Tskaltubo: Abandoned Soviet Spa

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03/09/2025

Love a bit of architecture. Got it in spades here. The first bath house was built in 1870 as the waters were known to be beneficial. In 1913 they were proved to be medicinal… radon apparently. Stalin’s first visit was in 1920 and 3 spa houses were hastily erected using 4000 labourers. The Soviet’s ‘acquired’ the territory during the 1920s and declared it a Balneotherapy centre – treatment of medical conditions using mineral water. After WW2 there was an explosion of construction. By the 1950s there were 9 bath houses in Central Park and a further 22 sanitarium and wellness centres around the park.

At its peak there were 125,000 Soviet visitors p.a. There was even a direct train from Moscow. It was not just the party elite who visited. Every citizen had the right to rest and leisure. Good workers would buy a voucher for an inexpensive amount. About one third of a middle class monthly income. As well as baths there were entertainments in theatres, libraries and conference halls.

A bustling and thriving city. Lots of restoration and modernising in 1980s. Until 1991. Georgian independence. Visitor numbers dropped to less than 1000. Most of the buildings were abandoned and stripped of tiles, radiators … anything that could be reused or sold. Refugees from Abkhazia were housed here from 1992. Most of them were eventually rehoused the last ones officially by 2023. Although one building was full of clothes that looked like more recent squatters. And I was charged £1.25 by an elderly lady to enter one, where were living, to see the public areas.

I think we were lucky to be able to enter so many of the buildings. The Georgian government has tried a few times to ressurect Tskaltubo to top spa destination. Recently a number have been purchased and are being restored. Fences around some went up only this year. Stalin came here regularly on holiday. His bath house No. 6 is one of the few that is restored and operational.

We must have walked over 9k. The first park was through a huge beautiful park – Central Park. Loved it.

Central Park
The first one we entered
One of the functioning bath houses in the park
Restored Bath house No 6 where Stalin had his treatments
This was a public bath house – each grave was a bath
Looked like squatters as no effort had been made to make the rooms home. They left piles of clothing. Here and in other hotels, the wallpaper in each room was different
Hotel Medea. It was recently cleared of inhabitants and a guard on duty to prevent people moving it. Now a major wedding photography venue – 2 lots whilst we were there
Medea must’ve been beautiful in its day
Some of the hotel / bath houses were for guests from specific jobs. This is metallurgist. Another was Miner. You can see which rooms are inhabited. I paid £1.25 to look at the public rooms.
The concert hall with not so grand piano
Entrance hall
Think it was the dining room as kitchens nearby
Could see daylight
Renovations in progress, just
When we left Tskaltubo, road hazards were cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, chicken and geese
We drove up to a peaceful ruin parking

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