In the resort city of Sochi, in addition to beautiful beaches and amazing nature, there are many interesting places that must be seen by all guests. In this article we will tell you about the unique attractions of the city. This is the arboretum (Sochi).
The open-air Botanical Museum presents to its visitors numerous samples of the flora of the Western Caucasus. Here you can admire the plants of many southern countries.
History of creation
A garden and architectural park in the city with a rich collection of exotic plants appeared at the end of the 19th century. The playwright and journalist, editor-publisher of the Petersburg newspaper, S. N. Khudekov, acquired 18 acres of land in Sochi on the slope of the Lysaya Gora near Vereshchaginsky dachas.
The site was cleared and a park was laid on an area of ​​15 hectares. Sergey Khudekov was an amateur and connoisseur of subtropical plants. He landed more than 400 species on this earth. His close friend, gardener K.A. Langau, helped complete the park's layout.
The arboretum (Sochi) was replenished with new plants that were imported from the Crimea, the Caucasus, Germany. Part of the seedlings was purchased in Gagra in the nursery of the Prince of Oldenburg. Arboretum (Sochi) was being improved and transformed. In the workshop of the French-Italian company of Paris, sculptors and vases were made for him.
In 1899, a villa was built, which was called "Hope", in honor of the wife of Khudekov. At that time she was the best in the region. Near the park appeared peach and plum orchards. By the beginning of 1917, more than 550 varieties of plants were growing here.
Arboretum (Sochi), a photo of which you can see in this article, was nationalized in 1922, and in 1944 became part of the research experimental station. Today it is a research institute of forest ecology and mountain forestry.
In 1977, a new cableway appeared in Sochi. She connected the magnificent park with Resort Avenue. Its length is 908 meters.
Description
The park covers an area of ​​forty-nine hectares. This is a unique monument of landscape art and a pilot base of the Research Institute of Forestry. The territory is divided into three zones: lower, middle and upper.
In 1938, Resort Avenue (the main transport artery of Sochi) separated the lower part of the complex, which they began to call the Lower Park. The upper and middle parts were combined under the general name Upper Park. Later they were connected by a tunnel, which was laid under the avenue. The exit from it is decorated with a rotunda - an elegant design with semicircular arches. It is the entrance to the upper part of the park, which occupies a rather steep slope of the Bald Mountain.
Upper park
Built on the model of terraced park complexes in Italy. Most of this territory is occupied by horizontal ledges. They are covered with amazing specimens of representatives of the flora of different countries of the world.
Lower park
This part of the park occupies a flat territory. It is characterized by a clear layout: paths and shady paths depart from the main alley in different directions. Along them you can see the architectural and floral exhibits of the Museum of Woody Nature. There are also ponds that are chosen by swans and ducks. In the center of one of the ponds on an artificial small island is a snow-white statue of Neptune, which contrasts with the lush greenery of willows, spruces and cypresses growing along the banks of the reservoir.
Aquarium and Terrarium
This pavilion is very popular with tourists. It is located in the grandiose architectural structure of the Lower Park. More than one hundred and fifty cubic meters of water that fill the aquarium, allowed to place 27 species of fish living in the Black Sea, as well as many exotic inhabitants of the Red Sea: shrimp of various species, sea anemones, corals and hedgehogs. A marine aquarium is a fantastic sight that leaves an unforgettable experience not only in children but also in adults.
In the same building is the terrarium. The rarest representatives of reptiles and amphibians live here: a rattlesnake snake, a unique lizard - an iguana-rhinoceros, black piranha, etc.
Vegetation
Rare plants are represented in the park by more than 1,500 species / varieties of trees and shrubs. In certain areas of the park, cultures characteristic of a particular country or region grow. Two thousand pines of 76 varieties and species, several varieties of cypresses, maples, chestnuts, exotic plants of the subtropics and tropics perfectly adapted here.
It is unlikely that any of the visitors will pass by the unusually beautiful palm tree of the Chilean yubeya, will not admire the bluish leaves of another exotic beauty of the erythea palm, and butia attracts visitors to the park not only with its luxurious crown, but also with fruits that have the aroma of pineapple.
The variegated leaves of the huge lyrodendrons are striking in their unusual colors. The European fan palm and the Himalayan trachicarpus martius (metasequoia), together with 23 species of bamboo, several types of wriggling Chinese wisteria, which in April is covered with magnificent bunches of lilac flowers, complement the collection of exotic plants.
Giant plane trees make a special impression on tourists. They were planted back in 1913. Today, the thickness of the trunks of some specimens reaches three meters.
The collection of conifers is also very diverse: cedars and pines, spruce and cypress, thuja. All these plants are represented by dozens of species. The color of their needles ranges from bluish-gray to bright green.
Arboretum (Sochi), reviews of which leave almost all visitors, has another unique colorful place. In the rose garden you can admire the magnificent flowering of more than 100 varieties of plants of Russian and foreign selection, which form a unique colorful and fragrant carpet of fresh flowers.
Glade of Friendship
If you visit a tour of the arboretum, then you will definitely be shown a clearing of Friendship, which was founded in 1960. A huge number of magnolia bushes grow here. According to a long tradition, they are planted by honored visitors of the dendrological garden.
During the flowering period, the meadow is covered with pink, white, lilac and purple hues, from which it is impossible to take your eyes off. Of no less interest is another miracle of the amazing park created by human hands - the “Tree of Friendship”. This is an original collection of citrus fruits under one crown: lemons, oranges, grapefruits and tangerines. This tree has become a symbol of friendship and a unique result of the collaboration of botanists-breeders. The Sochi Arboretum is an amazing park of wonders and beauty that every visitor of the city should see.
Sochi, arboretum: how to get there?
The unique park is located at: Kurortny prospekt, 74. You can enter it through the Central Gate located at the Upper Park. From the coast or Lower Park to the gate can be reached on foot. True, it should be borne in mind that in this case it will be necessary to go uphill.
If this method does not suit you, then you can use the cable car. It has two stations: “Arboretum Top” and “Arboretum Bottom”. Cable car wagons depart from the lower level every 15 minutes. The trip becomes a real attraction: a leisurely climb allows you to enjoy the picturesque views.
To get to the park from the city center, you need to get to the Circus stop. Numerous buses and fixed-route taxis will bring you here, moreover, from neighboring resort areas. For example, buses No. 105 and 105 stop here, which follow the route Bus Station - Rosa Khutor and vice versa, there are routes that go from the railway station, Psou checkpoint, Olympic Park, Iskra, Mamaika microdistricts, from the Aelita Cinema stop .
Arboretum (Sochi): how to get from Adler?
This question interests many vacationers. Arboretum (Sochi) - Adler - this is a bus route number 125, 125 p. You can take a minibus number 124 s and get to the stop "Park" Arboretum "." Transport runs very often.
From Loo and Lazarevsky you can take bus number 155 to Sochi. Then change to the Sanatornaya stop on bus number 18. There is another option - take the train to Sochi by train, then use one of the many regular buses to get to the Circus stop.
Reviews
According to vacationers, the Sochi Arboretum should be visited by everyone who spends their holidays in the famous resort city and its environs. This is an unusually beautiful place that will be interesting to both adults and children. The magnificent exotic plants presented in his collection leave a wonderful impression, and rest in the park is remembered for a long time.