Tune in to this Russian Travel Guide programme and explore the memorable touristic sights scattered throughout the Komi Republic along the Kozhva-Vorkuta rail route. You will also have the chance to learn the history behind the construction of the Northern-Pechora railroad, whose route goes beyond the Polar Circle. Construction of this railroad’s trunk line began in 1937 and was carried out by prisoners and forced labourers from the NKVD’s gulag system. It was in 1941 from the town of Vorkuta that the very first train, filled with coal, set out for the centre of the country. The Northern-Pechora railroad was of great strategic importance as it was high-quality Vorkuta coal that was used to produce various military weapons. The price paid in order to build the railroad however, was incredibly high — the health and lives of tens of thousands of prisoners. Nowadays many monuments, memorials and museum exhibitions in Pechora, Vorkuta and other towns remind people of the tragedy of and sacrifices made by these people. The main subject of our film is one-time prisoner Menachem Begin, who helped to construct the railroad in 1941 and was to become Prime Minister of Israel and a Nobel Prize winner. Watch RTG’s programme “The Pechora Road” for an objective and spectacular depiction of some of history’s little-known secrets and to catch a glimpse of the Komi Republic’s breathtaking beauty and natural sights.