Stalin's dacha in Sochi

Stalin's dacha in Sochi – is one of the summer houses of Stalin and interesting attraction is Sochi, located on the territory of the sanatorium 'Green Grove'. There are many legends about this place, one of them - the ghost of Stalin walks in the evenings in a white air jacket with a pipe after the closure of the dacha. The myth was even supposedly registered in the International Register of Ghosts. However, it was not possible to find this registry, so let’s consider this story an urban legend.

The cottage is located in a beautiful location on the territory of the former manor Mikhailovskoye at an altitude of 160 meters above sea level on the top of the mountain range between the Mochetsin valley and Aguri gorge in the area of the current national park. Doctors participated in the selection of the site for construction. At this altitude, the sea and mountain air mix, creating a certain microclimate and a pleasant temperature.

The building looks quite modern, but the cladding betrays its historical Stalinist period. The main feature is the unusual green color of the coloring.

At first glance it may seem strange, but after a while you get used to it — the buildings merge with the green landscape. There's something in it. Stalin's dacha was painted in order to hide the building from prying eyes.

Stalin spent a lot of time here. For this reason, Sochi had special conditions for monitoring the population and ensuring security. For example, from March 15 to April 1, 1934, passportization was introduced in Sochi to 'identify class alien, criminally criminal elements who do not have the right to obtain a passport and register in Sochi'

Local residents always knew about the arrival of the leader – local residents were obliged to wash cars, a lot of Moscow police in beautiful uniforms appeared in the city, the streets were shampooed all over the city, and representatives of the NKVD stood at every corner, hiding behind newspapers, watching what was happening.

During Stalin's arrival, women were forbidden to walk around the city in swimsuits and dressing gowns – for this they could be forcibly 'evicted' from the city.

The building itself was built according to the project of Miron Merzhanov in 1931. It was built specifically for Stalin, observing a huge number of specific requirements of both Joseph Vissarionovich himself and the Main Directorate of State Security, which later in 1934 would become the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs of the USSR.

One of Stalin's demands was the absence of fountains, another was a specific staircase with low steps. Walking on it was unusual and uncomfortable for me.

There were no carpets in the rooms, they say they were put later so that tourists would not wear out the parquet. Stalin was afraid that someone might sneak up unnoticed. It is worth paying attention to the coffered wooden ceilings, which are made in all rooms except the office - such ceilings amplified any sound.

Even the doors were made so that the space behind each was visible. In addition to the office, which was a closed room, and there were special locks in its doors, through which it was impossible to peep or let gas.

The windows are made of rock crystal, which gives a specific shine. But the main purpose of using crystal was the possible absence of small fragments that could hurt when broken.

There are very few curtains in the building, and those that are are short. The main task was to make it impossible to hide behind them.

By the way, there is no bedroom on the territory. This was done on purpose – no one was supposed to know where the leader sleeps. Stalin's outwardly strange bed is now standing in the office near the desk. But most likely she was just a dummy that was moved to different rooms every day.

One of the rooms is a swimming pool. It was filled with seawater, which was brought by tanks every day.

There was a cinema room in the chess room (I believe there was equipment behind the hidden door). Previously, the chess itself stood on the street. Stalin personally watched all the films that were released and decided what to fix.

Stalin liked to play billiards with the guards. True, according to the legends, he did not succeed very well, but he did not like to lose either. The guards played with him according to the strategy of 2 losses – 1 win.

In the cabin you can see a strange sofa, but its main feature is the effect of a steel capsule that protects the person sitting (or sleeping) in it from almost all sides.

In general, the place is very atmospheric. You will definitely like it if you are interested in history, especially surrounded by beautiful nature.