Theme Week Russia – Sochi on the Russian Riviera
Saturday, 6 April 2013 - 01:06 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Russia / Russland General
Reading Time: 5 minutes
View on Sochi from Black Sea © Ojj! 600
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Sochi is a city in
Krasnodar Krai , situated on the
Black Sea coast near the border between
Georgia and
Russia . Greater Sochi sprawls for 145 kilometers (90 mi) along the shores of the Black Sea near the
Caucasus Mountains . The city has a permanent population of 343,000; up from 329,000 recorded in the 2002, making it Russia’s largest
resort city .
Sochi will host the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in 2014 , as well as the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2014 until at least 2020. It is also one of the host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup .
Sochi Sea Port with Maritime Terminal © Maqs
Sochi was established as a fashionable resort area under
Joseph Stalin , who had his favorite
dacha built in the city; Stalin’s study, complete with a wax statue of the leader, is now open to the public. During Stalin’s reign the coast became dotted with imposing
Neoclassical buildings, exemplified by the opulent Rodina and Ordzhonikidze sanatoriums. The centerpiece of this early period is
Shchusev ‘s
Constructivist Institute of Rheumatology (1927–31). The area was continuously developed until the demise of the Soviet Union.
Following Russia’s loss of the traditionally popular resorts of the
Crimean peninsula (transferred away from the
Russian SFSR to the
Ukrainian SSR in 1954 by
Nikita Khrushchev ), Sochi emerged as the unofficial summer capital of the country. During
Vladimir Putin ‘s term in office, the city witnessed a significant increase in investment, although many Russian holidaymakers still flock to the cheaper resorts of neighbouring Abkhazia (Georgia), Ukraine, or to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
Here you can find the complete
Overview of all Theme Weeks .
Read more on
City of Sochi ,
Resort City Sochi ,
Sochi2014.com/ ,
Wikitravel Sochi and
Wikipedia Sochi . Photos by Wikipedia Commons.
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