“My uncle possessed remarkable strength. Once he lifted a horse onto his shoulders, and carried it all the way home. Beria heard about this. He sent out his assistants, who asked my uncle to take a job in his personal guard. My uncle refused. Some time later, Beria’s people came back. He was given a few minutes to pack, and then nobody ever saw him again.”



Konstantin Shurdulava himself is personally acquainted with this cottage. He was 20 years old when he was hired by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to work for his security detail. This was in 1952, a year before Beria was executed.



“We were not allowed to go in and see him - we were there just as extras. I saw Beria maybe three times in all the time I worked there. They used to say that if you looked at him and he caught your eye, you would be done for. You’d never be found. We did not communicate with his guard, and we were supposed to just sit there and look stupid. If you did that, nothing would happen to you. ”

