Gurzuf---It was once the summer destination for the brightest and best of Soviet children but it slipped into disuse and decay after the Socialist empire crumbled.
Now, however, showpiece holiday camp Artek in Crimea has reopened under Russian control after Moscow grabbed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine -- and it is once again aiming to shape a new generation.
In an idyllic setting of cypress trees, magnolias and seven kilometres (about four miles) of pebble beaches, Artek welcomed only the cream of the Communist youth organisations, the Young Pioneers and the Komsomol, aged from 10 to around 17 .
After the end of the Soviet Union, the camp was taken over by Ukraine's independent authorities but gradually fell into disrepair.
But that all changed after the Kremlin seized the region from Kiev last year -- and now 20,000 young Russians are set to holiday here this summer.
First opened in 1925 on Lenin's suggestion, the Russian government is now pumping some $410 million (365 million rubles) to refurbish the camp between now and 2020.
The aim is to turn it into a "national symbol of Russia -- like the ballet or the Hermitage museum" in Saint Petersburg, the new 35-year-old director, Alexei Kasprzhak, told AFP.
For 95 percent of those who stay at the camp, it is free. They win the trip as a reward for taking top places in national competitions in school subjects from maths to Russian literature, or for excelling in sports or dance. The first began arriving in April.
"Artek has become Russian again. That makes me so happy!", said one of the first to stay there, 14 year-old Mikhail, adjusting his sailor's hat.
"Deep down, I'm a Young Pioneer too, like my parents were, even if I don't wear a red kerchief," said Mikhail, who won first prize in maths at a competition in Ulan-Ude in Buryatia, a largely Buddhist Siberian region.
Another camp member, 12-year-old Rita Isayeva, had chosen to wear the uniform of the Young Pioneers, a cap and red kerchief, saying she preferred this.
Rita from the far northern town of Apatity won first prize in five subjects in her competition. She said she had yet to choose a future career -- torn between astronomer or cheese taster.
Children coming from abroad if they want to join the camp must shell out the full amount, however: around 65,000 rubles ($1,233) for three weeks.
AFP
