A few questions about Dacha's.

First question, does anyones family here have a dacha? And if so could you post some pictures of it please, it would be appreciated. Dachas were laid out communally but I can't find a site that explains how they shared land, can someone draw a rough sketch for me please?

Second, after the fall of the SU how were the dachas distributed? Were they left in the hands of their current "owners" and basically privatized?

Third, I know most people use dachas as a vacation home or cottage but I'm curious as to whether some people live in them year around.

Fourth, are there still communal gardens?

That is all, thanks in advance.

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First question, does anyones family here have a dacha? And if so could you post some pictures of it please, it would be appreciated. Dachas were laid out communally but I can't find a site that explains how they shared land, can someone draw a rough sketch for me please?

I knew a lot of people who did, however, my family tried it out on a time-share plan back in 1995 or so and it wasn't for us.

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Second, after the fall of the SU how were the dachas distributed? Were they left in the hands of their current "owners" and basically privatized?

Right now, at least in the Russian Federation, there is a law on "dacha amnesty," that is if you go in and say that it's your dacha, you're given a deed to the land. Dachas were not distributed after the fall of the USSR though as outside of government agencies the labor unions handled the business of pleasure for their employees and they have since en masse collapsed into a "Federation of Independent Trade Unions" which pretty much sucked Yeltsin's and Putin's cock to put it bluntly while the union leaders sold out or took under themselves the massive amounts of property they owned(after the government and youth league, unions were the 3rd biggest proprietor). Though they're getting back it seems, since the coal strikes of 98/99 and the Ford plant strike that began in october or so.

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Third, I know most people use dachas as a vacation home or cottage but I'm curious as to whether some people live in them year around.

Nah, it's too cold and basically impossible to survive as it's too far from the place of work, and if you're a survivalist, the yard is too small to provide food even to the level of substinence.

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Fourth, are there still communal gardens?

Well, in residential areas there were subbotniks where people came out and planted trees, cut bushes, etc., thereby maintaining their area on Saturdays. And in a factory-centered village I lived in briefly in Russia every house had a plot of land with a fence behind it as well as a massive field behind it that could be used for planting vegetables, etc. by anyone. The village was planned out in the 30's and had standard size city blocks for easy expansion so the homes were put adjacent to the streets and the area for a garden or w/e was the area unused by the homes. Also, ever apartment block has by regulation about 10-20 meters between the entrance and the street(the yard, not the actual city street, as entrances to them are built from the yard, not the street) which is used by people to plant stuff as a hobby.

Thanks man that was very informative. One more question, I was reading about subbotniks on wiki (shame on me) it gave the impression that they were at first voluntary then became mandatory. It's worded a bit confusing calling it "obligatory", were they actually obliged to take part or did they just feel obliged?

I have no idea, as I've never experienced one and the reports I've read about them are conflicting...

Bummer.

I was under the impression that everyone got possession of the dacha they used. However most people sold them for whatever they could get in the early to mid 90s. They needed money and didn't have the luxury of a vacation anymore. There was no running water, but the area could be used to cut firewood and have vegetable gardens.

You can't really sell it if you don't own it. The only documents confirming "ownership" back then were little "dacha books" which were legitimate documents only as far as passports to bicycles and hunting rifles went.

Dachas were privatized in the 90's. Most stayed in the same hands, though some were sold, and of course some are still bought and sold right now. My grandparents own one near Voronezh, in the dacha village of Volna.

To add - you had to work growing things on the plot if you wanted to keep the dacha. Now you don't have to, but you have to pay tax