Kuntsevo Dacha
| Kuntsevo Dacha | |
|---|---|
Бли́жняя да́ча | |
| Alternative names | Blizhnyaya Dacha |
| General information | |
| Type | Dacha |
| Location | Kuntsevo, Moscow, Russia |
| Coordinates | 55°43′28″N 37°29′09″E / 55.72444°N 37.48583°E |
| Completed | 1934 |
| Client | Joseph Stalin |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Miron Merzhanov |
The Kuntsevo Dacha (Russian: Ку́нцевская да́ча, romanized: Kuntsevskaya dacha) was Joseph Stalin's personal residence between Moscow and Davydkovo (on the road leading to the former town of Kuntsevo) (then in Moscow Oblast, now part of Moscow's Fili district), where he lived for the last two decades of his life and died on 5 March 1953. Stalin also spent much time inside the Kremlin, where he possessed living quarters next to his offices. The dacha is located in a forest not far from the modern-day Victory Park.
Also called the "nearer dacha" (Russian: Ближняя дача, romanized: Blizhnyaya Dacha, as distinct from the "far dachas"), it was built in 1933–34 to Miron Merzhanov's designs. A second floor was added to the original building in 1943. Stalin lived in the Kuntsevo dacha (which incorporated a bunker/bomb-shelter) during World War II. There, he played host to such high-profile guests as Winston Churchill (in August 1942) and Mao Zedong (in December 1949).