The city of Ochamchira , the regional centre of Abhaz, is located on the bank of the Black Sea , in the Galidzga River estuary. It is a typical provincial, low-populated partially run down (consequences of 1992-93 war) little town consisting mostly of one or two-storey wooden houses. The main place of interest there is the beautiful almost always deserted sea quay washed by the sea waters from one side and bordered by the wall of trees on the other. The city territory is of triangular shape with rectangular grid of streets. Rural houses are surrounded with lopsided fences near which domestic animals roam. This is the way Ochamchira looks today. Despite the nearness of the sea the city is not as popular as Gagra or New Athos. But there are some good tourist facilities there. Tourists are attracted to Ochamchira by archaeological monuments located in the vicinities. The most ancient of them have survived from the period of Greek domination. In the 4 th century BC modern Ochamchira was occupied by a small Greek town of Guenos (excavations around Old Ochamchira). In the 13 th -14 th centuries Genoa merchant founded there the trading station Ala Gunda. During the following centuries of Turkish domination the trading station collapsed and its vicinities were grown with impassable box woods. “Shamshir” means a box tree or box grove in Turkish language. Therefore the town received the name Oshimshir later changed to Ochamchira. From the second half of the 19 th century formerly deserted Ochamchira started to turn into a small urban settlement. In the 20 th century Ochamchira became a large port and the centre of big agricultural area which is famous for tea and tobacco plantations. In the 1970s – 1980s Ochamchira started to draw attention of holiday makers and tourists for whom recreation centers and camp sites were built. Recently Abkhazian authorities have decided to build the resort centre in Ochamchira with hotels and the tourist complex.
Read more about Ochamchira Landmarks
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