Tskaltubo — The City of Abandoned Soviet Sanatoriums

Tskaltubo is a town in Georgia, not far from Kutaisi. The city was built around radon springs and, during Soviet times, was a true health resort paradise for the entire Union. Getting a ticket to one of Tskaltubo’s sanatoriums was considered very prestigious.

But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the city—and with it all the sanatoriums— fell into decline. Now, almost all of them are abandoned, or at least partially abandoned. In the early 1990s, refugees from Abkhazia were settled in some of these buildings; in fact, many of them still live there today—over 30 years later!

During Soviet times, Tskaltubo was designed to be a fully-fledged resort city built around the springs. But how would Soviet citizens get to the resort? Naturally, by train! The railway station was meant to be a kind of calling card, the first impression this prestigious destination would make on visitors.

Now, trains no longer arrive or depart here: the rails are rusting, and grass sprouts through the cracks in the asphalt on the platforms.

This is probably the most famous and popular sanatorium in Tskaltubo today. Because it attracts so many visitors, if you decide to come on a weekend, be prepared for crowds and, most likely, two or even three wedding parties.

Medea is one of those sanatoriums where refugees from Abkhazia still live. The residents keep dogs, who sit near their apartments and guard them vigilantly. The dogs look fierce and will bark at you loudly from afar, but if you pretend to pick something up off the ground, they’ll instantly fall silent, tuck their tails, and scurry off deeper into the building.

Metallurg is another sanatorium where Abkhazian refugees live. Unlike at Medea, where the refugees stay mostly in side wings and rarely cross paths with tourists, at Metallurg you’re bound to meet the residents—they might even invite you in for a visit and tell you their story.

Other highlights of Metallurg include a huge chandelier in the main hall, an auditorium in the left wing, and a dining room in the right. You can access the side wings by passing straight through the main hall and then going outside.

The Tbilisi sanatorium is notable for the griffins at the entrance, a picturesque inner courtyard, and access to the roof.

Don’t forget to take a photo on the pedestal in the courtyard!

Like the previous sanatorium, at Iveria you can also get to the roof. If you search the top floor, in one of the side wings you’ll find a metal spiral staircase to the attic, and from there you can climb up to the roof.

At Imereti, I can recommend two main spots: a giant puddle in front of the staircase (great for photos), and the true gem of the sanatorium—the domed hall with amazing echo. There’s a funny quirk: the echo is only heard if you stand in the very center under the dome, so from the outside, anyone shouting or singing looks a bit ridiculous.

In the left wing, there was a fire and part of the structure collapsed, so to get to the photo puddle you have to exit into the courtyard and follow a worn path into the left wing.

All the sanatoriums I’ve described above were built in the Stalinist Empire style—grand and opulent. But after Stalin’s death, the sense of beauty died with him. The new trend was economy and austerity, so all new sanatoriums were built in the standard Soviet style.

However, construction of Savane had already begun, so they simply stripped away most of the “unnecessary” decorative elements—in other words, nearly all the decoration. As a result, Savane still looks a bit like the older sanatoriums, but thoroughly “plucked bare.”

Tskaltubo is laid out so that a central park contains the main spring and the famous baths, while the sanatoriums are arranged around the park and were used only for accommodation.

Bath No. 5

Spring

In the center of the park is a working spring, where you can try some radon water if you’re brave enough.

Bath No. 8

This bathhouse looks like a UFO with cryogenic capsules for hibernation.

Aya is another sanatorium still home to refugees.

Its main attraction is the mosaic in the main hall.

And finally, the last sanatorium on this list. These days, Sakartvelo stands empty, but until quite recently, it too housed refugees. They’ve now all been moved to modern housing, but in many rooms, you can still find belongings left behind in the move.

All the rooms are open. If a door won’t budge, it means the entrance is via the next room—residents would combine several rooms into a multi-room apartment.

Although most of Tskaltubo’s sanatoriums are abandoned, there are still modern ones in operation, and the park’s Spring No. 6 is open for those who want to try the famous radon baths or other health treatments.

The easiest way to get to Tskaltubo is by car. From Tbilisi, it’s about a three and a half hour drive—leave in the morning, see everything, and you can be back in the city by evening.