Andreas Horvath: Yakutia

Six time-zones seperate Moscow from Jakutsk, the capital of Russia´s biggest Republic Jacutia. When people west of the Ural go to bed, a new day will already have begun for the inhabitants of Jacutia.

From the seventeenth century onward Siberia has been a playground for colonial expansion. Once rumor was spread that unfathomable quantities of sable romp about in "Sibir", as the native called it, European adventurers set out in quest of the fur. The indigenous people were forced to "help". If they did not pay their taxes they were tortured or killed.

Oh yes, it can get cold in Jacutia - and lonely. This is the reason why the country hosted most of Russia´s GULAGs. The region of Kolyma in the north is regarded the quintessence of the GULAG. The coldest place on earth with -60 degrees Celsius is sited here. With its +40 degrees Celsius in the summer, Jacutia is the only country in the world which has an annual temperature difference of 100 degrees Celsius.

This is all part of the most recent history. It echoes in people´s faces, their customs and everyday life. The photos, I hope, tell about the hardship, but also the happiness people experience in this remote region. One finds unbelievable poverty in many places. At the same time the people´s joy and unity with nature during the short, but intensive summer months is something our culture can learn a lot from.

The blessings of a free market economy have brought a lot of foreign investors to Jacutia. Many of them seek quick fortune and when they leave, they often leave a damaged environment behind. There are already plans of "secure zones" - a euphemism for "reservations" - for indigenous tribes.

The near future will tell if Jacutia manages the transition from a Soviet Republic to a truly sovereign state, and (more important) under which terms.

- Andreas Horvath



The sky is high
and	the Tsar is far . . .

	Ironically, this old Siberian saying has not lost any of its relevance. Maybe it is most true today, considering Moscow´s difficulties in keeping the great empire from falling apart. The Tsar has always been severely concerned about the decreasing influence he had on his Eastern-most people. Then and now...

Six time-zones seperate Moscow from Jakutsk, the capital of Russia´s biggest Republic Jacutia. When people west of the Ural go to bed, a new day will already have begun for the inhabitants of Jacutia.

	The golden domes of the Kreml and the palaces of St. Petersburg tend to attract western film-crews and weekend-tourists nowadays. The visitors hardly realize that these impressive buildings have all been financed by the treasures of the vast hinterland. And just like a fake Western town these facades say little about the reality they hide.


From the seventeenth century onward Siberia has been a playground for colonial expansion. Once rumor was spread that unfathomable quantities of sable romp about in "Sibir", as the native called it, European adventurers set out in quest of the fur. The indigenous people were forced to "help". If they did not pay their taxes they were tortured or killed.

	In the age of industrialization mineral resources became the point of interest in Siberia. An old tale tries to explain how Jacutia came to be the richest country in the world: God tried to spread the treasures equally among the different countries of the earth. From a big sack he took just a handful for each country and scattered it across the land. When he reached Jacutia it became so cold that he dropped the whole sack and took off.

Oh yes, it can get cold in Jacutia - and lonely. This is the reason why the country hosted most of Russia´s GULAGs. The region of Kolyma in the north is regarded the quintessence of the GULAG. The coldest place on earth with -60 degrees Celsius is sited here. With its +40 degrees Celsius in the summer, Jacutia is the only country in the world which has an annual temperature difference of 100 degrees Celsius.


	Siberia was a jail without bars - as they said. Whoever managed to escape the GULAG was not likely to make it through the wilderness. Deporting people beyond the Ural was the cheapest way to get rid of criminals and enemies.

This is all part of the most recent history. It echoes in people´s faces, their customs and everyday life. The photos, I hope, tell about the hardship, but also the happiness people experience in this remote region. One finds unbelievable poverty in many places. At the same time the people´s joy and unity with nature during the short, but intensive summer months is something our culture can learn a lot from.




	Even though sovereign since 1991, Jacutia still has to deliver the majority of its wealth to Moscow. Today it is not the golden domes Jacutia is financing - transactions of wealth have become more subtle.

The blessings of a free market economy have brought a lot of foreign investors to Jacutia. Many of them seek quick fortune and when they leave, they often leave a damaged environment behind. There are already plans of "secure zones" - a euphemism for "reservations" - for indigenous tribes.

	For centuries time and space seemed to be endless dimensions in Siberia. But now, on the brink of the millennium, they suddenly become finite. The massive clearance of forrests can be viewed from space. At the same time every single truck leaves a permanent trace in the vulnerable perma frost ground. A trace visible from above.

The near future will tell if Jacutia manages the transition from a Soviet Republic to a truly sovereign state, and (more important) under which terms. - Andreas Horvath