Ural-GULAG Research Center was established in 1992 in order to discover and collect materials on history of political repression and history of Perm political camps. During its two-year existence, the center held two academic workshops in 1993 and 1994 which involved historians of political repression in USSR from various cities of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, former political prisoners from the RF, Ukraine, Lithuania and Estonia, members of the International, St-Petersburg and Perm departments of Memorial, members of the Association of Victims of Political Repression, Russian and foreign guests.
Participants of both workshops visited the former Perm-36 camp, and there discussed prospects and projects of preservation, partial restoration, and museumization of this camp’s buildings and structures. Proceedings of both workshops were published in dedicated collected books.
During the two years, the center’s staff, partners and volunteers:
Compiled a database of available materials on history of political repression in central and Perm public archives.
Discovered a package of materials on history of Perm political camps in the archives and the data center (DC) of the MDIA for Perm Region;
Copied the records of some prisoners of Perm political camps at the DC of the DIA.
Interviewed several tens of former prisoners of Perm political camps.
Enquired the out-of-town workshop participants about any materials on history of political repression in former GULAG camps and about road construction involving prisoners which were available to them, as well as about material state of the buildings and structures (most attention was paid to isolated and sparsely populated regions of the country, including Kolyma, Vorkuta, West Kazakhstan, and the routes of the Dead Road).
Made sure that the surviving buildings and structures of the 1940s and early 1950s in Perm-36 camp are the only restorable and exhibitable Stalin-era GULAG-era camp complex.
Developed the first projects for restoration and repair thereof, as well as for using these as the base for the Memorial Museum of History of Political Repression, held the first discussions of this project in Memorial International Society.
In 1994, when Perm-36 Memorial Complex of History of Political Repression and Totalitarianism (Limited Liability Partnership) was established, Ural-GULAG Research Center joined it as its research information division.