What can I tell you about Artek? “How can I tell you about Artek? Essays by topic

Series "Memories of Summer 2009"
Author - Tatyana Borbitko, teacher-organizer of the school "Yantarny"

"Artek" is a separate country of which one becomes a citizen for life. When I vacationed at Artek, as a child, I didn’t like it. I don’t know why, it’s just not that’s all…. And now I think I have found the answer: The secret is in the counselors and friends!!! It didn’t work out for me, and I had the whole summer to catch up….
... Hurray, many years later I found myself here again! The nature is wonderful, everything just breathes warmth and tranquility! I can’t even believe that there are such quiet and cozy places in Artek, however, in a few days, they will be filled with happy children’s voices, the summer season will begin and my first shift will begin...
We had ten whole days to learn everything. Every day was scheduled minute by minute, and life in the camp was clearly defined. We, young and “green”, ready to work day and night, were distributed into groups and asked to get used to the image of children! We were also given experienced counselors, with whom we played different games from morning to evening, testing our strength "slides-ladders" and even the mighty Crimean mountains, swam without a break and at the same time saved someone, acted out funny scenarios invented on the go, danced and sang until they sweated, feigning sincere joy, in general, they had a good and extremely interesting time! And, oddly enough, we liked it. The sharpness and unpredictability of sensations is what we and our children needed.

The shift flew by in one breath. All these games and events: “KTM”, “Artek Safari”, “Tour City”, “Cossack Fun”, music competitions, business card competitions, clubs, sports games, extras and, of course, the “Gala Concert” They captured the children so that they did not have time to look back, and the shift was already approaching the end...

"Artek" has some kind of magical power, forcing people to return there again and again, and then for the first time it seemed to me that after leaving I could yearn for the “capital of children's happiness.” But the summer continued. Two of my unforgettable shifts have already passed, and things were heading towards an international change. I was a little upset because I was not given a foreign delegation, but was assigned to a detachment with children, mainly from Russia and Ukraine. Then the camp director reassured me and said that “ordinary” children also need a good rest. At the end of the shift, it was very pleasant to learn that, according to the results of the survey, “ordinary” children liked Artek more than foreigners. They got to know kids from all over the world so actively, it felt like there was no language barrier between them at all.

Last summer shift I worked with older children, they required a different approach than middle-aged children. They understood right away, they didn’t have to repeat it twice, and that’s a plus. But each had their own distinct interests, it was much more difficult for them to do something together. At first we simply learned to compromise, but then we became friends and quickly found a common language.

It so happened that it was my last shift This year, in principle, I was glad, I was slowly drawn home. True, Artek has long become my second home. Maybe for some it will sound banal, but here I found new friends, understanding and care, “Artek” left the brightest memories in my heart. Here I gained invaluable experience of working together for a common result, I understood what mutual assistance is, and I myself learned to help just so that the person would be pleased, I learned to think and calculate everything two steps ahead. It seems that I learned to trust people, but to be a little more careful, I became more confident in myself and taught this to others. I will never forget “Artek”, songs with a guitar around the fire, friends, the nature of Crimea, the lunar path, starfall, and I hope that I will come to this beautiful place on the Black Sea coast again.
I don't know who wrote the following lines, but I like them. I found this letter and edited it slightly.
“...So the summer ended, we parted ways. And sleepless nights began... Believe me, you are tormented not by memories of Artek, but by your fantasies about him. You can remember it once, twice, three times... You can’t watch the same movie thirty times. But every night your fantasies will creep under your blanket, from which you cannot escape.
But these will be delightful fantasies.
This will continue until your soul hardens. Until you become an adult. Then you will only have to remember Artek. And you will miss the fact that no one crawls under your blanket at night...
And it's very sad... When you are still a child, you live in your fantasies. When an adult - with your memories.

Text + photo - Tatiana Borbitko (in the title photo - on the right, on the left - colleague Katarina Ketrish)

A dispute began between Ukraine and Crimea over ownership children's health camp "Artek"- the most famous such institution in the entire territory of the former Soviet Union. This is not just a camp, it is a real republic of children - a legendary vacation spot that every child in our country has dreamed of visiting. About Artek, its history and present will be discussed in our review.

Founding of Artek

The history of the founding of the Artek pioneer camp is closely connected with the Civil War. After all, after its end, many wounded soldiers and commanders of the Red Army were sent for recovery to, where weather conditions, silence and the medical infrastructure remaining from tsarist times allowed the fighters for the world revolution to quickly return to duty.

The Russian branch of the Red Cross, headed by Zinoviy Petrovich Solovyov, was involved in organizing the recreation and rehabilitation of the fighters. He came up with the idea of sending not only adults, but also children to Crimea for treatment. After all, they also suffered greatly during the Civil War.

Soloviev traveled all over the southern coast of Crimea in search of the optimal location for the future camp. He found this in the Artek tract at the foot of Bear Mountain near the village of Gurzuf. And in June 1925, the pioneer camp received the first shift of children, who settled in eighty canvas tents.

The first permanent buildings appeared in Artek already in 1928, and in 1930 it was decided to organize another camp in the neighborhood - the previous one could no longer cope with the growing flow of children from all over the Soviet Union.

Republic of Children

Nowadays, “Artek” is a huge complex consisting of ten camps, in which 3.6 thousand children can relax and improve their health at the same time, and up to 30 thousand per year. The length of its coastline is 7 kilometers, and the total area of the territory, including all subsidiary farms and protected areas, is 208 hectares. And this is comparable to the size of the state of Monaco!

This is also why Artek is called a “children’s republic.” On its territory you can find not only residential and medical buildings, but also many other buildings, including historical ones.

There are several museums here (one of them houses the spacesuits of Yuri Gagarin and Alexei Leonov), the Suuk-Su Palace, the ruins of a Genoese fortress, 3 swimming pools and even a modern stadium with 7 thousand seats. In total, there are more than 150 buildings on the territory of Artek.

Legendary guests: adults and children

In Soviet times, the Artek pioneer camp was considered one of the calling cards of the USSR. It was an exemplary institution where children and adults from all over the world came, including quite famous people. This is not only about politicians from countries friendly to the Soviet Union. Although Artek has seen a lot of them - Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi from India, all Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian leaders, heads of Asian and African countries have visited here. And the leader of the Italian Communist Party, the legendary Palmiro Togliatti, died while visiting this pioneer camp.

But still, the most dear and welcome guests at Artek were not politicians, but cosmonauts and astronauts, musicians and actors. Yuri Gagarin was accepted here as an honorary pioneer and even left his training suit in the camp museum. And the French writer Andre Barbusse, inspired by what he saw at Artek, called the camp “a kingdom without a king and without subjects.”

However, what Soviet people remembered most was the visit to Artek of a simple American girl, Samantha Smith. She became famous for sending an anti-war letter to Yuri Andropov in 1982 with all her childish spontaneity. The leader of the USSR was so impressed by this act that he invited Samantha to our country. During her two-week visit, the young American visited Moscow and Leningrad, and also lived for several days the life of an ordinary pioneer in Artek - she wore a uniform, lived according to the camp schedule, swam in the sea and went to the mountains.

International Children's Film Festival "Artek"

Already in the 20s of the twentieth century, Artek began making feature films and documentaries about children, as well as on adventure themes. The famous films “In Search of Captain Grant”, “The Odyssey of Captain Blood”, “Hearts of Three”, “Passenger from the Equator”, “Ten Little Indians” and many others were filmed in the camp. And since 1993, the Artek International Children's Film Festival has been held there.

This event is the largest film festival in the world in terms of the number of jury members, because all the children vacationing at Artek during one of the summer shifts become jury members. They look at the films submitted to the competition and, by general voting, determine the winners in the categories “The kindest film”, “The most exciting film”, “The wisest film”, “The funniest film”, “The very best film”, and also choose the best girl - actress, best boy actor, best actress and best actor.

School in Artek

Unlike the vast majority of other children's health institutions, Artek operates not only in the summer, but all year round. And to ensure that the children vacationing there do not break away from the educational process, there is a secondary school on the basis of the camp, designed for 1,224 students.

The construction of this school began in Soviet times, but was completed only in 2004. The building has traditional Crimean architecture, and because of the presence of towers, as well as bright colors, the children nicknamed it “Harry Potter’s castle.”

Such a school is a dream for any student. After all, every day there are no more than four lessons, and there is no homework at all - children come to Artek to relax and heal, and not to pore over textbooks around the clock.

In October of this year I was lucky enough to visit the Artek camp. This amazing place is located on the Black Sea coast in Crimea. The camp, seven kilometers long, was founded quite a long time ago and has its own laws, traditions and legends. Mountains rise around it, one of them, the bear-mountain Ayu-Dag, according to legend, protects the entire “Artek” and our “Yantarny” camp. Unforgettable emotions were given to us not only by the stunning natural beauty of the camp, but also by the events that took place there.

Our shift was dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the Russian

Geographical Society. We plunged into the wonderful world of geography, visited Sevastopol and many museums, gained new knowledge and a lot of emotions. We also received knowledge at the camp school.

In addition, the camp hosted events in which we showed creativity, danced, and sang. I was very lucky with the squad and counselors, who were all different, but you could talk to everyone about everything. There were many extras in the camp where we could dance and take our minds off the shift program. In hot weather we went to the sea, sunbathed and swam. “Yantarny” and “Artek” itself have become a big home for all the children, and its squad and counselors have become a big family. I will really miss this place, the squad and our beloved counselors. I will proudly bear the name of “Artek resident”.

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Maria BLINOVA, Tropinka Junior Cord Club, shares her impressions.

From January 25 to February 16, 2018, the “Time of Children’s Discovery” session was held at the Artek International Children’s Center, which I was able to attend.
Going to Artek has been a dream since the fifth grade. It was then that I learned that for winning the “Living Classics” competition you can get a coveted ticket. Unfortunately, I never took part in the competition, but the dream of Artek remained.
And this school year, at the first lesson of the Tropinka junior club, I set a goal for myself - to earn a ticket to Crimea.
To do this, I participated in various competitions throughout the academic year, expanded my portfolio, and followed the news on the Artek website. Next, I opened a personal account, in which I first filled out a questionnaire, uploaded scanned certificates and characteristics. I began to wait for the results. I would like to warn you that only 20 certificates can be uploaded, 10 of which are merits in school Olympiads, sports, creativity, and the remaining ones are for active work in society.
I waited for September, October, November, December... and then at the beginning of January they announced that they were part of the delegation of the Kemerovo region for a trip to Artek.
"Artek" is a huge complex of camps consisting of ten large children's recreation centers. Only six work during winter shifts: “Yantarny”, “Khrustalny”, “River”, “Sea”, “Cypress”, and I ended up in “Azure”, which has the most beautiful views of the Adalary rocks and Mount Ayu-Dag (Bear). ).
In each camp, in addition to the usual detachments, there are specialized ones - marine, journalistic, tourist, medical, DJ, art, cheerleading, football, tennis, and I ended up in the Ministry of Emergency Situations squad.
On the profile of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, all Artek residents will be trained in the fire department, putting on a combat jacket (firefighter uniform), L-1 (chemical protection), a gas mask, assault (jumping from the third floor), shooting from a fire hose, first aid. Dog handlers also came to us and talked about their work.
Everything was interesting: we went to the fire station, where we prepared for the EMERCOM battle (a competition of specialized EMERCOM teams from various camps), and visited various SOMs (social educational modules). I liked the fact that the training took place not only on the camp grounds. So we visited the Crimean Federal University, where the COM in social studies was held. We studied history at the Sevastopol Balaklava Museum and visited Balaklava itself. It was not just a lecture, we saw and touched things of those times. We were also given excursions to the palaces of the city of Yalta: Livadia, Yusupov, Vorontsov. Our acquaintance with Crimea did not end there, we visited museums: local history and the Navy, it was very interesting there! We learned about naval battles and the nature of Crimea.

In the EMERCOM detachment, much attention was paid to physical training. We worked out at the stadium: ran, jumped. We visited a swimming pool where first aid training for a drowning person took place. We went to the rope park, we had the hardest time of all, since there was a strong wind that day, all the crossings from tree to tree were very swayed, but we managed!
Every shift at Artek there is a sports competition, in which all the guys who have passed the selection can take part. I was able to join the Lazurny volleyball team. We defended the honor of our camp. Five camps took part in the volleyball competition. We took an honorable third place!
For 16 years, I vacationed in different camps, from school camps to the Energetik children's health camp in Anapa. But all this was in the summer. But I was lucky enough to visit Artek in winter and celebrate my birthday. I will never forget this holiday: the guys woke me up in the morning, I saw many different posters, my colleagues shouted and congratulated me, and it was very nice. What was also special was that on January 28 (my birthday) there was the opening of the shift and the first extras! We danced to Artek songs in detachment circles. At dinner I was given a traditional apple charlotte. They just presented it in an unusual way, and the counselor shoved my face into the pie. It was unexpected and fun.
Somewhere in the middle of the shift, we began classes at the Artek school, which everyone calls “Hogwarts” because of its huge size and confusing corridors. We visited her five times during our shift. Most of all I liked the chemistry and physics classes, because in these lessons they carried out a lot of experiments and it was really interesting.
Every day at Artek was full of creative competitions and events. But what makes them special is that the organizers are the children themselves. Our squad was no exception; we staged a dance battle.
The theme was chosen immediately - “the dashing 90s”. Preparations for the competition took quite a long time. We came up with and wrote a script, drew a poster, staged numbers and rehearsed. All events at Artek are taken seriously. First, it is shown to the senior counselor, who already decides whether to allow it or not, and points out mistakes. When we heard the cherished “yes, everything is fine,” we were glad that our efforts were not in vain. We gave each group the task of choreographing a dance to the hits of that time. Everything turned out great for us!
The good news for our squad was that we had to show our act at the all-Artek extras from Lazurny! It was unforgettable! Not all groups managed to perform on the Artek stage. Only three units from Lazurny received this opportunity. This is very exciting, but at the same time it’s nice to represent your camp in front of all Artek residents. This feeling will stay with me forever.
At the end of the shift, each specialized squad must compete for the challenge cup. We had a battle with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, where we showed what we had learned during our shift at the fire department. This battle for us was not as successful as it could have been. We took second place. Of course, it was a shame that the cup went to the “Sea” camp, but they did not despair, because there were not many days left to spend in “Artek”.
Of course, it’s a shame that our detachment, due to bad weather, never climbed Mount Ayu-Dag, where initiation into Artek takes place. But for me this is a sign to return to Artek again.
During this shift, I discovered a lot for myself: new impressions, sensations, jokes, gags, and found new friends.
Many thanks to the counselors, the guys from the squad for such a cool shift!
If it weren't for them, nothing would have happened. All the moments, tears, hugs were the most sincere. How I miss them and love them madly