Fact 1
The history of the Artek camp is closely related to the Civil War of 1918-1920. After the war a lot of wounded soldiers and commanders of the Red Army were sent for rehabilitation to Crimea, where the weather conditions and modern medical facilities allowed fighters to quickly recover. The camp was first established in 1925.
Fact 2
The camp was the first resort for young pioneers — the Soviet equivalent of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. Unlike other children's recreational facilities, Artek is open not only in summer, but all year round. So children can go to the camp not only during the holidays, but also when they have health problems and need a break from stressful everyday life. There is a school designed for 1,224 students at the camp so that the children are able to continue their education while at the same time getting some much needed rest.
Fact 3
Today, Artek is a huge complex consisting of ten camps, which can simultaneously host 3,600 children (and up to 30,000 per year). The length of its coastline is 7 kilometers, and the total size of the territory, including all farms and protected areas reaches 208 hectares. This is comparable to the size of the state of Monaco!
Fact 4
Fact 5
The most remarkable event, however, was the visit of American Samantha Smith. In 1982, the girl sent a letter to Yuri Andropov asking about his attitude toward the war. The Soviet leader was so impressed by her move that he invited Samantha to the Soviet Union. During her two-week visit, the young American visited Moscow and Leningrad, and spent a few days in the camp, living the life of an ordinary pioneer.
