labour campin Dolinka was of one the largest camps in Kazakhstan. It was established in 1931 and over a million prisoners from all over the Soviet Union served in the gulag till it closed down after Stalin died in 1956. They provided the free labour for the coal mines and agricultural projects Stalin developed. Nowadays Dolinka is a rather isolated village in the...
How to get to the Karlag gulag museum in Dolinka
Getting to the museum by public transport is fairly easy. From the central bus station in Karaganda there is bus number 121 to Shakthinsk or Shachta 2 ( шахта 2 ) that leaves every 20 minutes. It takes about one hour and costs 150 Tenge. Get off at the Vtoroy Shakht stop. From here you can take a taxi or walk about 30 minutes to the museum. There is sometimes the possibility to have an english guide. If you don’t speak Russian I would recommend this, because most explanations are either in Ka...
2. Temirtau
Temirtau is a true dark tourism destination. With heavy industry and a number of large steel factories this is one of the most polluted cities in Kazakhstan. When in 2018 black snowfell from the sky residents took to social media to express their concerns about their health. There is not much to do in Temirtau and this place is above all, for those with an interest in aging factories and pollution in action. Most noteworthy, are the chimney stacks visible on your way to Temirtau that emitt a...
Places to eat in Karaganda
Karaganda has a wide choice of places to eat. From the very cheap stolovaya’s to the more mid range restaurants serving international cuisine. Kaganat: Kaganat is a chain restaurant in Kazakhstan. It is a stolovaya that stands for a cheap buffet style restaurant. There is a wide choice of salads, soups and main dishes that are Russian and central Asian inspired. Moi tbilisi: I love Georgian food and was positively surprised that even in Karaganda there is a Georgian restaurant doing a pretty...
Places to sleep in Karaganda
Hotel Chaika: Stay where the Soviet cosmonauts used to sleep. Hotel Chaikalost most of its former glory, but remains an interesting place to stay. When the Soviet cosmonauts returned from their missions into space it is at hotel CHaika that they received their celebrity treatment.
When to visit Karaganda
Karaganda has an extreme climate with very hot summers and icy cold winters. When I visited Karaganda in March, everything was still solid frozen. Autumn is the best time to visit, because of the pleasant temperatures and good weather. Spring is also a good time, but April and May sees more rain than autumn.
Kazakhstan is just opening up to tourism. Traveling sustainably in Karaganda, involves conscious choices that minimize your environmental impact and support the local community. Stay in small scale sustainable hotels: It is better to stay in locally-owned guesthouses or homestays to support the local economy directly. These accommodations often hav...
Karaganda is a remote city in Kazakhstan with a dark and complex history of gulags, deportations and space exploration. Learn about its Soviet heritage, visit its museums and explore the nearby steppes in this travel guide.
Karaganda (also spelled Karagandy) is city and administrative center of Karaganda oblast (region) of Kazakhstan. Karaganda is situated at the center of important Karaganda coal basin (the word “karaganda” from Kazakh language means “black city”). Karaganda is the second largest city of Kazakhstan.
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Jun 29, 2023 · A travel guide to Karaganda ♦ Sights in Karaganda ♦ Dolinka museum ♦ Karkaralinsk and Kyzylarai ♦ Temirtau ♦ Spassk ♦ Transport ♦ Accommodation.
Sep 3, 2018 · Things to Do in Karaganda, Kazakhstan: See Tripadvisor's 2,723 traveler reviews and photos of Karaganda tourist attractions. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in September. We have reviews of the best places to see in Karaganda. Visit top-rated & must-see attractions.
Mar 16, 2021 · Karaganda region is located in the central part of Kazakhstan, among the spacious steppes and low mountains of Sary-Arka. Geographically, the region is right in the center of Eurasia, it is equidistant from all four oceans that surround the continent.
Karaganda (Russian: Караганда, and also spelt as "Karagandy" or "Qaraghandy") is a large city in the Central Highlands of Kazakhstan. It's a coal mining city and in Soviet times its population was much greater: Stalin deported ethnic Germans from the Volga region to use as forced labour here as well as in Siberia.
