Sanatorium Imereti, Tskaltubo, Georgia

Sanatorium Imereti is one of the many abandoned resort buildings scattered across the spa town of Tskaltubo in western Georgia. Built during the Soviet period, it once formed part of the state system for health tourism, with workers travelling from across the USSR to this quiet valley. Today, the sanatorium stands vacant and decaying; you must navigate a maze of crumbling corridors to uncover its most beautiful scenes.

I visited Sanatorium Imereti during my 2022 Georgia & Armenia Tour, along with many of the other abandoned spas and hotels of Tskaltubo.

Tskaltubo and age of Soviet Spa Tourism

During the Soviet era, Tskaltubo developed into one of the USSR’s most important health resorts. This was all thanks to the town’s radon carbonate springs, which were believed to aid circulatory, nervous, and musculoskeletal conditions. From the 1930s onwards, the Soviet state made significant investments in spa infrastructure, leading to the rapid growth of this once peaceful mountain town. Sanatoria, bathhouses, parks, and cultural facilities began to pop up all over the town.

Workers received subsidised health packages that included accommodations, meals, and prescribed treatments. At its peak in the post-war decades, Tskaltubo welcomed more than 100,000 visitors each year.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the whole system disappeared in the aftermath. Funding disappeared, visitor numbers fell, and most sanatoria closed. People displaced during the Abkhazia conflict later occupied some buildings. Many of the other hotels and sanatoria of Tskaltubo were left to decay.

History of Sanatorium Imereti

Sanatorium Imereti was constructed during the mid-Soviet period in the Stalinist architectural style, with designs drawn up by architects Vladimir Alexi-Meskhishvili and L. Janelidze in the 1950s. After a decade of building work, the sanatorium opened in 1961. It functioned as a standard state-run sanatorium, providing accommodation and access to medical treatments for guests staying in nearby bathhouses. the 305 bedrooms while enjoying treatments at the nearby bathhouses.

The sanatorium remained in use until the early 1990s. With the end of state-supported spa tourism, it closed soon after. After the Abkhazian War, this sanatorium was used to house Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who called this place home for decades after fleeing the conflict.

Architecture & Layout of Sanatorium Imereti

Sanatorium Imereti consists of a central entrance block with extended wings branching off to the east and west. These wings once housed guest rooms. The main entrance block staircase is one of the iconic features of this location. The staircase links the three floors, beautifully lit by three tall arched windows that offer views of the once manicured gardens outside. The symmetrical split-flight design is repeated twice as it scales the full height of the building. The upper galleries are supported by slender classical columns.

In the eastern wing, there is a secondary stairwell. This stairwell is a semicircular spiral staircase. This wing also houses the circular concert hall, or rotunda. Its domed ceiling is supported by an internal colonnade, slender columns, which create a room-within-room. Nearby there is a hall with a stage.

My visit to the sanatorium

The sanatorium was in poor condition during my 2022 visit. Upper floors have started to collapse in some of the wings, and everywhere concrete falls from walls and ceilings in enormous chunks. Vegetation tentatively reaches through windows and doorways but seems reluctant to venture too far into the building. The west wing is primarily the area most affected by widespread collapse. The eastern wing was in much better condition when I visited and was home to several displaced families.

There are rumours that the site has been sold to investors; perhaps renovation may be on the horizon!