Alzhir

The ALZHIR (Akmolinki Lager Zhen Izmennikov Rodini - Akmol Camp for the Wives of Traitors to the Motherland) is a former concentration camp or GULAG for wives and children of people interned in other Soviet prison camps. The camp has been transformed into an open air museum, with a central museum building with some exhibits showing the life of the prisoners and some objects and structures outside (a railway carriage bringing in new prisoners, a hut for inmates and some monuments and memorials). The camp is located in Malinovka, about 25 km southwest of Astana. It is possible to visit the site by chartering a taxi or renting a car.