Orlyonok


The Russian Children's Center "Orlyonok" is a federal state all-year camp for kids aged 11–16. It is located in the Southern Federal District of Russia, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, Krasnodar Krai, 45 kilometers north-west from Tuapse. Orlyonok is officially registered as the Federal State Education Organization.
Prior to 1991, its full name was USSR Pioneer Camp "Orlyonok", and it was officially part of the Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union. Orlyonok received the Order of the Badge of Honour from the Komsomol organization, a decoration awarded for outstanding social and civil accomplishments.
Orlyonok welcomes children from all regions of Russia and other countries, regardless of their social strata or affiliation. During the combined summer/spring season it accepts up to 3,500 kids, in the fall/winter season – up to 1,200; the total number of children that it receives annually is about 20,000 children of both genders. Depending on the season, the duration of a stay varies between 21 and 30 days respectively.

Origins of the name

It is generally believed that the Orlyonok's name was taken from the title of a popular Young Pioneer song with the same name about a 16-year-old Red Army soldier about to be executed by enemies during the Russian Civil War.
A statue named "Orlyonok" stands in the center of the camp, being part of the Memorial Plaza. It is similar to another statue with the same name in the city of Chelyabinsk.

History

The Orlyonok Young Pioneer camp was established on July 12, 1960 by the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Russian SFSR. Similar to Artek, Orlyonok was intended for Russian children who were notable for excellent study, prize winners at various Student Olympiads, contests, or sports competitions, decorated or notable members of Komsomol or Young Pioneer organization activists.
In 1962 Orlyonok welcomed 50 representatives of the then-experimental Communard Movement, including kids from the famous Leningrad Frunze Community organization led by Igor Ivanov. During this time, Orlyonok acquired some of its laws and traditions and adopted what has become known as the creative team effort methodology.
After the successful experience of the previous year, in 1963 Orlyonok hosted the first all-USSR gathering of young communards.
In the beginning, the 1960 Orlyonok camp hosted 520 children, and by 1973 the annual attendance increased to nearly 17,000. By then Orlyonok had grown to an area of 3 square kilometers, with 60 buildings, including the dormitories, the "Young Pioneer Palace", secondary school, medical building, Museum of Aircraft and Cosmonautics, astronomical observatory, sports stadium, playgrounds and a winter sports hall. There were more than 200 hobby groups of 50 different kinds, mostly in polytechnics, sports, and aesthetics. Orlyonok had its own passenger ship, 45 yachts, and many motor boats and rowboats.
In the early 1990s, when the Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union was dismantled, the camp attendance in Orlyonok was greatly decreased; however, attendance has increased since 2000, as the camp was nostalgically associated with the Young Pioneer camps of the past. It is believed that between the years 1960 and 2010 Orlyonok hosted over 800,000 children.
On July 12, 2010, Orlyonok celebrated their 50th anniversary. It welcomed guests from all over Russia and abroad, all ages and walks of life, whose life was connected with Orlyonok. The celebration culminated with a special concert and fireworks at the central stadium.
In 2011 Orlyonok hosted a delegation from UNESCO reviewing Orlyonok admission to the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network. In 2012 Orlyonok was admitted to the UNESCO ASPNet.
On February 5, 2014, Orlyonok hosted the final part of the 2014 Winter Olympics torch relay. A relay torch was lit with the Olympic flame next to the Memorial Stone, from where it was carried throughout Orlyonok by 15 torchbearers covering a distance of approximately 3 kilometers.
In April 2025, the Institute for the Study of War warned that Russia, then undertaking an invasion of Ukraine, planned to intensify during the summer of that year the deportation of Ukrainian children to its occupied and own territory, including to Orlyonok and also Artek. Children from Transnistria, a Russian-occupied territory of Moldova, had also been sent previously to Orlyonok, and also to Artek. According to the Moldovan NGO Promo-LEX, the participation of children from Transnistria in both camps is one of Russia's tools for the ideological transformation and militarization of these children, ensuring their loyalty to Russia.

Notable visitors

Orlyonok is really seven independent camps, Solnechnyi, Zvyozdnyi, Stremitel'nyi, Komsomolskiy, Shtormovoy, Dozornyi, Olimpiyskiy, located on the combined territory of more than 244 hectares. Four of the camps, Solnechnyi, Shtormovoy, Zvyozdnyi, Stremitel'nyi, are all-year while the rest close for winter. Every camp has extended facilities in addition to the sleeping accommodations.
The original names of the camps reflect their history and overall themes:
  • Solnechnyi – main theme is "Adventure" and every child attending the camp works on a project that has to be completed during the stay. It is not just about the project itself, it is also about making and keeping friends and helping each other achieve success. As part of the program, kids go hiking and learn basics of working together as a team.
  • Zvyozdnyi – themed after cosmos exploration popular in the 1970s, it is faithful to the theme of stars – space and astronomy; twice a year special programs are conducted under the auspice of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. The main theme of the camp is leadership, both in space exploration and on earth. It is believed that the name was suggested by the first person in space, Yuri Gagarin, when he visited Zvyozdnyi in November 1964.
  • Stremitel'nyi – main theme of this camp is "I am a citizen of Russia" and during the camp kids can "create" their own "Aspiring country" complete with cities, specializing in various activities. Just like a real country, "Aspiring country" holds presidential elections, implements programs and establishes a country capital. Every summer Aspiring is hosting the Festival of Visual Arts, accepting creative kids from Russia, and being true to the spirit of creativity.
  • Komsomolskiy – from the very beginning was to be the school for future leaders. While staying at the camp kids can choose from the multitude of programs offered, "The Image of the Leader", "How to work in a team," "How to organize work," "How to work with information," "Community Corner", etc.
  • Shtormovoy – entire camp not only the closest to the Black Sea, it resembles a ship, both architecturally and structurally. The building itself has a deck, a superstructure facing the sea, a stern, and its port side faces the center of Orlyonok. Maritime themes are throughout, even in the names: the crews, the cabins, galley, mess hall, etc. Life on board is organized in accordance with naval traditions.
  • Dozornyi – themed after the Border Guard Service of Russia troops, it was designed and built to resemble one of the border posts while being a summer camp at the same time. Children who attend the Border Guard Academy learn basics of guarding country borders, terrain navigation, outdoor camping and survival, etc. The camp is modeled to be its own border post with a strict schedule, discipline, daily duties.
  • Olimpiyskiy – the youngest of the camps, its themes are sport, promoting healthy lifestyle and cultural heritage of the Olympics. Approaching XXII Olympic Winter Games in nearby Sochi also inspired all the programs that this camp offers. Arriving kids enter "Olympic House" where they learn about the history of the Olympic Games and Olympic Movement in Russia and abroad, legendary sportsmen and sportswomen, precepts of the sportsmanship, etc.
In addition to the seven camps, Orlyonok has its own hospital, auto park, hotel, radio and TV center, various administrative buildings, museum of aviation and cosmonautics, observatory. The seaside boardwalk that runs from the Stormovoy camp to the Solnechnyi camp is part of what is considered the central part of Orlyonok that includes Memorial Plaza with the statue of Orlyonok, "Palace of Culture and Sport" that is connected to the library called "Pharmacy for the Soul" and is adjacent to the stadium "Youth".
A Memorial Stone commemorating the founding of the camp on July 12, 1960 stands close to the Solnechnyi camp. On it there is a carved five-line stanza that reads :
There is no single official Orlyonok uniform, instead, there are uniforms for different camps. Also, while not strictly enforced, eaglets, while at the camp, wear colored neckerchiefs, which have different color combinations for different camps.