Behind his unpronounceable name hides the once the most sought-after spa destination in the USSR. In total 25 of these abandoned sanatoriums and timeworn bathhouses are sprewn around in what now looks a bit of a jungle.
Tskaltubol abandonded Sanatoria
Tskaltubo’s so-called Waters of Immortalitity were first documented in the 13th century. The first bathhouses were built as early as the 1870s. In 1913, the Latvian chemist Robert Kuptsis was invited to analyse the waters and was the first person to detect radon – a discovery that made Tskaltubo became the most popular and developed of Georgia’s spa towns.
Tskaltubol abandonded Sanatoria
During its heydays, up to 125,000 people from across the USSR visited the town every year , there were even direct trains to Tskaltubo from Moscow.
Tskaltubol abandonded Sanatoria
Prestigious as it was, Tskaltubo wasn’t necessarily reserved for the upper echelons. It was mainly frequented by party members, factory administration workers, and the political elite – but anyone could theoretically attend Tskaltubo under Article 119 of the USSR Constitution, ‘the right to rest and leisure’.When the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991, so did Tskaltubo’s spa industry. Despite many of the sanatoria having been recently reconstructed at the end of the 1980s, most of the buildings were left abandoned and eventually stripped of their tiles, pipes, radiators, furniture, and anything else that could be burned for firewood, re-used or sold off as scrap.
Tskaltubol abandonded Sanatoria
In 1992-1993, Tskaltubo was used as a temporary home for internally displaced persons fleeing from Abkhazia. Between 9,000-12,000 people (of a total 250,000) were given refuge in the old sanatoria.
Tskaltubol abandonded Sanatoria
In summer 2022, the ‘New Life for Tskaltubo’ initiative put up 14 buildings for auction. Several were snapped up by Georgian consortiums and private investors from Egypt, Qatar and elsewhere. Not a lot of restoration was going on when I visited in August 2024, but people in the town are positive that things are moving in the right direction.
Tskaltubol abandonded Sanatoria
Tskaltubol abandonded Sanatoria
We had lunch in the only functioning restaurant and hotel which was packed with families. It was super hot in August and the idea of diving into even warmer water was unbearable. Leaving was more difficult than arriving, when had taken the train from Chiatura to Kutaisi and covered the 20km to Tskaltubo by taxi.
Eventually we decided for a taxi all the way to Tbilisi, 220 Gel, which 75€, which garantueed us arriving in time for the conference starting next day.
During that try the only unpleasant thing happened. In the taxi I dropped my Ipad on the floor, left in Tbilisi without noticing this mishap. I did not get it back despite being able to contct the driver through the taxi company.
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