In October 1963, the Sochi Souvenir Works started its work.

It was one of the largest industrial facilities in Sochi. Artisans and artists created souvenirs from horn, boxwood, metal, cones, plastic, natural algae, shells, inhabitants of the Black sea (crabs, seahorses) in the traditions of folk art of Russia and the Caucasus.

In the photo you can see the entrance to the factory during the big holiday. The factory was located in the heart of the city.

Perhaps this is the most famous souvenir from Sochi - Seagull on the Wave (it was made of plastic).

A great souvenir with the swirling Black Sea wave and a snow-white seagull on it! Holiday-makers took it home with pleasure in memory of the warm sea.

The works produced unusual products from bamboo and local Caucasian wood (walnut, chestnut and beech). It was a gift and decorative items: boxes for tea storage, jewellery boxes, pens etc. Everything was made on lathes, somewhere with decorative carving. But there were problems due to humid climate, over time, the lid of the container for some reason could not be closed!

Here is a samovar for storing tea, a kettle as a lid, and under it is fragrant tea. The samovar is 22 cm high.

The works also had the shop of a manual painting on plastic vases and other items. Vases were of two colored halves, so the painting looked very interesting and gave artists an opportunity to experiment with patterns.

How can crabs frozen in plastic be forgotten? This souvenir for a long time decorated gear shift in cars across the USSR! Later, these crabs were replaced by plastic and to make them look natural, they were painted — it was also the shop of painting on plastic.

In the photo, it is a penholder.

Here is a beautiful jewellery box, as if made of amber.

The works produced a variety of badges, decorative charms, commemorative medals.

Famous folding plastic cup, do you know that? How quickly it folded and got covered with a lid with Sochi sights!

In 1950s Sochi learnt volume hand engraving technique on plexiglass.

Only Sochi produced things from original bubble plastic according to unique technique. Shapes of different vases are smooth, soft, warm.

Candlestick in the form of a flower.

The same technique was used the shop in the Sochi Creative and Production works (art fund), below you can see such a vase.

This vase is 25 cm high.

Also the souvenir works had a shop to make candles, they were decorative with marine or floral pattern, New Year and horoscopes.

Home workers were also involved, they were engaged in knitting hats and handbags.

This is only a small part of the 500 items produced by the Sochi Souvenir Works.

Unfortunately, the factory ceased to exist in 1994, difficult times in Russian history.

Photos of the factory are almost gone, but if anyone watched the Soviet detective "Souvenir for the Prosecutor" (by Sverdlovsk Film Studio in 1989), the shooting was carried out on the Sochi Works!

The factory worked, made noise and created! It was great!