The Sochi Dacha of Joseph Stalin has been included in the list of the most mysterious tourist attractions in Russia. “The Sochi Dacha of Joseph Stalin is located at an altitude of almost 160 meters. Here, the General Secretary received guests and treated his illnesses. Workers and visitors of the dacha claim that the spirit of the leader now roams the corridors and buildings,” reported Valeria Shurko, a correspondent for “Kuban-24.”
Some have seen the General Secretary in a white tunic with a pipe in his hand walking in the billiard room, while others have felt that Joseph Stalin was standing on the balcony, surveying his domain, which stretches over nearly 4,000 square meters.
Every day, the reputation of Stalin’s dacha attracts dozens of tourists. Fans of mysticism in historical facts try to uncover its secrets. They closely examine mirrors and listen to sounds to feel the presence of a ghost.
However, Stalin’s dacha is primarily about history and architecture, and among the fans of the supernatural, there are many skeptics.
“People say that the spirit of Stalin remains in every one of his dachas, wandering the building. I think a ghost is more likely to appear where he lived the most, where significant events took place, or where he died, but here it’s just a legend,” said tourist Nadezhda Yefremova.
Anna Khovantseva also does not believe in the legends of the leader’s ghost. She has been working as a tour guide at Stalin’s residence for more than ten years, and during all this time, the silhouette of the Generalissimo has never appeared to her. But the spirit of the leader lives in every exhibit.
“One of the most interesting exhibits in our collection is a gift from the leader of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong, presented to Stalin in 1949 for his official 70th birthday: two crystal inkpots, a candlestick, a pen holder, and a paperweight,” said tour guide Anna Khovantseva.
“Joseph Stalin couldn’t imagine a day at his Sochi dacha without work of state importance. In one of the rooms stands a desk with a rotary phone that was connected to the Kremlin. The General Secretary would dial the number, and within a few seconds, he was connected to Moscow,” noted Valeria Shurko.
As the state’s leadership changed, so did Joseph Stalin’s dacha, but one of the halls has been preserved in its original form. Its walls and ceiling are lined with noble types of wood, and the windows offer panoramic views of Mount Akhun on one side and the Black Sea on the other. Stalin’s dacha is included in the International Ghost Registry. However, the spirit of the General Secretary is not the main reason to visit the residence.
“I think the mysticism is just a trend. It wasn’t mysticism that helped Stalin hold the country together for 31 years and build a great power. And he died in Kuntsevo in 1953, having last been here long before that — in September 1950, so the spirits don’t bother us here,” stated Anna Khovantseva.
