The first dachas appeared during the reign of Peter the Great: at that time, dachas were given to nobles loyal to the Tsar. However, it was only in the late 19th Century that they became favorite summer retreats of the middle class.

The Shubin family have owned their dacha for almost a century – their humble country house just outside of Moscow has played a major role in their lives.

“I have lots of dear memories from my childhood here. I would go as far as to say that everything in my life today has some link back to this dacha,” owner Maria Shubina told RT. “I met my friends here and developed my interests and views on life. I can remember being in my first year at school and writing a composition saying that my favorite place in nature was a walnut path at my dacha.”

Such dachas are not just living museums, they are also centers of community life, as in the past they tended to be built around sports and recreation facilities.

“I think that this verandah is an architectural monument. It is exactly the same today as it was in the 1930s. Many concerts have been played here, Richter and Gindes used to perform here,” Shubina said. “Today Bashmet sometimes plays. They all used to either live here or nearby. One of our neighbors is Sasha Lepnitsky the rock musician. Once a year, he puts on a rock festival on the same stage I danced on as a child and my mother before me.”

Just a few hundred meters away, the demand for dachas has seen many new modern country houses springing up.

Egor, Lena and London the dog live in their modern dacha all year round. They abandoned the city for the country life and are hooked on the clean air and open spaces.

“When I was living in the city I couldn’t imagine living in the country. Now everything is just vice versa,” dacha resident Elena told RT. “Now if I want to go for a walk, I go to the river, to the fields, and it’s a proper three-hour walk. It’s just beautiful. You see nature changing. You see different seasons, you see insects. It’s very interesting.”

However, the country couple is glad that their modern dacha has plenty of the home comforts that they had in the city.

Egor is an artist and has a studio upstairs in the dacha. The peace and quiet of working in the country as opposed to the hectic pace of city life appears to suit his style of art.

“In the city, I was fighting, not working,” artist Egor Ostrov told RT. “My art was more hostile because I had to force myself. Out there in the air, everything is in harmony. I make things more thoughtfully. It appeals to me, I find inspiration here.”