page_title: Gagra
section_title: Gagra within the Russian Empire
hierarchical_section_title: Gagra / History / Gagra within the Russian Empire
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Пристань в Гаграх. Между 1905 и 1915 гг. English: View of Gagra's wharf sometime between 1905 and 1915. Español: Imagen del embarcadero de Gagra entre 1905 y 1915. Suomi: Gagran telakka 90 vuotta sitten. עברית: גגרה בתקופה הסובייטית 日本語: 1905年～1915年の間に撮られたガグラの桟橋の着色写真
context_page_description: Gagra is a town in Abkhazia sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular health resort in Imperial Russian and Soviet times.
  It had a population of 26,636 in 1989, but this has fallen considerably due to the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia and other demographic shifts during and after the War in Abkhazia.
  Gagra is the centre of the district of the same name. It is located in the western part of Region of Abkhazia, and river Psou serves as a border with Krasnodar Krai of Russia.
context_section_description: In the 16th century, Gagra and the rest of western Georgia was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The western merchants were expelled and the town entered a prolonged period of decline, with much of the local population fleeing into the mountains. By the 18th century the town had been reduced to little more than a village surrounded by forests and disease-ridden swamps. Its fortunes were restored in the 19th century when the Russian Empire expanded into the region, annexing the whole of Georgia. The swamps were drained and the town was rebuilt around a new military hospital. Its population, however, was still small; in 1866, a census recorded that 336 men and 280 women, mostly local families or army officers and their dependents, lived in Gagra. The town suffered badly in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-1878, when Turkish troops invaded, destroyed the town and expelled the local population. Russia won the war, however, and rebuilt Gagra again. 
  After the war, the town was discovered by Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg, a member of the Russian royalty. He saw the potential of the region's sub-tropical climate and decided to build a high-class resort there. Having raised a large sum of money from the government, he built a palace there for himself and constructed a number of other buildings in an eclectic variety of architectural styles from around Europe. A park was laid out with tropical trees and even parrots and monkeys imported to give it an exotic feel. Despite the expensive work, the resort was not initially a success, although it did later attract a growing number of foreign tourists visiting on cruises of the Black Sea.
caption: View of Gagra's wharf sometime between 1905 and 1915.
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