Day of Mologa

This once prosperous town was submerged in 1941 during construction of the Rybinsk Reservoir, one of the world’s largest. When the town’s fate was finally decided an evacuation of residents to neighbouring Rybinsk began. Wooden houses were dismantled and rafted down the Volga, and compensation was paid for stone dwellings. Meanwhile, large buildings were blown up. According to legend, not all the residents wanted to abandon the town.

According to a secret report by NKVD officer Sklyarov, 294 people refused to be evacuated and decided to remain along with the doomed town. They chained themselves to heavy objects and died in the flooding.