Gagra is a town in Abkhazia, on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made the town a popular health resort in Imperial Russian and Soviet times. The town was actually establlshed as a Greek colony in the Ist century BC. before being absorbed into the Roman Empire. During the 16th century, Gagra and the rest of western Georgia was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. During the ensuing .centuries, Gagra's fortunes declined and had been reduced to little more than a village. The town suffered badly in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-1878, when Turkish troops invaded, destroyed the town and expelled the local population. Russia won the war, however, and rebuilt Gagra again. The town was discovered by Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg, a member of the Russian Imperial family. During the Russian Civil war, the town and the rest of Georgia was incorporated nto the new Soviet Union. Vladimir Lenin, issued a decree in 1919 establishing a worker's resort in Gagra, nationalising the resort that had been built by Oldenburg. It became a popular holiday resort for Soviet citizens and during The Great Patriotic War gained a new role as a site for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. After the war, various state-run sanatoriums were built there. The resort grew and was developed intensively as part of the Soviet Riviera.
Music: Andantino by Aram Khachaturian
Hotel Tbilisi in Sukhum, Abkhazia, Georgia. From top floor to outside. 2016-05-01
საბჭოთა აფხაზეთი/Soviet Abkhazia
სოხუმი, ბიჭვინთა - პლაჟები და სანატორიუმები; დამსვენებლები; აფხაზეთი აღნიშნავს ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკის 50 წელს; სტუმრები ამ თარიღათან დაკავშირებით სხვა ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკებიდან; საზეიმო სხდომა სოხუმის დრამატულ თეატრში; პიონერები; პრეზიდიუმში: მჟავანაძე, კობახია, გელაშვილი და სხვ. კობახია სიტყვით; მჟავანაძე სიტყვით; აფხაზეთის უხუცესთა ფოლკლ. გუნდი ასრულებს აფხაზურ სიმღერას ფერხულით; აფხაზეთის პეიზაჟები; რიწის ტბა.
ფილმზე მუშაობდნენ: გ. ვეფხვაძე; თ. კეშელავა. ნ. ნამგალაძე; საქ. ტელეფილმების სტუდია. Sokhumi, Bichvinta – beaches and sanatoriums; visitors; Abhkazia marking 50th anniversary of the Autonomous Republic. Guests from other autonomous republics; Ceremonial meeting in Sokhumi Drama Theatre. Pioneers. In the presidium: Mzhavanadze, Kobakhia, Gelashvili and others. Kobakhia as a speaker. Mzhavanadze as a speaker.
The Abkhazian Elderly Folklore ensemble performing Abkhazia song with “perkhuli”. Landscapes of Abkhazia. Ritsa Lake.
The following worked on the film: G. Vepkhvadze, T. Keshelava, N. Namgaladze. Television Film Studio of Georgia.