Yagodnoye (russian: Я́годное) is an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...

in Magadan Oblast,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. Population:

Geography

The settlement lies in the south-eastern section of the

Chersky Range The Chersky Range (, ) is a chain of mountains in northeastern Siberia between the Yana River and the Indigirka River. Administratively the area of the range belongs to the Sakha Republic, although a small section in the east is within Magadan ...

, on the left bank of the

Debin Debin ( rus, Де́бин, p=ˈdʲebʲɪn) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Yagodninsky District of Magadan Oblast, Russia. Population: Geography upstream is Sinegorye and the Kolyma dam. History Debin was founded in 1935 w ...

, a tributary of the Kolyma. The oblast capital of Magadan lies approximately 340 km to the south-east in a direct line, although it is over 550 km by road.

History

Yagodnoye was founded in 1934 in connection with the construction of the

Kolyma Highway The R504 Kolyma Highway (russian: Федеральная автомобильная дорога «Колыма», ''Federal'naya Avtomobil'naya Doroga «Kolyma»,'' "Federal Automobile Highway 'Kolyma'"), part of the M56 route, is a road throu ...

and the development of gold mining in the area. The town's name is derived from the Russian word ''yagoda'' for berry. From 1949 until 1957, the settlement housed the administration of the ''SevLag'' forced labour camp in the Dalstroy section of the

gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...

network, where up to 15,800 prisoners were used in gold mining, road building and timber felling.Northern labour camp, Gulag history at Memorial.de (German)
/ref> With the creation of

Yagodninsky District Yagodninsky District (russian: Я́годнинский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #1292-OZ and municipalLaw #511-OZ district (raion), one of the eight in Magadan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the western central part of the oblast. ...

in 1953, Yagodnoye received urban-type settlement status.

Economy and infrastructure

The main industry in the settlement remains gold mining, although this has declined significantly since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Other industries such as production of food and construction materials also suffered as a result, meaning that a large proportion of the town's population has left since the 1990s. Magadan can be reached via the Kolyma Highway, with branch roads leading to the former mining settlements of

Verkhny At-Uryakh Verkhny At-Uryakh (russian: Верхний Ат-Урях) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Yagodninsky District of Magadan Oblast, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spannin ...

Taskan The Taskan ( rus, Таскан) is a river in the Susuman and Yagodninsky districts of Magadan Oblast, Russia. It is a left hand tributary of the Kolyma. Its length is , with a drainage basin of . The Taskan was first mapped in the 19th centur ...

and Elgen.

Notable residents

Diana Arbenina Diana Sergeyevna Arbenina (née Kulachenko, be, Дыяна Сяргееўна Кулачэнка; russian: Диа́на Серге́евна Арбе́нина, born July 8, 1974) is a Russian singer, musician, poet, and leader of the rock group N ...

(*1974), singer from the band

Nochniye Snaiperi ''Nochnye Snaipery'' (russian: Ночные Снайперы, lit=Night Snipers) is a Russian rock group. It was founded in 1993 as an acoustic female duo of Diana Arbenina and Svetlana Surganova. Arbenina and Surganova played guitar and violin ...

, spent her childhood in Yagodnoye * Olga Pershina (*1955 in Yagodnoye), folk and rock musician, author *

Varlam Shalamov Varlam Tikhonovich Shalamov (russian: Варла́м Ти́хонович Шала́мов; 18 June 1907 – 17 January 1982), baptized as Varlaam, was a Russian writer, journalist, poet and Gulag survivor. He spent much of the period from 1 ...

(1907–1982), writer and Gulag survivor who spent over 15 years as a prisoner in the Kolyma region *

Yuri Shevchuk Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk (russian: Юрий Юлианович Шевчук; born 16 May 1957) is a Soviet and Russian rock musician and singer/songwriter who leads the rock band DDT, which he founded with Vladimir Sigachyov in 1980. He is bes ...

(*1957 in Yagodnoye), singer and rock musician * Igor Vysotsky (*1953 in Yagodnoye), boxer

References

{{Magadan Oblast Urban-type settlements in Magadan Oblast