 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Young Pioneer camp" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Young Pioneer camp (Russian:Пионерский лагерь) was the name for thevacation orsummer camp ofYoung Pioneers. In the 20th century these camps existed in many socialist countries, particularly in theSoviet Union.
The Young Pioneer camps of the Soviet Union were the place of vacation for children from theYoung Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union during summer and winter holidays.
The first All-Union Young Pioneer camp,Artek was formed on June 16, 1925.[1] The Young Pioneer camp phenomenon grew in popularity and in 1973 approximately forty thousand Young Pioneer camps existed in theUSSR. In that year, approximately 9,300,000 children had vacations in these camps. There were different types of camps: sanitation camps, sports camps, tourist camps, thematic camps (for young technicians, youngnaturalists, younggeologists and children of other potential careers). Generally speaking if parents wanted their child or children to go to one of these Young Pioneer camps, they had to pay a fee to apply for accommodation in the camp. However, typically the state organization where the parent worked "sponsored" the child by allotting the worker's child a place in the camp free of charge to the parent or parents as an incident to the parent's employment.
The main Young Pioneer camps of the Soviet Union wereAll-Union Young Pioneer campArtek (nearGurzuf), republican camps:Orlyonok (nearTuapse,Russian SFSR, opened in 1960),Okean (nearVladivostok, Russian SFSR, opened in 1983),Molodaya Gvardiya camp [uk] (nearOdessa,Ukrainian SSR) andZubryonok [ru] (inMinsk Oblast,Byelorussian SSR). It was very difficult to apply for accommodation to the main camps, especially to Artek, as they were very popular.
Western children also sometimes attended Soviet Young Pioneer camps, including children from Canada in the 1970s.[2]
InEast Germany theErnst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation built a pioneer camp (known as a "pioneer republic") in 1952 atWerbellinsee north-east ofBerlin. It was based on the Artek camp. It was considered a privilege to be chosen to go to this camp.
