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Rare gallery of Stalin's
Georgian private summer home
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
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this Article • About
the Author • Bibliography/Sources
Joseph Stalin (lived 1878-1953),
the world's ironman and superpower as Premier of the Soviet
Union from 1922-1953, lived an infirm life of paranoia and
seclusion. An ethnic Georgian Jew by birth, the ailing and
alcoholic Joseph Jughashvili ordered a variety of summer homes
throughout the world's largest empire (the USSR) for his health
and solace from the hardships of world authority. One of his
most favorite was built in a quiet coastal summer village
on the border of his home country of Georgia, today in the
city of Sochi of the separate Russian Federation. This article
offers historical background, personal observations, and rare
personal photos from my vacation to the unique and fascinating
historical site. The summer home is actually in modern Russia
(Sochi), but the ethnic background of the locals and the historical
heritage of the area links it with Greater Georgia (the heritage
of Stalin) and the Caucasus peoples.
For a brief historical background,
the region north of Georgia (the North Caucasus) has a complicated
history of its own. It had long been occupied by Islamic (Sunni)
Turkic peoples -- some of whom speaking Caucasian-derived
languages and others Turkish-derived ones -- today referred
to as Muslim Circassians and Tatars. From the 18th century
onward, the world's largest nation to the north (the Russian
Empire) expanded southward, conquering the Turks of modern
Ukraine's Crimea and the North Caucasus. The Islamic capital
was at Sochi, where Stalin's house rests today. A brutal war
between Russian imperialists and a bloody Jihad by the Muslims
therein ended in the conquest of the Caucasus by the Russians
(soon thereafter including Georgia, Armenia, and Shi'ia Azerbaijan
from Iran and the Ottomans), relegating thousands of Mujahidin
Jihadists to flee south to the Ottoman empire in Anatolia
to enjoy the protection of their ethnic and religious is set
perfectly in between mountains to the point that no one can
see or target Stalin from a rifle scope or mortar except from
one mountain top. Here, a lookout fort was built to keep watch
on Stalin when on his balcony for smoking or drinking. Stalin
was so afraid of assassination in his vulnerability that he
removed a fountain so that he could hear approaching assassins.
From his balconies adorned in plain green paint, only trees
and woods can be seen; he cannot be targeted from any room.
My photo of central Sochi on the Georgian border. Lenin is
still praised in part of Russia.
Stalin's house can only be seen from one angle atop a mountain
to prevent assassination by sniping. The tiny illuminated
structure is the lookout fort in the distance.
Stalin's house is extremely
innocuous, plain, and unimposing. Today the former dictator's
house is a hotel in the portions that are not the museum of
today. The house reveals no fantastic or elaborate architecture,
gold or marble mediums, and is only plain wood, stone, and
brick to offer him shelter. The interiors, too, are quite
plain and unimpressive. This shocking lack of architecture
or radiance that one would seldom expect from a dictator of
the world's most powerful superpower (at the time) implies
that Stalin lived plainly and without elaborate wealth much
like his Communist classless ideal encouraged, suggesting
that Stalin was in this sense not corrupt or fanciful. In
part it could also be simply that Stalin did not want the
invading Germans or revolting local Turks to target a massive
and gorgeous structure made of gold and marble like in Berlin,
Budapest, Rome, or Moscow.
My photo of the entrance plaque. This is, of course, new.
(click to enlarge)
My photo of the main gate.
A massive gate encloses the
interior of the house. A cobblestone walkway in the center
courtyard offers a small and pleasant garden. In one of the
buildings on the property, Stalin's desk, main room, and bed
are all in the same room. Stalin's personal desk offers original
documents hand-signed by Stalin from other Communist leaders
like Mao Zedong and internal SSR authorities. The walls offer
huge portraits and paintings of Stalin and Mao. A small and
plain bed next to his desk offers only a place to sleep. Next
to the bed is a massive black bulletproof couch, revealing
Stalin's paranoia to prevent him from being shot through walls.
Against the wall (perhaps placed later), a large flag standard
of the Georgian SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic) stands with
pride. In the adjoining room, a huge pool table allows Stalin
to enjoy one of his favorite pastimes. It is said that his
adjutants and servants refused to beat Stalin at the game
out of fear for upsetting him. Multiple balconies compliment
each room in the structure for smoking, enjoyment, the crisp
air, and drinking.
My photo of the main courtyard. (click to enlarge)
My photo of the small and pleasant garden in the center courtyard.
(click to enlarge)
My photo of Stalin's wall portraits in his main office. His
family can be seen. (click to enlarge)
My photo of more wall portraits with Stalin and Mao of China.
(click to enlarge)
My photo of the Georgian SSR flag placed in the corner. Notice
the bizarre Georgian script. (click to enlarge)
My photo of the pool table room.
The other main building is
much more impressive, with somewhat elaborate (yet plain)
red carpets, copper and steel, and finished attractive wood
ceilings and walls. Forward on the ground floor and down into
the earth offers a bizarre swimming pool. As Stalin had one
arm entirely useless (as he had fallen off a horse during
the Red-White civil war), he was unable to swim comfortably
in a traditional large pool filled to the top. Thus instead,
the pool is very rectangular, small, short, and water only
reaches the chestline of the mighty dictator. This pool was
not only for his enjoyment, but for therapeutic recovery and
treatment of his many hardships (especially the need to remain
calm to alleviate aggression and extreme stress levels). The
sun also shines in from the outside woods for the humid air
to aid in recovery. Upstairs, a conference room can be seen
that is quite impressive by comparison with the remainder
of the property. Tall ceilings made of attractive yet plain
wood designs tower over warm furniture and table arrangements.
Next to the conference room is a large balcony that offers
only woods in the distance for Stalin's personal enjoyment
(and his Soviet, American, and British allied visitors). Stalin's
indulged in his favorite wine here in the evenings before
(at least as reported) binge drinking of vodka, smoking, and
other spirits. Visitors to the house can drink his favorite
Georgian wine here as well during tours. Stalin had quite
a marginal taste in wine: he took pride in his heritage as
an ethnic Georgian by constantly enjoying the grapes of Georgian
vines, but indeed quite a weak, young, and poor red wine at
that.
My photo of Stalin's pool. Notice the small and short size.
(click to enlarge)
My photo of the main conference room where wine is drunk,
plans discussed. (click to enlarge)
My photo of a view from the balcony. No people can be seen
for obvious reasons. (click to enlarge)
Stalin's house reveals a
fascinating and exclusive look at the fantastic dictator that
goes beyond modern stereotyped or exaggerated historical depiction.
Stalin lived a simple (yet unfathomably powerful) and plain
life with impending stress, paranoia, danger, and health issues.
It appears he was indeed more afraid of internal betrayal
by his own men than the world's most powerful military superpower
other than his own Soviet Union: Hitler's Germany.
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is the owner
and Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I am working
for a doctorate in history, with a specific emphasis on Islamic
and European histories. I am well versed in all world cultures,
ethnicities, religions, languages, politics, and historical
evolution in relation to and against each other.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
Personal observations, photographs.
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