Design
Visiting Stalin's Sochi Retreat
The former Soviet dictator loved vacationing in the coastal resort town.
With its warm weather, beaches, and forests, Sochi was an irresistible destination for former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Like current Russian President Vladimir Putin (who also vacations in Sochi), Stalin had hoped to turn the coastal city into a high-end resort village and had a villa built there for himself in 1937. It was a place where he could get away from the stress of Moscow, play billiards, screen Charlie Chaplin films, and walk around in a pool by himself (filled with nearby seawater).