Sochi, Russia (CNN) -- "He didn't want carpets, he preferred to hear footsteps of people as they approached on the wooden parquet flooring," says Anna Hovantseva, the tour guide, as she explains another interior-design quirk of one of the most morbidly fascinating personalities of the 20th century. It's fair to say Joseph Stalin, the notorious dictatorial leader of the Soviet Union, still holds a curiosity for many. The Georgia native helped create much that is modern Sochi, the host of the 2014 Winter Games, when he built his summer retreat in this town in 1937. The retreat is open to visitors and will soon offer rooms to guests this summer for 7,000 roubles ($200) per night. Welcome to the home of Stalin.
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Joseph Stalin's summer home is on sightseeing list for Sochi
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Dictator helped create much that is modern Sochi when he built dacha in 1937
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Home has several features helpful to a man who had many enemies
The choice may be seen as shrewd if costly politicking by some, but for Hovantseva, @placeholder seemed like the obvious and most welcome choice to host the Winter Games.