Pioneer Camp Stroitel in Condrita

Hidden in the Codrii Forest, this large complex was built as a Soviet-era sports and recreation camp for youth. One of thousands of such facilities constructed across the USSR to provide collective summer programmes for children and adolescents outside the city, this camp most likely dates from the late 1970s, before the Olympics that were held in the Soviet Union in 1980. In fact, it's one of two Soviet pioneer camps in Condrita - Constructorul (Builder) lies nearby, closer to the city town. The programme would have combined physical activity, outdoor life, and the structured collective routines that defined the pioneer camp as an institution. Attendance was largely free, funded through enterprise and union budgets. The site is now completely abandoned.