HOLGER HOFFMANN | Ugolnye Kopi | A Post-Soviet Ghost Town in Chukotka

Ugolnye Kopi is located east of Anadyr, the administrative center of Chukotka, on the opposite side of the Anadyr River. It was founded as a mining town and later also hosts the airport of Anadyr.
During the Soviet era, the airport was primarily used for military purposes.
As a result, several military installations and residential buildings were constructed for those working in the military bases and administration. However, with the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, the airport lost its military importance, the troops were relocated, and the houses were abandoned.

HOLGER HOFFMANN

Holger Hoffmann has traveled together with his wife Sylvia Furrer on more than 75 trips since 1977 and has visited 60 countries outside Europe. In 1995 they founded chaostours.ch. Sylvia is the director, Holger the guide, and they are so far the only customers, but very satisfied with the self-organizing way of traveling. That keeps them open-minded to the unexpected.

The longer they travel together, the more they become fascinated by the customs and the daily life of indigenous people who preserve their traditional culture. They developed a profound respect for these people who subsist in remote areas under harsh living conditions such as in the extreme cold of Siberia, the hot desert of the Danakil, the wet jungle in West Papua, or the high mountains in the Himalayas. Nomadic people have become a major focus of their recent travels. They are deeply impressed by how they handle the threats of climate change and adapt to the advances and pressures of the modern world.

In 2012 they started to publish some travel reports to share their impressions with a broader community of travelers. Usually, Sylvia is the writer and Holger the photographer.

Read the full article in Lens Magazine Issue #85