44 Lenin Avenue

A researcher's journey to Siberia

Architecture of Repression

The building at 44 Lenin Avenue was of course originally an educational institution. It became a site of repression (*nods to Foucault*), serving as one of two local headquarter buildings for the OGPU/NKVD from 1922-1944. Structurally, this involved converting the basements (of both buildings, if I’m not mistaken) into a remand or investigative prison (следственная […]

Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions

Filed under: Monument square,Stalinist repression — Wilson Bell at 4:45 pm on Monday, October 30, 2017  Tagged , , , , , ,

Just a quick note: In Russia, October 30 is officially the “Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions.” As the museum at 44 Lenin Avenue is run by the Tomsk chapter of the Memorial Society, dedicated to preserving the memory of the victims of Soviet-era repression, it’s a key day for the museum […]

Vandalized Monument: An update

Filed under: Monument square — Wilson Bell at 7:46 pm on Wednesday, March 22, 2017  Tagged , ,

Good news on the “Stone of Sorrow” that was vandalized back in November. At first, police had reported that there was nothing they could do, because the stone wasn’t an officially designated monument, despite the years of ceremonies and the consecration of the monument in 1992. This decision had the staff of the NKVD Remand […]

Monument vandalized

Filed under: Monument square — Wilson Bell at 8:33 pm on Thursday, November 24, 2016  Tagged , , ,

I haven’t posted much since the summer, in part because I am no longer “in the field.” Just a brief update, here. The monument “to the victims of Bolshevik repression” was vandalized just a few days ago, as someone used red spray-paint to place a bust of Stalin on the back of the monument. In […]

Tomsk Peculiarities

Filed under: Monument square,Tomsk regionalism — Wilson Bell at 12:53 pm on Sunday, July 24, 2016  Tagged , , ,

On Friday, while working at the research library (pictured here) of Tomsk State University (TSU, or ТГУ), I discovered that one of the questions scholars have raised about pre-revolutionary Tomsk revolves around its seemingly large number of pro-monarchist, ultra-nationalist organizations. For instance, A. P. Tolochko shows that Tomsk gubernaia had by far the largest number […]

In Tomsk

Filed under: Monument square — Wilson Bell at 6:21 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2016  Tagged , , ,

    I arrived in Tomsk on Friday, and spent the weekend exploring and adjusting to the time difference (14-hours ahead of Kamloops, although only five hours ahead of Central Europe, where I had spent ten days before heading to Russia). Just wanted to post, here, the photos from the square adjacent to 44 Lenin Avenue. […]