The permanent exhibition ‘The Gulag Island of Kedrovoshorsk. A Camp’s History’ opened on 30 October 2000 in a separate hall with 32m 2 floor space. The material is displayed in showcases and on stands. The exhibition shows original documents from the archive of Kedrovy Shor dating from 1940 to 1953, photographs documenting the history of the settlement, and items of everyday camp life.
The Museum ‘Pokayanie’ started its collection in 1989. The collection is kept at the Pechora Museum of Local Lore and History; it comprises ca. 400 exhibits. Of special interest is a fragment of the original archive of Kedrovy Shor Agricultural Camp. It contains documents on the camp management (about 2,500 documents, dating from 1940-1953). These documents offer an introduction to different aspects of everyday life in a labour camp: The organisation of convict labour, the camp’s social structure, food and everyday life, the organisation of armed guards, and the cultural-educational work carried out among the ‘camp-population’. Some of the documents carry stamps like ‘Top secret once filled in’, ‘Confidential, not for use outside the camp’ and so on.
The creation of one single museum area is envisaged, since the building of the Petchora Museum of Local Lore and History itself is situated on the territory of the former Pechora camp. On the square adjacent to the Museum a Memorial Complex will be set up, which will be dedicated to the people who built Pechora - the prisoners of Pechora camp.
The Museum ‘Pokayanie’ assists other museums in their work, such as the ones at Lyceum No. 23, the School No. 83, and the Cultural Centre of Railway Workers. It also supports the expedition ‘Stalker’ (settlement Koshva) and the local history project at the settlement Peschanka.
