Dacha

Dacha, as a historical and cultural phenomenon, is an integral part of urban culture. A dacha is a plot of land, usually with a dwelling, on the outskirts of a city. Dachas and the dacha practice in Russia were for a long time associated with the lifestyle of urban populations in metropolitan cities, especially intellectuals and artists, but it was mainly in the post-Soviet period that dachas became a mass social practice. The contemporary dacha is multifunctional, as it has economic, recreational, and creative potential. In 2006, we conducted a survey among residents of the city of Apatity, in Murnamsk Oblast, Russia, where we investigated how the dacha practice developed in the region.