After the Winter Olympics ended in 2014, the Olympic Park is one of the most visited and recognizable places in Sochi. The main sports complexes for past competitions are located here. Now it has been transferred to the ownership of the city and anyone can visit it to see the legendary sights and have a great time with friends and family.
How was the sports landmark built?
Bringing ideas to life
One of the most important components of the success of the Olympics is the convenience and functionality of the facilities being built, because the quality of the teams’ performance depends on this. The authorities approached the foundation of the necessary buildings with all seriousness - at the end of 2007, immediately after the approval of the new Olympic capital, active work began.
A big problem for the designers of the Olympic units in Sochi was the issue of climate: here it is humid, subtropical, with warm winters and little snow. It was decided to build two so-called clusters: mountain - Rosa Khutor and Krasnaya Polyana, coastal - in Imereti Bay. The climatic conditions of the first made it possible to place places for open-air competitions here, while the second was intended for the construction of indoor stadiums.
Before the start of large-scale transformations, the Imereti Lowland was an absolutely unremarkable, quiet place surrounded by small villages. On the territory of future buildings, summer residents kept vegetable gardens. There was no infrastructure here, and there were big problems with transport links. The construction of the Olympic Park radically changed the situation in the area - now the largest sports and tourist center in Russia is located here.
The coastal cluster is successfully designed with maximum convenience for athletes and fans: it contains stadiums necessary to ensure the functioning of the construction department, a park area, a port, a railway line, and a cottage community are located nearby.
The infrastructure of Olimpiyskiy and the perimeter near it are today developed at the highest level: in addition to all kinds of entertainment, cafes, restaurants, shops and souvenir shops, there are many hotels and other accommodation facilities, the number of rooms of which is extremely extensive.
general description
The basis of the entire edge on the seashore is the Olympic Park with dimensions of more than 200 hectares. Competitions in figure skating, speed skating, short track speed skating, hockey, and curling were held here. The stunning start and finish ceremonies of the Games took place here. A distinctive feature of all the local buildings is their grandiose architecture. The appearance of each building carries a certain idea and has a memorable appearance.
The park can be divided into four subzones:
- entrance area with alleys, parking, exhibition pavilions and shops;
- the River Square, equipped with pedestrian bridges, from where an excellent panorama of the surrounding area opens up;
- The outer square, where there are tourist movement areas, a food court, lawns and walking paths;
- The main Olympic Square with the main sports facilities.
The most important feature of this Adler attraction lies in the original decision to locate all the components of the infrastructure within walking distance from each other: they are grouped around the central square. Medals Plaza, with the exception of the Autodrom, which, due to its size, is tucked somewhat to the side. This arrangement allows tourists to make the most intense and memorable excursions. By the way, the park opened its doors to everyone a month after the end of the Games. All of its objects are interesting and unique in their own way, so let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Sights of the Olympic Park in Adler
Medal Plaza
The majestic Medals Plaza attracts tourists and citizens not only on weekends and holidays, but also on any other weekday. Several years ago, during the Sochi Olympics, the winners of sports competitions were honored there. Its area is 48 thousand square meters. m - the dimensions are truly impressive.
Particularly popular among visitors is the “Wall of Fame” - a composition with engraved names of the winners of all Olympic and Paralympic games. During the season, a decent line of people line up next to it to take a photo as a souvenir.
The most outstanding object here is the Olympic Cauldron, at the foot of which there is a Singing Fountain. The hour-long fountain show features classical and modern music as jets of water fly into the air.
Truly a breathtaking sight. The fountain is called the “Firebird”, and the diameter of its bowl is as much as 75 m, while the cannons are capable of shooting upward jets of water to a height of 30 to 70 m. The show is held in the evenings, its start time varies depending on the time of year and the length of daylight hours .
Football stadium "Fisht"
It also went down in history forever – colorful and memorable opening and closing ceremonies of the Games took place here. “Fisht” was built in 2013 and, according to the idea of the project’s authors, its appearance should resemble a snowy peak, so the name it received is not at all accidental: translated from the Adyghe language it means “white head”. One of the mountains of the Caucasus Range bears the same name.
The stadium stretches along a straight axis to the Olympic fountain; if you stand right in front of the Bowl, the two attractions form the outline of the fabulous Firebird. It can accommodate more than 40 thousand spectators and will host FIFA World Cup matches in 2022. Interestingly, nearby there is a cemetery of Old Believers, discovered during construction. Now the ancient burial place is surrounded by a fence and thujas planted nearby.
Ice Sports Palace "Iceberg"
This beautiful building made of colored glass really resembles the shape of a huge block of ice. It was built in 2012 and important figure skating and short track speed skating programs took place here. Palace with an area of 68 thousand square meters. m is designed for 12 thousand people, accommodates not only the main skating rink, but also a training skating rink.
After the Olympics, it was decided to move “Iceberg” to another region of the country, but this idea was later abandoned. Its main advantage is reliability and long service life. Special construction technologies were used here, for example, a concrete slab, which is used to freeze ice, is guaranteed to last two hundred years.
Ice Arena "Shaiba"
Made in the form of an integral attribute of hockey, it resembles a swirling snow whirlwind. A similar blizzard effect was achieved thanks to built-in lamps and LEDs. Its creation lasted three years and was completed in 2013. It is one of the most significant structures in the entire park.
The collapsible design allows the sports complex to be moved to any other region of Russia, and it itself can be used as an interactive screen. There are no steps and the infrastructure is specially designed for people with disabilities. Now “Shayba” is a sports and recreational unit for children.
Ice Palace "Bolshoi"
Hockey competitions were held in this incredible structure, which looked like a drop turned into ice or a pearl shell. The glass with which the dome is decorated seems silvery at first glance, but after sunset, you will notice that it is absolutely transparent!
“Bolshoi” was built in 2012 and is intended for both sports and large-scale concerts. It has six levels, some of them are underground. It can accommodate 12,000 people. and is equipped not only with facilities for athletes, but also for guests: there is a food court, parking and recreation areas.
Curling
The architecture of this landmark of the Sochi Olympic Park completely repeats its name: it was built in a laconic style, emphasized in blue and gray. In general, this is the largest building among all the local arenas. The design allows it to be dismantled and moved to another place, just like the Iceberg Palace.
Work on the “Cube” was completed in 2013. It was originally intended to host Paralympic competitions, so the center is fully equipped for those with limited physical abilities. Today it hosts not only sports competitions, but also various entertainment events.
"Adler Arena"
This skating complex with an unusual design was built in 2012. It is designed in the form of an oval, and its facades are decorated with stained glass gray-blue glass. In the evening it looks more like a spaceship, as it is very impressively illuminated in different colors.
The interior design of the arena is also consistent in the same stylistic direction. The dimensions are amazing: the length is 400 m, and the total area is 50 thousand square meters. m! After the Olympics, a tennis academy also operates here.
Amusement park "Sochi-Park"
Almost simultaneously with the Olympic park complex in Sochi, the Sochi-Park theme park of amusement and attractions began to operate. It definitely deserves attention while sightseeing here.
Its first visitors were participants and fans of the 2014 Olympics. The idea of creation is to demonstrate the cultural and historical wealth of Russia. There is everything for a great holiday with the whole family:
- fair "Alley of Lights"
- "The Enchanted Forest", based on Pushkin's fairy tales,
- “Land of Heroes” with competitions for those who want to measure their strength,
- “Eco-village” - here they teach traditional Russian crafts,
- “The Land of Science and Fiction”, where the famous Quantum Leap attraction is located, reaching speeds of up to 150 m per second.
And here you can go to the dolphinarium and watch evening entertainment shows. To visit Sochi Park, you must purchase an entrance ticket, which allows you to try all the attractions without restrictions.
"Sochi Circuit"
This Formula 1 track was designed by the German architect G. Tilke, whose company designed almost all Formula racing tracks. The autodrome appeared after the conclusion of an agreement between JSC "" and the companies of the Formula One Management group, which provided for the organization of the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix.
Since then, competitions have been regularly held here, which fans of high speeds can watch from the stands named after the Russian athlete D. Kvyata. The track has both slow and medium and high-speed turns, so it is considered one of the most diverse. Sometimes everyone can take a ride here.
Museum Center
The museum row includes several buildings dedicated to different topics: the Leonardo da Vinci and Nikola Tesla Museums, dedicated to science and technology, the USSR, which immerses visitors in the past and allows for plenty of nostalgia, the Automuseum, which houses a collection of cars from different countries, and the Discovery Museum Olympic Games.
The price of a ticket for entry should not bother you, because admission is absolutely free - you will only have to pay for visiting individual establishments. It is convenient to use bicycles to move around the territory: tandems, with child seats and child trailers, and three-wheeled ones. For the little ones, you can rent an electric car, as well as roller skates.
Museum Center
At the beginning of summer 2022, the Museum Center with three museums opened in the Olympic Park. On the first floor there is the Tesla Museum, on the second – the USSR Museum, and on the third – the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum. This object is located at the address: st. International, 6.
Tesla Museum
After visiting the Tesla Museum, you will learn a lot of interesting things about scientific and technological progress with the help of qualified presenters and stuntmen. In addition, museum guests can personally take part in performances that feature unique exhibits.
The Tesla Museum will delight and surprise viewers:
- cage of fear "The Sorcerer's Apprentice";
- music of lightning;
- Tesla plasma flasks;
- unusual interactive exhibits;
- biographical film dedicated to Nikola Tesla;
- scientific experiments for different ages of museum visitors;
- show program with interactive elements.
Huge Tesla coils take part in the show about the Megavolt Lord of Lightning, who fearlessly tame the dangerous elements and cope with millions of volts of load. Guests of the Tesla Museum will remember such a show for a long time. Here you can also take part in an explosive experiment, during which the most ordinary coin, under the influence of a powerful electromagnetic field created by a special installation, is reduced by half. Adult visitors to the Olympic Park should visit here with their children, who will be able to learn a lot of new things, just like their parents.
USSR Museum
The exposition of the USSR Museum occupies the second floor of the museum center and has about 5 thousand different exhibits.
Leonardo Da Vinci Museum
In this amazing place you can observe working mechanisms that were assembled by domestic researchers based on the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.
Museum guests can independently test the trebuchet, catapult, crossbow, glider and other exhibits. Thus, they will learn about their operating principle, and qualified guides will tell the background of these inventions and demonstrate the scientific discoveries of the Great Italian.
How to get (get there) from Sochi?
You can get to the Olympic Stadium by three types of transport. First of all, these are electric trains: the Olympic Park station is located right on the territory of the park. It is connected not only with important microdistricts of Sochi - Lazarevsky, Krasnaya Polyana, but also with other districts - Tuapse, Goryachiy Klyuch and even Krasnodar.
You can also get to the sports complexes by minibuses; there are several transport stops scattered around the park perimeter - “Azimut Hotel”, “Sochi-Park”, “Fisht”, “Shayba”, “Bolshoi”, “Ice Cube”, “Terrace Bar” ", "Formula Sochi" and, of course, "Vokzal". From the numbers of minibuses - No. 57, 57k, 100, 125s, 135 and others.
It’s also not difficult to get to the park by car – your own, a rented one, or a taxi; here’s what the route looks like from the center of Sochi:
Contacts, opening hours, prices
- Address: Imereti Lowland, Adler, Sochi, Krasnodar Territory, Russian Federation.
- GPS coordinates: 43.404602, 39.955447.
- Official website: https://Olympic-park.rf/
- Opening hours: from 8:00 to 24:00.
- Ticket prices: free.
No photo of the Olympic Park in Adler can convey the scale and beauty of the sports complexes. A colossal amount of work was carried out on its creation, the results of which are truly amazing. Even if not everyone was able to see the competitions held here with their own eyes, but now everyone can touch the history and appreciate the scope of the attraction that has become a real legend.
Sochi guides with maps and routes
For independent excursions and walks around Sochi, we can recommend the following book guides:
- "Big Sochi". Authors: Gennady Poplavsky, Dmitry Ivantsov. For lovers of hiking in the mountains. City attractions are not included in the book, only nature, nature reserves, waterfalls, etc.
- "Red Guide" A colorful but superficial book with diagrams of the city and nearby resorts. It is enough to get a general idea of the city, but those who would like to dive deeper into the history and life of Sochi will lack details.
- "Orange Guide". Authors: Artur Shigapov, Natalya Logvinova. A fairly comprehensive and detailed guide to the entire Black Sea coast (the book also includes Anapa, Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Abkhazia, etc.). There are several maps, including walking routes. Example:
For free:
Read also In Sochi with a child: what to see, where to go, what to do
