A dacha (Russian: да́ча, IPA: [ˈdatɕə] ( listen)) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of Russian and other post-Soviet cities. A cottage (коттедж, kottedzh) or shack serving as a family 's main or only home, or an outbuilding, is not considered a dacha, although some dachas recently have been converted to year-round residences and vice versa. In some cases, owners occupy their dachas for part of the year and rent them to urban residents as summer retreats. People living in dachas are colloquially called dachniki (дачники); the term usually refers not only to dacha dwellers but to a distinctive lifestyle. The Russian term is often said to have no exact counterpart in English.
Dachas are common in Russia, and are also widespread in most parts of the former Soviet Union and in some countries of the former Eastern Bloc. Surveys in 1993–1994 suggest about 25% of Russian families living in large cities had dachas. Most dachas are in colonies of dachas and garden plots near large cities. These clusters have existed since the Soviet era, and consist of numerous small, typically 600 square metres (0.15 acres), land plots. They were initially intended only as recreation getaways of city dwellers and for growing small gardens for food.
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