TAKE a peek inside the holiday home of one of history’s most controversial leaders – Joseph Stalin.
Located on Lake Ritsa in Abkhazia an autonomous region of Georgia – the modest property once belonged to the former Soviet Union dictator.
Built in 1947, the holiday home or ‘dacha' as it’s known in Russian was home to Stalin and his family during the warm summer months.
Photographer Ioanna Sakellaraki, 26, took these creepy images during her travels around the little known region of Abkhazia.
A living testament to Stalin and his renowned paranoia the dacha is surrounded by thick trees and is painted green to make it pretty much invisible from the air.
Ioanna said: “Such conspiracy is a tribute to the Stalin's paranoia. There is only one way to get here, and that is by a mountain road that winds through the thick forest.
“It is interesting that Stalin would never say exactly which of the many Abkhazian dachas he was going to stay at; so all five of them would be prepared for his stay.”
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Known for his simple taste, Stalin’s holiday home is designed in a modest fashion despite it boasting a library and games room equipped with a billiards table.
Fortunately for visitors to the historic house many of the original fittings are still in place and have been well maintained by the Abkhazian government.
Ioanna said: “In the dacha you can see the interiors and furniture of those times. It boasts reception rooms, three bedrooms, huge library, and a separate house for protection, which consisted of 300 people.
"In the distance is a playground, pier, park and decorative stone bridge across the creek, where you can stroll."
The location of Stalin’s dacha on Lake Ritsa was a popular holiday spot for the Soviet establishment and was regularly visited by elites within Stalin’s regime.
The dacha’s remain one of the last remaining positive legacies left behind by the divisive leader.
Ioanna added: “The dacha is popular among tourists as it is one of the five summer cottages he spent most of his time.”
Who is Joseph Stalin?
Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union, previously known as the USSR, from 1929 to 1953.
He ruled by terror, and millions of his own citizens died during his brutal reign.
Under Stalin, the Soviet Union was transformed from a peasant society into an industrial and military superpower.
Born in 1978 into poverty, Stalin became involved in revolutionary politics, as well as criminal activities, as a young man.
After Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin died, Stalin beat his rivals and won control of the Communist party.
Once in power, he had potential enemies executed or sent to forced labour camps.
Stalin aligned with the US and Britain in Second World War but afterward engaged in an increasingly tense relationship with the West known as the Cold War.
After his death in 1953, the Soviets initiated a de-Stalinization process.
Source: History.com
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