Pioneers in pretence (PHOTOS)

Today, in the Transcarpathian village of Kolochava you can wear a red tie and caps. In 2007, local enthusiasts organized the Museum of the Soviet School there. Exhibits were gathered from all over the village. Retired teachers found in the archives old school registers, ink wells, photographs, posters. Cleared the room, where Kolochava Octobrists and Pioneers once used to learn. And most importantly, they got hold of Pioneer symbols and Octobrist badges. Now there is enough of them even for tourists. In fact, the interactive school of the Soviet era is not just an attempt to revive the history, but also to attract tourists to the village.

There are a lot of people wishing to become pioneers in Kolochava. Teachers see nothing wrong about that. They say the basic rules are relevant at all times: respect elders, be an honest and exemplary friend, keep discipline, protect the Homeland… 

Despite somewhat comic slogans, one can not deny that this is a part of the history. And not the worst part.

For foreigners it’s a curiosity. Something they have not seen before. But for the residents of the former Soviet Union it is a nostalgia for carefree childhood.