Sochi  Museum of Regional History

Several thousand exhibits in its little show rooms give an idea of the diversity of Sochi flora and fauna, of its history, economy, culture and construction schemes of greater Sochi.

Exhibits in the museum's opening section are arranged to provide general information about the resort, with accent on a physical features and landscapes. Maps of the Caucasus and the local area serve this purpose, too. The photographs and other pictures feature places of interest, including Eagle's Rocks, waterfalls around Sochi, caves and parks.

A large stand features a rich collection of greater Sochi's mineral resources. On show are pieces of coloured marble type limestone, granite, sandstone, rock crystal and other rocks. Sochi's soil samples are also exhibited. Showpieces in several rooms are related to the remote past. Visitors are attracted to the photos and drawings depicting the sites and life of primitive man. The museum has many fossil animals and plants and working tools dating to the stone age. There are maps of Neolithic sites found near Sochi. Primitive man's tools are shown to progress from mere stone tips of arrows to axes and fishing hooks of the Bronze age.

Quite a few objects in the collections testify to links of northern Caucasian peoples and tribes with ancient Greek settlements north of the Black Sea. Two glass cases contain ceramic bowls, fragments of black varnish vessels, decorations, glass beads, cult figures of clay and other finds.

The section has many items of Adyghe material culture, such as clothing, firearms, and daggers. Some of the blades ornamented with engravings, drawings and Koranic aphorisms were once the pride of highly placed Adyghe families, and passed down to succeeding generations.

One of the rooms has Russian cannon dating back to the Russian Turkish War.

One showroom is dedicated to the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, when all Sochi sanatoria were converted to military hospitals. Many city residents shared in the heroic defence of the Caucasus against the Nazi troops.

The museum offers a full picture of post-war reconstruction of the resort, including completion of the seaport, construction of new health centres, the railway station in Sochi and the airport in Adler.

The Sochi Museum of Regional Studies, set up in 1920, has been continually enriching its collections. The museum has scientific archives and a vast collection of manuscripts and publications.