Tskaltubo: radon waters and abandoned sanatoriums

Tskaltubo is a resort with two faces: on the one hand the healing radon waters people came here for over decades, and on the other dozens of monumental sanatoriums, many of them now standing empty. It is one of the most atmospheric places in Imereti and a living monument to the Soviet spa era.

Why the resort is famous

Façade of a large abandoned sanatorium in Tskaltubo — One of Tskaltubo's monumental sanatoriums. Photo: Robot8A / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Tskaltubo lies about 9 km from Kutaisi and is famous for its radon-carbonate springs at 33-35 °C - water that is used without any prior heating. In the Soviet years the resort was at its peak: up to 125,000 people came here a year, and an imposing ensemble of sanatoriums in a monumental style was built around the central park with its springs (some of the buildings are thought to have been put up by German prisoners of war in the late 1940s). Today the resort receives only a small fraction of its former crowds.

What to see

Abandoned Tskaltubo sanatorium with a curved wing and a pool in the courtyard, seen from above — A sanatorium's curved wing and the pool in its inner courtyard, seen from above. Photo: MiSHock / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

The main impression is the scale and the contrast. The sanatoriums are set in a ring around the park; some still operate, others stand empty, with colonnades, grand staircases and painted ceilings that the greenery is slowly swallowing up. It’s this aesthetic of “decaying Soviet art deco” that draws travellers and photographers here. In the central park you can also see the very spring that all of this was once built for.

Semicircular colonnaded rotunda of the abandoned Medea sanatorium in Tskaltubo — The grand colonnaded rotunda of the Medea sanatorium. Photo: Yarkolp / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Interior of an abandoned sanatorium in Tskaltubo: columns, balustrades and stucco — Inside one of the sanatoriums: columns, balustrades and crumbling stucco. Photo: Yarkolp / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

What to keep in mind when visiting

Many of the abandoned buildings are in a dangerous state - with holes and collapses - and going inside is unsafe. And, more importantly: for decades now, some of the sanatoriums have served as housing for people forced to leave Abkhazia. This is not an “abandoned site” for photos but someone’s home, so be tactful, do not intrude into living quarters, and ask permission before photographing people.

Soviet 'flying saucer' pavilion canopy by an abandoned sanatorium in Tskaltubo — A Soviet "flying saucer" canopy against the backdrop of a sanatorium. Photo: Robot8A / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Nearby

Tskaltubo lies close to Kutaisi, from where it’s a short trip to both Sataplia nature reserve with its dinosaur footprints and the Prometheus Cave. The easiest way to get around the sights of Imereti is by car - for how to rent one, see the car hire section; more places are in the things to see section.

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