Rob Hornstra, The Sochi project – Poster Sochi, Russia, 2009

Every year, Mikhail Pavelivich Karabelnikov (77) from Novokunetsk travels around 3,000 kilometers in order to be able to take his holiday in Sochi. The coastal strip on the Black Sea around the subtropical resort of Sochi (Russia) has for decades been famous for its sanatoria. During the Soviet era, millions of workers were sent to one of these sanatoria annually to revive their spirits and strengthen their bodies. Today, the sanatoria are still fully booked year round mostly with elderly or disabled Russians. In the run-up to the Olympic Winter Games in 2014, almost all the sanatoria will be converted into luxury hotels.