R. Simon Anderson's Blog
February 4, 2014
Discovering Sochi before the IOC Chose the Russian Riviera
When I was developing the storyline script of my first novel: Frontiers, I researched then chose the Black Sea magnet which attracts the elite of both the former Soviet Union and current-day Russia and eastern Europe.
Sochi is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as being the "longest city in Europe.
If you like suspense, have an interest in the Soviet Air Forces and their role in the former East Germany, Frontiers offers a glimpse of those subjects and much more.
An excerpt of the scene introducing the storied town? Okay.
Sochi is the largest resort city along the northeastern coast of the Black Sea located between the Mamaika and Kudepsta rivers in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, just north of the border with the controversially independent republic of Abkhazia, Georgia. From the 6th to the 11th centuries, the Zygii, a blend of nomad shepherds and pirates, settled in the locale and constructed a dozen churches within the town. Sochi was a part of the Georgian Kingdom from the 11th to the mid-15th century. The Gokturks (disparate steppe Turkic people from central Asia) and Khazars (nomadic Turkic people from medieval Eurasia) among other nomadic empires over-ran and destroyed the Christian settlements, although, the northern wall of an 11th-century Byzantinesque basilica still remains. During the 14th through 17th centuries, the city of Sochi was governed under the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire and managed by native clans of the north-west Caucasus. Consequences relating to both the Caucasian War and Russo-Turkish War had the coastline fall to Russian control during 1829. Having no elemental knowledge of the newly acquired territory, the Russians built a series of 17 fortifications along the Black Sea coast at the mouth of the Sochi River in response to recurring Circassian resistance. Upon the starting of the hostilities which led to the Crimean War, the Navaginsky garrison was abandoned so it would not be captured by the Turks, who succeeded in landing on Cape Adler thereafter. The end of Caucasian War was announced on June 2, 1864 at what is now Krasnaya by Emperor Alexander II. The end of the war also witnessed the killing of mostly Ubykhs, a tribe who lived in the ancient state of Colchis, and Shapsugs, an ethnic group of Circassians. Those who weren’t brutally purged were exiled to the Ottoman Empire. Two years later, the coastline was greatly populated by Russians, Armenians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Greeks, Estonians, Germans, Moldavians and Georgians.
The first Russian Orthodox church, St. Michael's Church, was erected in 1874 and finished in 1891. The Sochi Lighthouse was constructed in February 1890. The renamed Sochi Posad, given after the name of a local river, was incorporated into the newly formed Black Sea Governorate in 1896. During the first decade of the 20th century, Sochi flourished as a sea resort and became known as the Caucasian Riviera. The first resort, "Kavkazskaya Riviera", opened on June 14, 1909. The region was involved with infrequent armed engagements involving the Red Army, White movement forces, and the Democratic Republic of Georgia during the Russian Civil War.
The railway appeared in Sochi running between Tuapse and Abkhazia in 1923 and following close to the coastline. Joseph Stalin aggressively promoted Sochi as a trendy resort area in 1933, and had his beloved dacha located in the city. During Stalin's time in power, the coastal region was dotted with buildings illustrating the Neoclassical style embodied by the Rodina and Ordzhonikidze sanatoriums. Sochi has seen constant development of its picturesque region throughout.
Sochi become known as the unofficial summer capital of Russia when Premier Khrushchev transferred popular resorts along the Crimean peninsula to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954. The district including 100 miles of the coastline and centering around the city has been known as Greater Sochi since 1961 and lays claim to being the longest city in Europe. Sochi contains over 200 resorts, more than a dozen boarding houses, and dozens of Young Pioneer camps and camping sites. The region enjoys subtropical climates which feature mild winters and very enjoyable and mostly sunny summers.
Adlersky City District is one of four city districts comprising the city of Sochi. The four districts to the south were settled by Russians on 18 June 1837 at the fort of Svyatoy Dukh (Holy Spirit). The Russians, being the newer and last of those who occupied and integrated the province into its union, were not the first to forge industry. Genoese merchants founded a factory, Layso, during the 13th century as a means to foment trade in the region. Adlersky was named as Artlar or Artı by the Ottoman Turks. The area is well known for its narrow, pebble-filled beach bordering a railway line.
Enjoy the rest of the ride.
Cheers,
R
Sochi is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as being the "longest city in Europe.
If you like suspense, have an interest in the Soviet Air Forces and their role in the former East Germany, Frontiers offers a glimpse of those subjects and much more.
An excerpt of the scene introducing the storied town? Okay.
Sochi is the largest resort city along the northeastern coast of the Black Sea located between the Mamaika and Kudepsta rivers in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, just north of the border with the controversially independent republic of Abkhazia, Georgia. From the 6th to the 11th centuries, the Zygii, a blend of nomad shepherds and pirates, settled in the locale and constructed a dozen churches within the town. Sochi was a part of the Georgian Kingdom from the 11th to the mid-15th century. The Gokturks (disparate steppe Turkic people from central Asia) and Khazars (nomadic Turkic people from medieval Eurasia) among other nomadic empires over-ran and destroyed the Christian settlements, although, the northern wall of an 11th-century Byzantinesque basilica still remains. During the 14th through 17th centuries, the city of Sochi was governed under the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire and managed by native clans of the north-west Caucasus. Consequences relating to both the Caucasian War and Russo-Turkish War had the coastline fall to Russian control during 1829. Having no elemental knowledge of the newly acquired territory, the Russians built a series of 17 fortifications along the Black Sea coast at the mouth of the Sochi River in response to recurring Circassian resistance. Upon the starting of the hostilities which led to the Crimean War, the Navaginsky garrison was abandoned so it would not be captured by the Turks, who succeeded in landing on Cape Adler thereafter. The end of Caucasian War was announced on June 2, 1864 at what is now Krasnaya by Emperor Alexander II. The end of the war also witnessed the killing of mostly Ubykhs, a tribe who lived in the ancient state of Colchis, and Shapsugs, an ethnic group of Circassians. Those who weren’t brutally purged were exiled to the Ottoman Empire. Two years later, the coastline was greatly populated by Russians, Armenians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Greeks, Estonians, Germans, Moldavians and Georgians.
The first Russian Orthodox church, St. Michael's Church, was erected in 1874 and finished in 1891. The Sochi Lighthouse was constructed in February 1890. The renamed Sochi Posad, given after the name of a local river, was incorporated into the newly formed Black Sea Governorate in 1896. During the first decade of the 20th century, Sochi flourished as a sea resort and became known as the Caucasian Riviera. The first resort, "Kavkazskaya Riviera", opened on June 14, 1909. The region was involved with infrequent armed engagements involving the Red Army, White movement forces, and the Democratic Republic of Georgia during the Russian Civil War.
The railway appeared in Sochi running between Tuapse and Abkhazia in 1923 and following close to the coastline. Joseph Stalin aggressively promoted Sochi as a trendy resort area in 1933, and had his beloved dacha located in the city. During Stalin's time in power, the coastal region was dotted with buildings illustrating the Neoclassical style embodied by the Rodina and Ordzhonikidze sanatoriums. Sochi has seen constant development of its picturesque region throughout.
Sochi become known as the unofficial summer capital of Russia when Premier Khrushchev transferred popular resorts along the Crimean peninsula to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954. The district including 100 miles of the coastline and centering around the city has been known as Greater Sochi since 1961 and lays claim to being the longest city in Europe. Sochi contains over 200 resorts, more than a dozen boarding houses, and dozens of Young Pioneer camps and camping sites. The region enjoys subtropical climates which feature mild winters and very enjoyable and mostly sunny summers.
Adlersky City District is one of four city districts comprising the city of Sochi. The four districts to the south were settled by Russians on 18 June 1837 at the fort of Svyatoy Dukh (Holy Spirit). The Russians, being the newer and last of those who occupied and integrated the province into its union, were not the first to forge industry. Genoese merchants founded a factory, Layso, during the 13th century as a means to foment trade in the region. Adlersky was named as Artlar or Artı by the Ottoman Turks. The area is well known for its narrow, pebble-filled beach bordering a railway line.
Enjoy the rest of the ride.
Cheers,
R
