Sochi (Сочи), Russia

Church of St Vladimir in Sochi, Russia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%A5%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC_%D0%A1%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D0%92%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B0_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5.jpg
Author: Зеленер Сергей Михайлович,


Sochi (Russian: Сочи) is a cityn on the Black Sea coast in southwestern Russia. It is in Krasnodar Krai, just north of Abkhazia, a de facto independent republic. It covers 3,505 sq km (1,353 sq mi) and has a population of 330,000 people. It is the largest resort city in Russia. Sochi will play host to the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014.

The Sochi area has been inhabited since antiquity. It was ruled by the kingdoms of Lazica and Abkhazia until the 11th century, by the Georgian kingdom from the 11th till the 15th century, and was nominally under Ottoman sovereignty until 1829, when the coastline was ceded to Russia.

Sochi developed into a fashionable resort under the rule of Joseph Stalin, who built his holiday villa, or dacha, in the city. It was the watering hole of the Soviet elite, and has a number of well-preserved Neoclassical buildings from the early part of the 20th century. The city received a boost in investment during the administration of President Vladimir Putin.

Places of Interest in Sochi

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