Yana Vinetskaya. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Tuapse, which is comfortably situated between Sochi and Gelendzhik, cannot be called a resort in the direct sense. Oil producing factories and the second sea port in the country made Tuapse useless for resourt tourism. However, at the end of 19th and the early 20th centuries, the town had a healthy climate.
Tuapse means “two rivers” in the Adyg language. It is situated between the Psynef-Pshenakho River and the Chylepsy-Chilipsi River on the West bank of the Black Sea. In ancient time this settlement was known as Topsida and acted as a transit port for sailors. Huns devastated Tuapse completely. Later Byzantines appeared there and brought Christianity. Then, Slavic people came from the Tmutrakan Princedom. In the 13th century Tuapse was captured by Genghis Khan. In the 15th century it belonged to Turks. Russia got Tuapse in 1829. However, Russians managed to improve their influence in the territory only after the end of the Crimean War. In 1864 Tuapse became one of the centers of deportation of Adygs, Shapsug, and other Muslim nations to Turkey. After the end of deportation the town began to be settled by Russians.
“Approaching Tuapse, a traveler is charmed by this cute town which is situated in a wide gorge between mountains on the bank of the sea. The sea sight and the view from hills along the shore on colorful cottages which are sinking in the green are very beautiful… Cottages are situated rather far from each other and are surrounded by fruit gardens,” Grigory Moskvich wrote about Tuapse in his guidebook on the Caucasus in 1913.
To reach Tuapse a person could choose a ship from Batumi or Novorossiysk or a vehicle from Novorossiysk, Maykop, and Sochi. In the early 20th century Moskvich wrote that it was “a very young and unsettled and underdeveloped town.” Construction of the Armavir-Tuapse railroad had only begun. The town had no communication and water systems; food was expensive because it was imported with difficulties. Moskvich noted that Tuapse was gradually turning into “a dusty, dirty, underdeveloped port town.”
However, Tuapse didn’t stop its development as a resort. It is still a popular place among tourists. In the 1910s tourists rented summer cottages on the town hills which were thought to be the most comfortable part of the town. At the same time, there were few entertainments in Tuapse.
Its climate is unique because it is not influenced by Nord-Ost which troubles tourists in Novorossiysk and neighboring regions. This wind blows rarely in Tuapse and only makes air fresh.
Tuapse was surrounded by towns which were determined to be high-class resorts in the future. One of them was Lazarevskoe. “At the moment it is a peaceful peasant village which has a prospect to become a brilliant sea and climate resort due to its location.” The Emperor’s residence Dagomys was situated near Sochi. It had a big farm and a fruit garden. Fruits and vegetables from the Emperor’s gardens were sold at Sochi markets and were very popular. After the revolution it was turned into a state farm.
