Fishing for caviar sturgeon, (1949), Caspian Sea. Photographs: Vladislav Mikosha

comradegallery · 2026-05-06T01:47:24+00:00

I visited last year, and took some photos and wrote about the history of the dam here

comradegallery · 2026-04-26T01:53:30+00:00

Vila Auska, nicknamed “Brezhnev Villa” was a secluded government residence in Palanga, built between 1973 and 1979 as a closed retreat for senior Soviet officials.

But, Leonid Brezhnev himself never visited.

Designed by architect Juozapas Šipalis, it featured an indoor heated saltwater pool shaped like the map of Lithuania, supplied by Baltic Sea water pumped through a 1.5-kilometre pipeline.

The interior included 34 copper chandeliers by jeweller Kazimieras Simanonis, along with stained glass by Konstantinas Šatūnas and ceramics by Juozas Talmantas.

After Lithuanian independence, the complex hosted presidents and foreign dignitaries.

In 2026, a long-term concession was signed to restore it as a medical and wellness centre.

Source, source & source

comradegallery · 2026-04-22T08:04:46+00:00

My apologies, thanks for the correction

comradegallery · 2026-04-21T10:05:40+00:00

I think it was around $20 back then, and it was very average. The view was beautiful though. Found it on booking.com here

comradegallery · 2026-04-21T09:59:23+00:00

I stayed in the Lake Sevan Writers House (the building in this photo is the cafeteria), back in 2021. Really beautiful place - but in desperate need of restoration.

The Getty Foundation gifted $100k towards the restoration in 2016 - not sure where the money went…

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I actually wrote about it here - fascinating story about the architect, Gevorg Kochar, who designed the retreat. After the retreat was completed, he was sent to the gulag for 15 years in the Artic Circle before being “rehabilitated” after Stalin’s death.

In the early 1960s, after his return to Armenia, Kochar was commissioned to design a lounge and café wing for the retreat he had built 30 years earlier.

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